Jason Takeuchi, AIA

Jason Takeuchi, AIA 

For Jason Takeuchi, AIA, contributions to his community and volunteer leadership have been the hallmarks of his young career. Rooted in the service of his Eagle Scout background, Takeuchi has advanced resilience in the profession by investing in sustainability in his home state of Hawaii and across the country.

Takeuchi is a fourth-generation Japanese American, the grandson of two World War II veterans, who was born and raised in Honolulu. He was inspired to enter the profession by his mother, who dreamed of being an architect, though she did not have the opportunity to do so. For more than a decade, he has been a project architect for Ferraro Choi and Associates, widely recognized as Hawaii’s leading sustainability firm and the recipient of multiple COTE Top Ten Awards. His work has evolved to include cultural and organizational sustainability for mission-driven nonprofits that benefit Native Hawaiians.

At Honolulu’s Roosevelt High School, which Takeuchi attended, he was a key member of the team tasked with designing its 32,000-square-foot gymnasium. He also worked closely with Hawaii Foodbank, overseeing its office expansion and warehouse improvements, a timely project that was completed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and significantly improved the food bank’s operational capabilities. Takeuchi’s own project, the Entrepreneur’s Sandbox, is helping business ideas find purchase in the innovation industry and doubles as a key venue for community events on Hawaii state land.

Takeuchi joined AIA Honolulu in 2013 as an associate member, and he was spurred to action after discovering the number of retiring architects outpaced new licenses in Hawaii. Since then, he has fervently supported developing leadership opportunities for young architects. As the chapter’s associate director, he co-founded its influential 5x5x5 mentorship program, which quickly became a model for other chapters to emulate. His efforts, which also included launching an Emerging Professionals Committee and supporting the Young Architects Forum and ARE prep events, helped grow AIA Honolulu’s associate membership by 41% in just two years.

On the national level, he represented the former AIA Northwest and Pacific Region, one of the largest AIA regions, on the National Associates Committee and Young Architects Forum. He was the first member from Hawaii and one of the first Asian males to serve on both committees. In 2021, Takeuchi was elected knowledge director of the Young Architects Forum and created bimonthly newsletters that reached hundreds of young professionals and developed webinars in partnership with the AIA Committee on Design and the College of Fellows. Perhaps his most significant accomplishment was planning and organizing the Mini MBA at A’22 in Chicago, which drew more than 300 participants who received critical financial tools for business sustainability.

Takeuchi has clearly positioned himself as an important leader in the profession and his community, dedicating himself to excellence in all he pursues. In his quest to bolster the social welfare and sustainability of his local Hawaii communities, he has both improved architectural practice and AIA.