Kengo Kuma

Kengo Kuma is a globally acclaimed Japanese architect whose prodigious output possesses an inherent respect and value of materials and environment, often creating a harmonious balance between building and landscape. He masterfully engages both architectural experimentation and traditional Japanese design with twenty-first-century technology, resulting in highly advanced yet beautifully simple, gentle, human-scaled buildings.

Often ranked among other esteemed architects, such as Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima, or Kenzo Tange, Kuma is always in search of new materials to replace concrete and steel. He seeks a new approach for architecture in a post-industrial society, fusing interior and exterior realms to create spaces that offer a calming and tranquil atmosphere.

Known for his prolific writing, Kuma is constantly re-engaging with different aspects of the architectural discipline, whether it be construction or representation, to further advance his ideas.

This richly illustrated volume showcases close to forty high-profile works by Kengo Kuma & Associates (based in Tokyo and Paris), focusing on some of his most recognised works, including the Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center in Tokyo, the Mont Blanc Base Camp project, the Great Bamboo Wall, as well as progress for the design for Tokyo's main stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Author: Kengo Kuma was born in 1954. Before establishing Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990, he received his Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Tokyo, where he is currently a professor of architecture. Inspired by Kenzo Tange's Yoyogi National Gymnasium, built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Kengo Kuma decided to pursue architecture at a young age and later entered the Architecture programme at the University of Tokyo, where he studied under Hiroshi Hara and Yoshichika Uchida.

During his graduate studies, he made a research trip across the Sahara, exploring various villages and settlements, observing their unique power and beauty. After his time as a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York, he established his office in Tokyo. Since then, Kengo Kuma & Associates have designed architectural works in over twenty countries and received prestigious awards, including the Architectural Institute of Japan Award, the Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland), and the International Stone Architecture Award (Italy), among others.

Selling Points:

• Rich illustrations and informative discussions highlight how Kengo Kuma's architecture naturally merges with its cultural and environmental surroundings, with a close examination of the experimentation and use of natural materials and light, and how the buildings meet with their natural surroundings.
• Explores in detail up to forty high-profile projects, including work on Tokyo's main stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games.