Kengo Kuma (隈 研吾) is a Japanese architect and professor in the Department of Architecture (Graduate School of Engineering) at the University of Tokyo. Frequently compared to contemporaries Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima, Kuma is also noted for his prolific writings. +more
Early life and education
Kuma was born in Kanagawa, and attended Eiko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School. After graduating in Architecture from the University of Tokyo in 1979, he worked for a time at and . +more
Career
In 1987, Kuma founded the Spatial Design Studio, and in 1990, he established his own firm, Kengo Kuma & Associates. He has taught at Columbia University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Keio University, where in 2008, Kuma was awarded a +more
Philosophy and writings
Kuma's stated goal is to recover the tradition of Japanese buildings and to reinterpret these traditions for the 21st century. In 1997, he won the Architectural Institute of Japan Award and in 2009 was made an Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. +more
Material theory
Although remaining in continuity with Japanese traditions with the clarity of structural solutions, implied tectonics, and importance of light and transparency, Kuma does not restrain himself to the banal and superficial use of ‘light’ materials. Instead, he goes much deeper, extending to the mechanisms of composition to expand the possibilities of materiality. +more
Describing his practice, Kuma said “You could say that my aim is ‘to recover the place’. The place is a result of nature and time; this is the most important aspect. +more
In many of Kuma’s projects, attention is focused on the connection spaces; on the segments between inside and outside, and one room to the next. The choice of materials stems not so much from an intention to guide the design of the forms, but to conform to the existing surroundings from a desire to compare similar materials, yet show the technical advances that have made possible new uses.
When dealing with stone work, for example, Kuma displays a different character from the preexisting buildings of solid, heavy, traditional masonry construction. Instead his work surprises the eye by slimming down and dissolving the walls in an effort to express a certain “lightness” and immateriality, suggesting an illusion of ambiguity and weakness not common to the solidity of stone construction.
In parallel, Kuma showed material innovation to support local traditional craftsmanship through his works. Collaborating with Japanese craftsmen specialized in wood, earth or paper, he helped maintaining the associated building techniques while modernizing them, bringing his know-how in modularity. +more
Projects
Key projects include the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo, Bamboo Wall House in China, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) Group's Japan headquarters, Besançon Art Center in France, and one of the largest spas in the Caribbean for Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay.
Stone Roof, a private residence in Nagano, Japan, built in 2010, consists of a roof which is meant to spring from the ground, providing a complete enclosure to the home. A local stone was chosen to intimately relate itself to the preexisting natural environment of the mountain side. +more
In 2016, Kuma also delved into designing pre-fabricated pavilions in partnership with Revolution Precrafted. He designed the mobile multifunctional pavilion named The Aluminum Cloud Pavilion. +more
As a part of the [url=http://digicult.it/news/kengo-kuma-time-flows-and-so-should-the-architect-the-new-time-space-existence-video/]TIME-SPACE-EXISTENCE[/url] video interview series Kengo Kuma collaborated with the European Cultural Centre to create a video documentation discussing the topics Time Space and Existence.
Kuma Lab
Kuma Lab is a Research Laboratory headed by Kuma based in the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus that was started in 2009. In 2012, Kuma Lab published the book Patterns and Layering, Japanese Spatial Culture, Nature and Architecture, including the research from various Doctoral Candidate Lab members.
Its research topics consist of a comprehensive survey of architectural, urban, community, landscape, and product designs; survey of structural, material, and mechanical designs; and methodology for bridging sustainable, physical, and information designs. Its activities include participation in architectural design competitions, organization and management of regional and international design workshop, joint research with other departments at the University of Tokyo, and research and proposal to aid the recovery from the Great East Japan earthquake.
Selected works
File:Nagasaki art museum IMG 2093. JPG|Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum File:Sanlitun at dusk. +more
Awards
1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest" First Place, AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA) * 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum” * 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland) * 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France)Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France) * 2008 LEAF Award (commercial category) * 2009 Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) * 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum” * 2011 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum" * 2012 The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, Restaurant Interior (Stand alone) for Sake No Hana (London) *2016 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture * 2021 Time 100
Kengo Kuma buildings
Japanese architects
People from Yokohama
University of Tokyo alumni
University of Tokyo faculty
Keio University alumni
Keio University faculty
Columbia University alumni
Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Living people
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