Kengo Kuma

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.

Table of Contents

Preface • Introduction by Kenneth Frampton • 1. WATER-GLASS: Water/Glass • River/Filter, Kitakami Canal Museum • Forest/Floor • Z58 • Glass/Wood • 2. WOOD-GRASS-BAMBOO: Noh Stage in the Forest • Great Bamboo Wall • Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum • Takayanagi Community Centre • Ginzan Onsen Bath House • Ginzan Onsen Fujiya Ryokan • Yusuhara Town Hall • Masanari Murai Memorial Museum of Art • GC Prostho Museum • Yusuhara Marche • Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum • Komatsu Seiren Fabric Laboratory fa-bo • Under One Roof project for the EPFL ArtLab • Japan House São Paulo • 3. STONE-EARTH-CERAMIC: Lotus House • Chokkura Plaza • Adobe museum for a Wooden Buddha Museum of Wisdom • Paper Snake • Ondo Civic Centre • Nezu Museum • Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud • China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum • V&A Dundee