Tan Yamanouchi　｜　CEO + Principal Architect

Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. From an early age, he learned the practice of architectural design at the office of his father, an architect. He studied under the late architect Kazuhiro Kojima, and then completed a master’s degree at Keio University.
He joined Hakuhodo Inc. (Japan’s leading advertising creative agency) as a creative director with the aim of acquiring the ability to communicate architecture from an architect’s perspective, rather than just creating architecture. He worked in advertising creative for leading international companies.
After gaining expertise and professional skills in the advertising field, he returned to his hometown of Sapporo, Hokkaido and engaged in architectural design in the northern region. At the same time, he explored vernacular design methods and philosophy for urban architecture. In 2018, he began his career as an architect and established an architectural design office based in Tokyo.
Based on “Architecture of Ghost,” Tan Yamanouchi’s unique architectural philosophy, which is derived from the ancient Japanese idea that “Deities (spirits) dwell in all earthly things — humans, objects, flora and fauna”, he designs a wide variety of architecture. Regardless of the type of architecture, he designs residential, hotels, condominium renovations, stores, offices, churches, exhibitions, etc.
In addition, he aims to expand the professional capabilities of architects based on his unique vision of “More than an Architect,” and is creating unprecedented architectural projects in Japan that includes architectural design, branding, and advertising all at once.
He is an up-and-coming Japanese architect who has won numerous Japanese architecture awards and international architecture awards. He is the architect + founder of Tan Yamanouchi & AWGL (Japan’s first-class architectural firm and corporation).