Shigeru Ban: Paper in Architecture

by Shigeru Ban, Riichi Miyake, Ian Luna (Editor)

This large-format monograph is the first to chronicle exclusively Shigeru Ban’s explorations in "paper architecture." Informed by a thorough and early interest in sustainable forms, his innovative practice pioneered the use of paper as a structural element in buildings. This book features permanent and temporary structures, ranging from one-off museums and exhibition spaces to emergency structures for communities displaced by natural and man-made catastrophes. The forty projects featured in the book showcase the variety of possible applications for paper and its derivative forms (cardboard, fiber-based composites). As flexible as it is adaptable, when used in tandem with other locally sourced building materials or post-industrial surplus (maritime shipping containers), Ban’s singular use of paper knowingly references paper’s traditional uses in vernacular Japanese buildings, and advances modern construction technology, reducing its environmental impact. A number of prominent works from the last decade are featured, including the Nomadic Museums built in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, his work for the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Metz, the Papertainer Museum in Seoul, his pavilions for design and luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Artek, as well as a number of landmark residences in Japan, Europe, and North America. Of particular focus will be Ban’s humanitarian work. Documented in a book for the first time are all the relief projects his studio has undertaken in the last two decades for the U.N. High Commission on Refugees. These include housing for tsunami victims in Sri Lanka and earthquake victims in Turkey and Japan, and emergency shelter for war-ravaged communities in Rwanda and the Congo.

Genres: Architecture

232 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2009

Reviews

[Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably (one of?) if not the best Shigeru Ban compilations.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compilation of Ban’s works.

[Lorenzo Diaz campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por supuesto mi instinto me llevó al librero apenas conocí al ganador del premio Pritzker 2014. Una forma diferente de ver la inventiva del mundo que habitamos.
Un magnífico volumen, “Paper in architecture”, se trata de un muy bien elaborado compendio de los trabajos - hasta la fecha de la publicación - del talentoso arquitecto japonés y ahora Premio Pritzker Shigeru Ban. Aunque estos trabajos que involucran el uso de papel en el ámbito de la construcción no son los únicos trabajos del arquitecto, sí son los que lo han colocado entre los maestros de la arquitectura contemporánea.
El libro nos lleva de la mano por cada una de sus realizaciones y nos comparte como el arquitecto descubrió, exploró y perfeccionó el uso de estos maravillosos tubos de cartón en sus construcciones.
Paper in Architecture nos demuestra claramente como el papel tiene futuro dentro del paranoico mundo de la construcción sustentable. Es destacable el descubrir como una disciplina milenaria como el diseño de construcciones abre puertas a la innovación a partir de los recursos menos esperados. No sorprende que sea un Maestro japonés el que haya llevado este tema hasta lo más encumbrado de la arquitectura, de una manera además filantrópica.