Shigeru Ban: Paper Architecture

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.

Shigeru Ban established his own practice in 1985, and now has offices in Tokyo, Paris, and New York. The recipient of numerous awards for his architecture, Ban is a professor at Keio University and has taught at Columbia University.