Hiroko Yamamoto

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Projects: The Sweat Equity Homes Project

Born in Nagoya, Japan, Hiroko studied Japanese traditional architecture at the Kobe University, where she received a master’s degree in Architecture. During college, she worked with the Japanese architect Kinya Maruyama on design-build workshops for several years and learned about hands-on approaches to architectural education. She also met many professional craftspeople, including internationally renowned master plasterer, Naoki Kusumi, who helped her realize the power of her hands. After working for several years as a licensed architect and construction manager at a development company in Tokyo, she recognized how precious the experience of hands-on learning through design-build programs was. She quit her job in 2011 and moved to the US to work with the DesignBuildBLUFF program.

Currently, Hiroko is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah, where she runs DesignBuildBLUFF in partnership with her husband Atsushi Yamamoto. Her research focuses on hands-on architectural education and its influence on the local community as well as regional building materials and methods, including earthen building techniques. Hiroko resides in Bluff, Utah with her two daughters, her dog, and her husband and business partner. She enjoys living and working in the southwestern region of the United States and it is her passion to share her experience with more people through Nááts'íilid Initiative and to convey the fun of making things together.