Ken-ichi Kimura

Ken-ichi Kimura (木村 建一, Kimura Ken-ichi) (b.1933, Fushun, China) is a Japanese environmental architect.^[1] Kimura studied architecture and building science at Waseda University in Tokyo, then he joined the Solar Energy Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology as research assistant through Fulbright Program from 1960 to 1962, under Prof. Lawrence B. Anderson as his adviser. He was engaged in education and research on architectural environment at Department of Architecture, Waseda University from 1964 and obtained Doctor’s degree in Engineering in1965. He spent two years from 1967 as a post-doctoral fellow at Division of Building Research, National Research Council (Canada) in Ottawa, working on the use of computers in environmental engineering in relation to the heating and cooling loads in buildings. In 1972 he designed a solar heated house for his family, which attracted public attention after the oil crisis of 1973. Since then he designed several solar houses to continue solar activities through international and domestic societies as well as studies on energy conservation in buildings, comfort in indoor environment, natural energy utilization with vernacular technologies. His academic carrier covers President of Japan Solar Energy Society, President of Society of Heating, Air Conditioning and Sanitary Engineering, Board of Director Member of International Solar Energy Society, Board of Director Member Member of Architectural Institute of Japan and others. Retired from Waseda University in 1999 to become Professor Emeritus. Thereafter his work develops as Principal, International Institute on Human Environment and Honorary President, NPO Environmental House. He is the author of Environmental Engineering, Fundamentals of Building Services, Scientific Basis of Air Conditioning, Architectural Environment, Natural Energy Technologies of Vernacular Buildings, Glossary of House and Environment and more. Ken-ichi Kimura is the father of Mari Kimura, a Japanese violinist and composer in New York.

Education

Department of Architecture, Waseda University, 1953-57. B.Arch. 1957
Graduate School, Waseda University, 1957-59. M.Sc. 1959
Graduate School, Waseda University, 1959-64. D.Eng. 1965
Special Graduate Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1960-62

Employment

Research Associate, Department of Architecture, Waseda University 1959-64
Research Assistant, Dept. of Architecture, Solar energy Project, MIT, USA, 1960-62
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Waseda University 1964-67
Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Waseda University 1967-73
Postdoctorate Fellow, Division of building Research, National Research Council, Ottawa 1967-69
Professor, Department of Architecture, Waseda University 1973-99
Professor, Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 1999–Present

Awards

Research Paper Award, Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineering of Japan, 1968, 1972, 1973
Research Paper Award, Architectural Institute of Japan, 1982
PLEA Award, Passive and Low Energy Architecture, 1997
Farrington Daniels Award, International Solar Energy Society, 1999

Field of Specialization

Heating and cooling loads of buildings, passive solar system, active solar system, solar house design, energy conservation in buildings, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and visual environment and PV integration into building design.

Membership of Academic Societies

Member, Board of Directors, Architectural Institute of Japan, 1981-82.
Member, Architectural Environmental Engineering Committee
Member, Vice President (1980–82, 1992–94) President (1994–96) Society of Heating, Air Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan
Member, Board of Directors (1972–73, 1975–76, 1978, 1987-88) Chairman, International Relations Committee (1979–81, 1992–94)
Member, Standardizing Committee of Air Conditioning Japan Solar Energy Society
Vice-President (1975–84), President(1984–86), International Solar Energy Society
Member, Board of Directors (1974–80), Chairman, Japanese Section (1984–87), Member of Awards Committee(1981–93), American Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers
International Liaison Member(1974- ), Associate Editor, International Journal of Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Research (1995–99)
Fellow (1989-) The Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan
Member, Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA)
Member of Directorate (1990–93), Member, Steering Committee (1988–91), International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences (IAIAS)
Member (1993-), International Society on Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ)
Treasurer(1994–97), Honorary President, NPO Environmental House

Organizer of International Conferences

International Symposium on the Use of Computers for Environmental Engineering Related to Buildings, 1984, Tokyo
Vice-Chairman, Organizing Committee, International Symposium on Thermal Application of Solar Energy, 1985, Hakone
Chairman, Organizing Committee, World Solar Energy Congress, 1989, Kobe
Vice-Chairman, Organizing Committee, 7th International Conference on PLEA, 1989, Nara
Chairman of Organizing Committee, 10th International Conference of PLEA, 1992, Auckland
Chairman, International Advisory Committee, 7th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate (INDOOR AIR 96), 1996, Nagoya
Vice-Chairman, Organizing Committee, Member of International Advisory Committee of many international conferences

Members of Committee (selected among many)

National Contact person (1989–96), IEA Solar Task 13 Advanced Solar Heating and Cooling,
Member, Editorial Board(1979-), Design Competition Committee, Energy and Buildings (scientific journal)
Chairman (1983–93), Solar Energy Development Association
Chairman (1980–82), Research on Natural Energy, Special Energy Project, Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

Publications

Fundamental Theories of Building Services, Gakkensha, 1970
Environmental Engineering (Building Technology Series No.2), Shoukokusha, 1976
Scientific Basis of air Conditioning, Applied Science Publishers, London, 1977
Introduction to Solar Houses, Omusha, 1980
Theories of Solar Energy (New Architectural Science Series No.8), Shoukokusha, 1984
Space Cooling and Heating Load Calculation (Handbook of Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineering, 10th Edition, Chapter 2 of Volume 5), Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan, 1981 Pocket Book of Architectural Glossary – Environment and Building Services, Maruzen,1986(editor)
Theories of Architectural Environment, Vol.1, Maruzen, 1991(editor)
Theories of Architectural Environment, Vol.2, Maruzen, 1992 (editor, co-author)
Natural Energy Technologies of Vernacular Architecture, 1999 (editor, co-author)
Glossary of House Environment, Sokokusha, 2003
Scientific Basis of air Conditioning (Revised Version),Building Research Institute, Japan, 2010
World Journey of Environmental Architecture, IRIHE, Japan, 2013
Essay on Architectural Environment, IRIHE, Japan, 2013

Design Projects (* collaboration, ** consulting)

House with Clinic (Musashino, Tokyo) 1958
Zebra Nogi Factory and Apartment (Nogi, Tochigi) 1962*
Nakanishi Villa(Sugadaira, Nagano) 1965*
Kimura Solar house (Tokorozawa, Saitama) 1972
Experimental Solar House of Science and Technology Agency (Souka, Saitama) 1974
Chiba Solar House(Kamakura, Kanagawa) 1976*
Sagara Solar House (Inagi, Tokyo) 1979*
Suzuki Solar House (Oyama, Tochigi) 1979*
Kusano Solar House (Yokohama, Kanagawa) 1981*
Miki Solar House (Setagaya, Tokyo) 1982*
Takasaki Clinic and Solar House (Nerima, Tokyo) 1983*
TEPCO Passive Solar House (Shinagawa, Tokyo) 1988 *
Creatopia Collective Solar Houses (Obuse, Nagano) 1978**
Solar Building of Dept. of Energy Engineering, Oita University by Sunshine Project, MITI (Oita City, Oita) 1975**
Hirakata Solar House by Sunshine Project, MITI (Hirakata, Osaka) 1975**
Japanese Advanced Solar House IV-NA21 (Nasu, Tochigi) 1994*
School Building of Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Kitakyushu University (Kitakyushu, Fukuoka) 1999

References