Eiri Ota
Bachelor of Architecture, Musashino Art University
Licensed First Class Architect, Japan
Eiri Ota, the principal of UUfie, is a licensed Japanese Architect with wide experience working on cultural, residential, and commercial projects. Born in Paris and educated and trained in Japan, he brings with him a highly skilled and unique international perspective. He transforms design into reality with an understanding of human scale to facilitate design from the largest to the smallest details.
After graduating from Musashino Art University, he immediately started his career at Jun Aoki and Associates in Tokyo from 2003 to 2008. He independently led several built commercial and hospitality projects such as Louis Vuitton Namiki (Japan), White Chapel (Japan), and Go-Sees Hiroo (Japan).
In addition, he has worked on the master planning and development for major projects in China (the Quindao Bath Project) and the United Kingdom (the Visitor Centre at Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). He is highly competent in all phases from concept design to construction administration.
After founding UUfie with Irene Gardpoit in 2009 in Tokyo, he moved to Toronto, Canada. While working on Lake Cottage (completed 2013), he consulted with the interior design firm Yabu Pushelberg between 2011 and 2013. This experience exposed him to new creative processes and new clients such as Hudson’s Bay Yorkdale (Canada), Lane Crawford Shanghai (China), Park Hyatt Hangzhou (China), the Mount Nicholson Residence (Hong Kong), and Four Season Hotel Restaurant (Japan).
Today, he focuses on his partnership within UUfie, acting as principal designer and architect to forge strong relationships with collaborators and consultants. He is currently working on several projects, including a residential project in Michigan and a studio complex in Ontario. He has also been a visiting critic and lecturer at several top Canadian universities and is currently a sessional professor at the University of Toronto, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.