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
plans
, Kuma guides us through his entire career to date, detailing
milestone projects
as well as
ongoing works