Kulapat Yantrasast

July 24, 2024

Born in Thailand, studied in Japan, mentored by the legendary Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and co-founder of WHY, Kulapat Yantrasast is a prolific architect and designer, whose ideas, designs and structures span the globe. Kulapat established WHY in 2004 with the intention of combining his experience in the art world with a deep commitment to cultural inclusivity and human flourishing.

Originally from Thailand, and now based in Los Angeles, Kulapat Yantrasast co-founded WHY, a multidisciplinary design practice in Los Angeles in 2004. Kulapat received his MA and Ph.D degrees in architecture from the University of Tokyo. From 1996 until 2003, Kulapat worked as a close associate of renowned Japanese contemporary architect Tadao Ando, leading several important US and European museum and culture projects including the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas and Fondation Francois Pinault pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris.

Yantrasast is known for his prolific work designing major art spaces in the US. His portfolio of works includes galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago and the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles. Kulapat led the design for the Grand Rapid Arts Museum which received the LEED Gold certification for environmentally sustainable design – the first art museum building in the world to receive the award. Yantrasast has also designed several private residences in the US and Thailand. WHY has also been assigned the renovation project of the Rockefeller Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Yantrasast is a frequent public speaker at leading institutions and organizations, discussing architecture through the lens of ecology, cuisine, and human sociability, and is the first architect to receive the Silpathorn Award for Design from Thailand’s Ministry of Culture. Kulapat currently serves on the board of a number of cultural institutions, and is a trustee of the Noguchi Museum in New York City and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

In The Image and Identity of Architecture episode of the Pearl Lam Podcast, Pearl Lam delves into the philosophies and experiences that drive Yantrasast’s designs, offering listeners an opportunity to discover the stories behind some of his most iconic projects.

Follow Kulapat Yantrasast on LinkedIn here.

To learn more about WHY, visit their website here.

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