Edward Suzuki accepts being called "an architect of dual identity." He is also a person of dual identity. Had his background been different, perhaps his designs would not have gone the way they have. As it is, he has emerged as a highly individual architect and designer who benefits from his immersion in both East and West.
Which is his own favorite building? "They are all my babies. I am proud of most of them," he said. He is responsible for buildings, both public and private, in locations within and outside Japan. Behind each one are his thoughts and philosophies, his imagination and daring, his personal and professional dualities.
Edward's father was a Russian-born German who never went to Germany. His mother was Japanese. Edward has two older sisters who were wartime babies. He was born in 1947. "In Saitama, which was very countrified then, we were the only children who looked different," Edward said. "We attended Japanese school, and my parents thought it wiser for us to use a Japanese surname."