I am excited to join the urban design team of Node! I identified with Node’s philosophy about a people-focused and holistic approach through urban design, landscape architecture and heritage. I would like to make use of the opportunities to develop my career while contributing to various projects with the same philosophy.
My interest in the built environment started when I was a child because of my parents’ jobs. I had various opportunities to explore new developments, for example, walking around in the new tube tunnels, learning new engineering against earthquakes and travelling to see beautiful glass skyscrapers! The little girl didn’t understand everything, but these brought her excitement, and she has not forgotten the feeling today.
In Japan, I took an architecture degree which gave me basic built environment knowledge from design to engineering techniques. I then gained an opportunity to work in the landscape architecture field for three years. These gave me a range of experiences in different scales of projects including contributing to international projects. However, I identified a passion for place-making, which made me decide to come to the UK to study urban design.
The MSc Urban Design and International Planning course at the University of Manchester was quite intensive but supportive teachers gave us deep knowledge and skills of Urban design and planning systems in the UK. What I was particularly inspired by in the UK was the importance of heritage, which coexists with the neighbourhood and contributes to unique communities.
Outside of work, I love travelling, reading, yoga, gardening, cycling etc. Also, I am curious, and I will try to do anything anyway. Due to this character, I climbed Ben Nevis a few months ago which made me recognise the importance of training!
Today, I believe I can contribute to Node through my holistic experiences across different disciplines. I am looking forward to working on a range of Node projects as well as enjoying life in the UK!
