Yo Shimada founded Tato Architects in 1997 upon graduating from Kyoto City University of Art, where he completed a number of designs and built architecture projects at the school.
Based in his hometown of Kobe, Tato Architects undertakes projects throughout various locations in Japan. The projects are mainly private houses, however, in recent years the office has taken on assignments for interior and installation work as well. The ideology of the practice is to formulate positive outcomes through understanding the subtle conditions and constraints of everyday life, which exist within notions of place, culture, and the ongoing history of architecture. These ideas have been further discussed in publications such as 7iP #04 YO SHIMADA (7inchproject, 2012) and Everyday Design Everyday: Yo Shimada (Contemporary Architect’s Concept Series 22, 2016).
