February 2, 2004

Renowned Chicago Architect Joseph Y. Fujikawa, founding principal of Fujikawa Johnson and Associates, Inc. died earlier this month at the age of 81.

Fujikawa had practiced in Chicago since 1945 and began his career in the offices of Mies van der Rohe. At this stage of his career Fujikawa worked on Mies' Crown Hall for the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, Planning, and Design.

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Partnering in the successor firms of Mies van der Rohe's office, Fujikawa's later worked on projects like the Westmount Square in Montreal, Canada, the Illinois Center in Chicago, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center in Chicago.

Fujikawa is especially well known for merging technology and architecture. Such efforts include the design of a prototype fabricated steel house system, and early development of metal curtainwall systems for high rise structures.

By Sam Lubell