Kotaro Nakamura AIA, LEED AP

Bio

Research Interests

Kotaro Nakamura is a professor and Chair of the Interior Design Department at ISU. He also has 40 years of architectural and interior design practice as a principal of Roesling Nakamura Terada (RNT) Architects. His research focuses on the well-being of people and the environment to increase their resilience. He is a recipient of multiple AIA Design Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from San Diego AIA in 2023. 

His design practice and research interests focus on promoting community engagement and development. Some notable projects include the Japanese Friendship Garden Pavilion and Botanical Building historical preservation at Balboa Park in San Diego and the reconstruction of the School for the Deaf in Riverside. These projects seek to improve the experience of users and the surrounding community by providing spaces for activities and engagement that promote a stronger sense of community.

He is a licensed architect in California and a Leadership in Energy and Environment Accredited Professional (LEED AP). He has an Engineering Degree from Kanto Gakuin University in Japan and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design from SDSU.

Current Projects

Kotaro Nakamura presented his research findings at a symposium organized by the Japan National Engineering Society in Sendai, Japan. Sendai is the largest city affected by the March 11 tsunami, and the event was attended by architects and engineers from local firms. During the presentation, Nakamura discussed disaster relief, recovery, and prevention strategies in both the U.S. and Japan. This included topics such as flood replacement housing in New Orleans, replacement housing in the southwest U.S. for homes destroyed by fires, and relief efforts in tsunami-damaged areas in Japan.

After moving to Iowa State University, he conducted research on resilience by design, focusing on climatic conditions in the upper Midwest. The research aimed to develop well-designed built environments that ensure comfort, safety, and resilience in the face of extreme temperatures, humidity, and tornado threats. Currently, he and his team are investigating the use of mass timber construction to provide tornado shelter-level safety for single-family housing.