Honorary Doctor Maki Fumihiko was awarded the Japan Art Academy Imperial Prize. This prize is awarded to individuals who have created notable works of art or contributed significantly to the progress of art. This prize was awarded for the design and refurbishment of the Toyoda Auditorium at NagoyaUniversity.
Toyoda Auditorium was presented to the university in 1960 by the Toyota Motor Industrial Company, now known as the Toyota Motor Corporation, for the promotion of education and the advancement of science. Mr. Maki designed the auditorium, which has become a landmark of Japanese modernist architecture.
Toyoda Auditorium has been highly praised, and has been selected for awards such as the 'DOCOMOMO in JAPAN Modern Architecture 100' and the '20th BELCA Awards'. In 2011 it became a National Registered Tangible Cultural Asset, the first case of a cultural asset being designated as such during the lifetime of the designer.
Congratulatory Comments from President Hamaguchi
I welcome this opportunity to congratulate Honorary Doctor Maki Fumihiko on being awarded the Japan Art Academy Imperial Prize for design of the Toyoda Auditorium, a symbol of the university.
I am extremely pleased to know that Mr. Maki was awarded the prize for his work in the design and refurbishment of Toyoda Auditorium. The award also represents a great honor for NagoyaUniversity itself.
As an architect, Mr. Maki has been awarded prizes internationally, including the Pritzker Prize and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. His design for the Toyoda Auditorium in 1960 has been hailed as a masterpiece of Japanese modernist architecture. Furthermore, the Auditorium is the first National Registered Tangible Cultural Asset designated as such in the designer's lifetime.
Despite the passing of 50 years, the elegant form of the Toyoda Auditorium continues to epitomize forward-thinking as an 'eternally modern' landmark. It is hoped that the Auditorium will continue as a treasure of the university for many years to come.
March 20th, 2013
Michinari Hamaguchi - President Nagoya University