About KOKO
KOKO Architecture + Design is a creative partnership established in 2000 by the husband and wife team of Adam Weintraub and Mishi Hosono. The world of KOKO encompasses architecture and interior design, as well as furniture, textile, and industrial design.
In additional to their substantial portfolio in residential and commercial architecture and interiors, KOKO specializes in the design of early childhood education and children’s spaces and interiors. KOKO’s overall design philosophy is rooted in the essential idea of “PLAY”. Their design investigations into the world of children informs all of the projects in KOKO’s studio. As Mishi Hosono states, “The freedom we find in children’s artwork is a constant inspiration. By questioning our work with this innocent perspective, we expand our boundaries and discover new approaches toward architecture and design.”
KOKO’s children’s portfolio includes interactive museum spaces, playgrounds, libraries, toy and furniture design, early childhood learning centers, and STEM and music educational facilities.
KOKO believes strongly in sharing with the community, and lectures and leads workshops both in Manhattan and internationally, including notable presentations for the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the Scandinavia House, the New York Institute of Technology, and the Japan Society.
Mishi Hosono
Mishi’s diverse professional background extends from ancient Tokyo to modern New York. Growing up in an international school in Tokyo, she formed an early interest in the divergent cultures of her classmates. Through her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, she was further able to build on her multicultural experiences and apply this to architecture. Her international work experiences include projects in Tokyo, Vienna, London, Paris, and Berlin. Prior to establishing Koko A+ D, Mishi worked in the Tokyo offices of Team Zoo and Edward Suzuki. Her design experience in New York includes stints in both Peter Marino Architects as well as Tsao & McKown Architects. An Associate Professor at New York Institute of Technology, she teaches in the Japan Summer Studio. She is a member of the American institute of Architects , and is licensed in the State of New York. Mishi's obsession with color, food and photographs of her daughters is well known by her friends on social media.
Adam Weintraub
Originally from suburban Detroit, Adam contributes extensive academic and construction experience to the KOKO team. At Harvard College, Adam combined environmental design with developmental psychology for his thesis work in designing interactive spaces for visually impaired children. Following graduation, he was awarded the prestigious Shaw Traveling Fellowship, granting him a year of research on children’s learning environments and play spaces throughout Europe and Asia. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania well as licenses in both New York and Illinois. He also teaches Urban Design and Global History of Architecture as an Associate Professor at the New York Institute of Technology since 2010. Adam's extensive collection of chairs has gradually taken over both his home and studio.
Eiko Sakai,
Senior Associate
Eiko Sakai holds architecture degrees from both Tokyo University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her digital drawings have been published and exhibited extensively, including by the Guggenheim Museum of Art. As a translator, her work includes several books for the Noguchi Museum as well as a translation of Richard Plunz's A History of Housing in New York City. Eiko's previous design work includes the transformation of a retired Staten Island ferryboat into a floating entertainment complex stationed in Tokyo and Hong Kong Bay. She was also a designer in Frank Gehry's Los Angeles office where she helped develop the schematic plans for the Walt Disney Concert Hall. When her daughter goes to sleep, Eiko pulls out her keyboard to silently practice piano.
Maasa Miyazaki,
Project Manager
Maasa Miyazaki’s unexpected route to KOKO began with a law degree from Keio University in Tokyo and work experience in precious metal trading. From Japan she headed to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for a Masters in Architecture. Her graduate thesis examined spatial interaction through creative play in designs for a children's center. Maasa’s impressive international academic background is equally matched by her extensive work experience in Japan, Spain and the United States. She has also contributed her editing and language skills at Architecture + Urbanism Magazine in Tokyo. When she is not drawing at the computer, Maasa practices Japanese house dance at the Exile Dance Studio in the East Village.
Florence Warner,
Project Architect
A recent graduate of University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Florence Warner comes to KOKO with a diverse range of experiences from architecture firms, print houses, textile designers, and ceramic studios around the globe, from Tokyo and Hong Kong, to Denmark and Turkey. Florence also worked for two years contributing to the design and project development of a housing project for empty nesters in Dublin, Ohio. While at the University of Michigan, Florence worked as a graduate research assistant conducting material and structural studies. In addition to her broad range of design skills, Florence is also multilingual, and speaks English, Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, and German.
Relevant awards and honors
• A.I.A. and Houzz Playhouse Design Competition People’s Choice Award 2016
• Scandinavian House. Best Playspace Award New York Magazine 2012
• Scandinavian House. Best Playspace Award Time Out New York Kids 2012
• “Designing The Modern Kids Room”, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum Lecturers 2012 • Archinect Top Eleven Firm Award 2011
• 20th Annual Pyramid Award 2009
• Will Ching International Design Competition 2009
• International Interior Design Association Award, Interior Design Magazine 2009
• Best of Year 2009 Merit Award for Interior Design Products
• Custom Home of the Year, Dangle Byrd House, 2009
• Best in American Living Award, Dangle Byrd House, Platinum Winner 2009
• Merit Construction Award of Excellence, Dangle Byrd House, Private residence 2008
• “Mentoring- Beyond IDP”, selected by Billie Tsien for 2004-2005 Mentorship program by NY A.I.A.
• “New York Next: Faces of the Future”, 2004 , New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects • Samuel Huckel Jr. Architectural Prize, A.I.A., Philadelphia, 1995
