Kengo Kuma: New Works is the second monograph on one of the world’s most significant contemporary architects, following Kengo Kuma: Complete Works, and presents forty projects personally chosen by Kuma as best representative of his current practice — none of which appeared in the previous volume.
About This Book
Since the first monograph was published in 2012, Kengo Kuma’s international standing has risen considerably, culminating in his design for Japan’s Olympic Stadium — the nation’s largest arena, built using timber sourced from all forty-seven of Japan’s prefectures — and a sustained stream of ambitious projects across Asia, Europe, and North America. The forty projects gathered here are arranged according to building use rather than chronology, with a deliberate focus on those that respond to natural disasters and pandemic conditions, build on the importance of local communities, and address our fundamental need to come together with other people. They range in scale and ambition from the Olympic Stadium to a small community centre in Yusuhara and a fairytale museum in Denmark. An introduction by architectural designer Grace La considers Kuma’s evolution since the first monograph and explores the recurring themes in his work.
Key Features
- Forty projects, none appearing in the previous monograph, chosen by Kuma himself
- Projects include Japan’s Olympic Stadium, the Yusuhara community centre, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Denmark
- Introduction by architectural designer Grace La
- 365 illustrations, 332 in colour
What You'll Discover
- Kuma’s approach to nature, technology, and human connection across forty diverse projects
- How his practice addresses disaster response, community building, and post-pandemic needs
- The range of typologies — stadiums, museums, temples, parks, cafés, houses — in his current work
- The evolution of his material thinking since the first monograph
About the Author
Kengo Kuma established Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990 and is Professor Emeritus at the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Tokyo. A prolific writer and philosopher, he is the author of numerous books including Point, Line, Plane and Anti-Object. Grace La is professor and chair of the Department of Architecture at the California College of the Arts.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 352
- Dimensions: 30.1 x 24.7 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780500028223
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson
- Publication Date: 2021
Perfect For: Architects, architecture students, and anyone with a serious interest in contemporary Japanese architecture, organic materiality, and the relationship between nature and the built environment