The School of Architecture at the University of Utah is announcing appointment of Hiroko Yamamoto and Atsushi Yamamoto as Co-Directors of the DesignBuildUTAH program. DesignBuildUTAH engages graduate students in design and construction projects, where students apply foundational knowledge obtained in classroom to real-world projects through the DesignBuildUTAH@Bluff and DesignUTAH@SLC programs.

Hiroko and Atsushi Yamamoto are faculty members at the School of Architecture, who have been leading the DesignBuildUTAH@Bluff program for almost a decade and have been involved with the program even longer. This award-winning program offers students an immersive hands-on opportunity to design and build a full-scale housing project in collaboration with the Navajo Nation in southeastern Utah. Our DesignUTAH@SLC offers students an intensive experience within an urban setting, focusing on community-engaged projects and collaboration with practice. The program introduces students to emerging building technologies, construction techniques and digital fabrication.

Born in Nagoya, Japan, Hiroko Yamamoto studied architecture and received her Master of Architecture from Kobe University. She worked with Kinya Maruyama on design-build workshops for several years before joining the University of Utah. Her research focuses on the hands-on programs within architectural education and community-engaged design projects.

Atsushi Yamamoto received his Master of Architecture at the University of Utah. He has been teaching for the DesignBuildUTAH@Bluff program since 2009 and brings practical construction experience to the classroom.

Their dedication, collaborative spirit, leadership, and technical knowledge are celebrated among our students and alumni. Over the years, Hiroko and Atsushi Yamamoto completed twenty-four residential projects with our students. In their new roles, Hiroko and Atsushi Yamamoto will be overseeing both programs, DesignBuildUTAH@Bluff and DesignUTAH@SLC.