About
YUKO MINO, ARCHITECT
NCARB I LEED AP
Over 20 years of architectural expertise across residential, commercial, and multi-family projects—serving the Pacific Northwest with thoughtful design and comprehensive services
About the Architect
YUKO MINO, NCARB, LEED AP
Yuko Mino is a licensed architect in Oregon and Washington with over 20 years of experience in architectural practice. Her broad portfolio spans single-family residences, multi-family apartments (market-rate and low-income affordable housing), retail centers, commercial and mixed use buildings, K-12 schools, and healthcare clinics—demonstrating versatility across diverse building types and comprehensive expertise serving varied client needs.
After spending her entire career working for other architecture firms and building experience across project types, Yuko took a leap of faith to fulfill her lifelong dream: opening her own architectural studio in the Pacific Northwest. This solo practice allows her to work directly with homeowners, developers, and businesses—providing the personal attention and consistent involvement throughout projects that larger firms cannot replicate.
Yuko particularly loves working with homeowners as clients, helping them transform houses into homes through thoughtful design, expert permitting guidance, and comprehensive architectural services from feasibility studies through construction administration. Her practice also serves commercial developers and multi-family clients who value direct access to an experienced architect personally invested in their project's success.
Yuko Mino graduated from University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and started her architecture career in Southern California. Shortly after her move to the West Coast, Yuko met her husband, Greg, who is a civil engineer. They got married, had 2 kids, and during one of their hours-long work commutes they decided to leave the hustle and bustle of LA life and move to the Pacific Northwest. They have been in the Portland area for almost a decade now, and cannot imagine living anywhere else!
Yuko was recently appointed Vice Chair of Lake Oswego Development Review Commission. She also volunteers for the city’s Tree Task Force.
When she’s not busy designing or doing community outreach, Yuko spends time at the local yoga studio, trail running with her boxer-mix Mochi, or teaching art and architecture at her kids' schools.
CREDENTIALS & EXPERTISE
Education:
-
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Professional Licenses:
-
Licensed Architect, State of Oregon (Active)
-
Licensed Architect, State of Washington (Inactive)
Professional Experience:
-
Over 20 years in architectural practice
Diverse Project Portfolio:
- Single-Family Residences
-
Multi-Family Apartments (Both Market-Rate and Low-Income Affordable Housing)
-
Commercial Buildings
-
Retail & Shopping Centers
-
Healthcare (Medical & Dental Clinics)
-
K-12 Schools
Areas of Specialized Expertise:
-
Comprehensive Architectural Services (Feasibility through Construction Administration)
-
Code Compliance: State-Regulated Commercial & Residential Building Codes, Local City Zoning Code
-
ADA Compliance & Accessibility Design
-
Construction Documentation & Coordination
-
Building Systems Integration & Coordination with Engineers
-
Conceptual Design Using 3D Rendering
Geographic Expertise:
-
Portland Metro Area, including Lake Oswego
-
Oregon Statewide
-
Washington State
-
Select Nationwide Projects, including California & Texas
Community Outreach:
-
Vice Chair, Development Review Commission (DRC)
City of Lake Oswego -
Tree Task Force Representative
City of Lake Oswego -
Design Professional Volunteer, Architects in Schools, Architectural Foundation of Oregon (AFO)
-
Yoga Instructor, Yoga Six Lake Oswego & CC Studio
Design Philosophy
Global Perspective, Local Expertise
Yuko has been influenced by several architectural styles from the various places she's lived and traveled to. Growing up in Osaka, Japan instilled appreciation for minimalism, material honesty, and spatial efficiency. Early years in Michigan exposed her to American residential traditions and practical Midwestern building approaches. California introduced indoor-outdoor living, modernist influences, and creative design thinking. The Pacific Northwest brought emphasis on sustainability, connection to nature, and thoughtful site integration.
Rather than creating confusion, these diverse influences enrich her design work. She draws on appropriate precedents for each project—Japanese spatial efficiency for compact urban sites, California indoor-outdoor flow for the temperate Pacific Northwest climate, Midwestern practicality for budget-conscious projects. This global perspective allows designing buildings responsive to clients' unique contexts rather than imposing a single stylistic approach.
— Ryan & Nicole, Home Remodel & Addition, Lake Oswego
"We had the pleasure of working with Yuko on our project focused around an addition to increase the size of our garage and add additional space in the format of a large room above it. Yuko helped us take what was a rough idea and transform it into the vision we were looking for. She took extra time to listen and gather our most important needs to create a design and space that was both functional and one that had great curb appeal and design within. Her grasp of durable material options that were also unique and great looking helped elevate the design and appearance of a dated house that was built in the 1950s. Yuko is responsive, creative, and proacitve. She has been a huge help with our navigation of finding a GC and overcoming the needed steps to get to "build ready" within the plans. What really impressed us was how every GC told us that out plans were the best set of plans down to the detail that they had seen in a long time. Extremely professional. Not much work needed from them except to deliver on the build. If you're thinking about a project we highly recommend working with Yuko. You will be so happy."
Areas We Serve
Serving Lake Oswego, Portland, Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & Beyond
Based in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Yuko Mino Architecture serves residential clients throughout the Portland metropolitan area, the broader Pacific Northwest region, and select nationwide projects. The practice focuses primarily in Lake Oswego and Portland metro areas, where deep knowledge of local permitting processes, design review requirements, and building code interpretations adds significant value.
As a licensed architect in Oregon and Washington, Yuko serves clients throughout the Pacific Northwest including the Oregon Coast, Willamette Valley, and greater Seattle area. Recent projects in Texas and other locations demonstrate capability to serve discerning clients nationwide for residential architecture where comprehensive services and permit expertise add value.
Whether your project involves navigating Lake Oswego's design review, Portland's ADU regulations, or complex zoning analysis elsewhere, Yuko Mino Architecture brings practical expertise in permitting and construction administration alongside thoughtful architectural design.
