Search results for ""Author Kengo Kuma""

A collection of writings that sets out Kengo Kuma's theories of architecture, but also a left field critique of where the architecture world finds itself today. Kengo Kuma is one of Japan's leading architects and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Widely known as a prolific writer and philosopher, he proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology and human beings. Through a series of thought-provoking essays, he unveils his vision of architecture as a dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation, critiquing the megastructures and capitalist influences of the 20th century and challenging readers to reconsider the role of architecture in shaping our world. Drawing from diverse disciplines including art history, philosophy and literature, Kuma crafts a narrative that transcends the boundaries of traditional architectural theory, presenting a compelling manifesto for a new era of design one that dismantles hard concrete volumes i

Read more less

It was around Kengo Kuma’s tenth birthday that he came into contact with Kenzō Tange’s fishlike Yoyogi National Gymnasium, completed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and determined that he would become an architect. In the intervening five or so decades, he has become one of the world’s most fascinating and influential architects. Kuma is known throughout the world for his formally daring and materially expressive buildings, recognized for his inventive use of traditional materials, and his use of innovative materials in vernacular forms. He is perhaps less known for his work inside his native Japan, where he works actively towards the preservation of ancient building techniques and craft. A keen curiosity for all forms of building and a wealth of knowledge about the world acquired through expansive travels make Kuma a unique commentator on Tokyo’s dynamic architecture. Through twenty-five stories, this intimate little publication paints a picture of how a building inspired a boy to become an architect, how Japan’s national heritage helped form his thinking, and how his professional experience has made him one of the most successful architects of his generation. This book contains something for everyone: design acumen, insights into Japanese culture, a tour of Tokyo and the heartfelt commitment to producing buildings that have meaning and longevity.With 41 illustrations, 21 in colour

Read more less

First edition published in Japan in 2005 by Kodansha International. The Very Small Home is an inspiring new book that surveys the creative design innovations of small houses in Japan. Eighteen recently built and unusual houses, from ultramodern to Japanese rustic, are presented in depth. Particular emphasis is given to what the author calls the big idea' for each house-the thing that does the most to make the home feel more spacious than it actually is. Big ideas include ingenious sources of natural light, well thought-out loft spaces, snug but functional'

Read more less

After Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, and Fumihiko Maki, Kengo Kuma has breathed renewed vigor and lightness into Japanese architecture. Departing from the modernist skyscraper of the 20th century, Kuma traveled through his native Japan to develop a truly sustainable approach, translating local craftsmanship and resources into site-specific, timely buildings. Informed by tradition, and with both feet firmly planted in the present, this “materialist” heralds a new tactile architecture marked by its engaging surfaces, innovative structures, and fluid forms, reconnecting people with the physicality of a house. Kuma’s objective, above all else, is “just to respect the culture and environment of the place where I am working.” To this end, Kuma shaped the China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum partially from discarded roof tiles; created a Chapel out of birch and moss in Nagano; and worked with local craftsmen to sculpt the V&A Dundee into a twisted, layered reflection of the Scottish coastal cliffs. With an extraordinary sensitivity for space, light, and texture, Kuma reveals unexpected qualities in materials, finding the weightlessness of stone in Chokkura Plaza and the softness of aluminum in the thatched roof of the Yangcheng Lake Tourist Transportation Center. More recently, the architect brought his philosophy to the Japan National Stadium built for the Olympic Games, originally planned for 2020. Kuma has said the stadium could be “the catalyst that will transform Tokyo back from a concrete city. I want it to set an example that will help alter the direction of Japanese architectural design.” In this XXL-sized monograph with some 500 illustrations spanning photographs, sketches, and plans, Kuma guides us through his entire career to date, detailing milestone projects as well as ongoing works. Also available as an Art Edition with a custom-built wooden slipcase and accompanied by a photogravure of a sketch by Kengo Kuma, signed by the artist and limited to 200 copies.

Read more less

The quintessential Japanese architect of today, Kengo Kuma has forged a modern design language that artfully combines the country’s traditional building crafts with sophisticated technologies and materials. From his iconic Glass House (1995) to Dundee’s V&A (2018), this is the complete record of Kuma’s built work, comprising thirty projects to date. Kenneth Frampton’s revised and updated essay frames Kuma’s work in the context of post-war Japan’s flourishing architecture scene and influential figures, and recounts the international acclaim that Kuma’s ideas and buildings have received. The heart of the book consists of projects presented in detail, accompanied by descriptive text and detailed drawings, and organized by the material themes that have come to define the architect’s output. This new edition includes five new projects: Komatsu Seiren Fabric Laboratory fa-bo, Under One Roof project for the EPFL ArtLab, Japan House São Paulo, China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum, and the V&A Dundee.

Read more less

The most comprehensive monograph available on the internationally renowned Belgian floral artist and designer Daniel Ost.Daniel Ost’s work in floral design gores far beyond table arrangements to bridge the gap between floral design and art. Using elements from the natural world – flowers, branches, and plants of all varieties, Ost crates large-scale, site-specific constructions that at times enter the realms of sculpture and set design. Ost has created exquisite installations for royal residences, embassies, temples, international art exhibitions, and the fashion industry.Daniel Ost presents 80 of his most important projects while accompanying essays explore their significance and the inspiration behind them. Lavish photography illustrates each project in this visually inspiring sourcebook for all creative and design professionals.Texts by Dutch author Cees Nooteboom and Japanese architect Kengo Kuma reflect on the impact of Ost’s career.

Read more less

What lies at the root of Japanese creativity and its architectural artefacts? In his new book, the Japanese architect Yuichiro Edagwa explores this question in detail. By analysing a wide variety of unique exemplary buildings from the sixth century to the present, he determines twelve distinctive characteristics of Japanese architectural creativity and composition, including: intimacy with nature, importance of materials, bipolarity and diversity, asymmetry, devotion to small space, and organic form. The key understanding which pervades all these characteristics is that 'parts precede the whole'. The Japanese process of creation begins with designing parts and details and ends with combining them to one edifice, instead of starting with a whole structure and working out the components afterwards. With Japanese Creativity - Contemplations on Japanese Architecture Edagawa provides a personal and comprehensive understanding of Japanese creativity and the architectural process. The book gives us an inspiring insight into Japanese culture and identity, which in its essence is deeply traditional and modern at the same time.

Read more less

Thick thatched roofs and rough mud plaster walls. An intricately carved wood transom and a precisely woven tatami mat—each element of traditional Japanese architecture tells a story.In Japanese Architecture, author Mira Locher explores how each of these stories encompasses the particular development, construction, function and symbolism inherent in historic architectural elements. From roofs, walls and floors to door pulls and kettle hangers, Japanese Architecture situates these elements firmly within the natural environment and traditional Japanese culture.Japanese architecture developed with influences from abroad and particular socio-political situations at home. The resulting forms and construction materials—soaring roofs with long eaves, heavy timber structures of stout columns supporting thick beams, mud plaster walls flecked with straw and sand and the refined paper-covered lattice shoji screen—are recognizable as being of distinctly Japanese design. These constructed forms, designed with strong connections to the surrounding environment, utilize natural construction materials in ways that are both practical and inventive. This fascinating architecture book provides a comprehensive perspective of traditional Japanese architecture, relating the historical development and context of buildings and the Japanese garden while examining the stories of the individual architectural elements, from foundation to roof.

Read more less