ROBERT MURASE - LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Robert Murase designed the rock and water garden for the new Pavilion at the Japanese American National Museum. With more than 30 years experience as a landscape architect, Mr. Murase has designed courtyards and unique spaces for museums, libraries, hospitals, schools, and municipal buildings. He has also been responsible for the master planning and design for visitor and resort complexes, university campuses and park and recreation developments.

Mr. Murase’s innovative installations can be found around the world, including the United States, Japan, the Pacific Basin, and the Caribbean. Recent projects include the Borobudur Archaeological Center and Prambanan Temple landscape plan in Indonesia; the Seattle Central Waterfront design guidelines; the Wilsonville Town Center Park in Oregon; the Goshogawara Civic Core District development plan; and the Benaroya Concert Hall Garden of Remembrance in Seattle, WA.

A third-generation Japanese American, Mr. Murase graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BLA in landscape architecture. Afterward, he apprenticed at the offices of Robert Royston and Lawrence Halprin. To further enrich his experience, Mr. Murase moved to Japan, where he maintained a practice for nearly 10 years, initially conducting garden research at Kyoto University. Subsequently, he taught at the University of Oregon’s Department of Landscape Architecture, after which he worked for the EDAW in Portland, OR. In 1982, he established his own office in Portland, and opened a Seattle office in 1988.

Mr. Murase is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He has been a guest lecturer and speaker at universities, museums, arboretums and other institutions. A frequent participant in symposiums and seminars, he also has served on design juries in the United States and Japan. In addition, he recently authored Touching the Stones, a book tracing 100 years of Japanese American history, which is based on his design of the Japanese American Historical Plaza.