Team
Masakatsu Nishitani
Architect
&
Landscape Designer
Wolke
Lighting Designer
Seung Hyun Lee
International Business Consultant
I studied interior design at college in Germany, where I fell in love with the European culture and their use of lighting in society. I noticed a stark difference in the ways in which lighting was used in Japan and Europe. Since graduating, I have been a lighting designed based in Tokyo for almost 16 years, where I have worked with amazing interior designers and architects, and have been engaged by high fashion brands for various projects.
When I design lighting, I always seek to find the beauty within a space and then determine how this beauty can be enhanced by the use of light, regardless of whether the space is a residence, an urban environment, or commercial space.
"WOLKE" is the German word for cloud. Clouds are able to freely change shape, and can reflect, transmit, and diffuse light. I want to be someone who can create something that is soft and beautiful like a cloud.
Following graduation in 1996, I moved to New Zealand where I taught myself about architecture and landscape design. After returning to Japan in 2000, I worked in the architectural design studio and the construction company.
In 2013, I founded Comorebi Arqeuitecto Design Office. I moved to Kyoto in 2017 and divided my time between architecture with the Architectural Culture Laboratory and landscape with Ueyakato Landscape. In 2021, we re-launched our business focused on both landscape and architecture design.
My passion is to use traditional Japanese architecture and landscape design to bring harmony to the environment, culture, and nature itself.
After graduating from Keio University, Japan, with a degree in economics, I moved to England to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where I obtained my MBA as well as my AICPA, CIA, and CFA certifications. I then moved to Korea to complete my military service, and was assigned to the Korean UDT/SEAL division, where I was ranked a Major. Upon completion of my term, I worked in the Internal Audit Department of Mitsubishi Corporation, Corporate Planning Depatment of HSBC, and was a Director with the Corporate Strategy Division of POSCO
My international experience has provided me with a great appreciation for the beauty found in architecture and interior design.
Our Design Phylosophy
A pursuit for harmony between buildings, gardens and lighting
Our design office name is "Comorebi" that means, "sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees" in Japanese. We want to create a comfortable space such as under "Comorebi". Our philosophy is to develop living spaces that achieve balance and harmony among the three aspects of architecture, landscape, and lighting.
