Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban ( 坂 茂 , Ban Shigeru, born 5 August

1957)[2] is a Japanese architect, known for his Shigeru Ban
innovative work with paper, particularly recycled
cardboard tubes used to quickly and efficiently house
disaster victims. Many of his notable designs are
structures which are temporary, prefabricated, or
incorporate inexpensive and unconventional materials
in innovative ways. He was profiled by Time magazine
in their projection of 21st-century innovators in the
field of architecture and design.[3]

In 2014, Ban was named the 37th recipient of the

Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious prize Shigeru Ban, 2011
in modern architecture.[4] The Pritzker Jury cited Ban Born 5 August 1957
for his innovative use of material and his dedication to Tokyo, Japan
humanitarian efforts around the world, calling him "a Nationality Japanese
committed teacher who is not only a role model for
Alma mater Cooper Union for the
younger generation, but also an inspiration."[4]
Advancement of Science and Art
Occupation Architect

Early life and Education Spouse Masako Ban

Awards Pritzker Prize (2014)
Ban was born in Tokyo. He studied at the Southern
California Institute of Architecture. Later he went to Buildings Centre Pompidou-Metz, France
Cardboard Cathedral,
Cooper Union's School of Architecture, where he
Christchurch, New Zealand,
studied under John Hejduk and graduated in 1984.[2]
Aspen Art Museum, US[1]
From Hejduk (who was a part of the New York Five),
Ban gained an interest in "architectonic poetics" or the Website www.shigerubanarchitects.com (h
creation of "three-dimensional poetry". Hejduk, the ttp://www.shigerubanarchitects.co
most experimentally minded of the New York Five, m)
had a lasting influence on Ban, whose work reflects
continuing explorations into basic geometric elements. Ban's formal explorations with basic building
materials helped to lead him into unique structural solutions.

Design approach
For Ban, one of the most important themes in his work is the "invisible structure". That is, he does not
overly express his structural elements, but rather chooses to incorporate them into the design. Ban is not
interested in the newest materials and techniques, but rather the expression of the concept behind his
building. He deliberately chooses materials to further this expression.
Ban's work encompasses several schools of architecture. First he is
a Japanese architect, and uses many themes and methods found in
traditional Japanese architecture (such as shōji) and the idea of a
"universal floor" to allow continuity between all rooms in a house.
In his buildings, this translates to a floor without change in
elevation. By choosing to study under Hejduk, Ban opted to do
something different. Hejduk's rationalist views on architecture
provided a way of revisiting Western modernism and gaining a
richer appreciation than the reductive vision of it as a rationalized Takatori Catholic Church is a
version of the traditionalist—yet ultra-modern—Japanese space. temporary church building erected in
Kobe after the Great Hanshin
With his Western education and influences, Ban has become one
earthquake in 1995. It was donated
of the forerunning Japanese architects who embrace the expression (deconstructed and moved) to
of Western and Eastern building forms and methods. Perhaps most Taiwan in 2005.
influential from Hejduk was the study of the structure of
architectural systems. Ban is most famous now for his innovative
work with paper and cardboard tubing as a building material. He
was the first architect in Japan to construct a building primarily
out of paper with his paper house, and required special approval
for his building to pass Japan's building code. Ban is attracted to
using paper because it is low cost, recyclable, low-tech and
replaceable. The last aspect of Ban's influences is his
humanitarianism and his attraction to ecological architecture.
Ban's work with paper and other materials is heavily based on its
sustainability and because it produces very little waste. As a result Japanese pavilion at the Expo 2000,
Hannover (2000)
of this, Ban's DIY refugee shelters (used in Japan after the Kobe
earthquake, in Turkey, Rwanda and around the world) are very
popular and effective for low-cost disaster relief-housing.[5]

Ban created the Japanese pavilion building at Expo 2000 in

Hanover, Germany in collaboration with the architect Frei Otto
and structural engineers Buro Happold. The 72-metre-long
gridshell structure was made with paper tubes. But due to stringent Ban designed the Nomadic Museum
building laws in Germany, the roof had to be reinforced with a with engineer Buro Happold, a
substructure. After the exhibition the structure was recycled and temporary structure composed of
156 shipping containers (2006)
returned to paper pulp.[6]

Ban fits well into the category of "Ecological Architects" but he

also can make solid claims for being modernist, a Japanese experimentalist, as well as a rationalist. Natias
Neutert, German thinker, critic, and poet, marks Ban in his essay as "a gentle revolutionary ... guiding
contemporary architecture towards transparency, the spherical and the open".[7] Ban himself quotes: "I
don't like waste", summing up his philosophy and practice, known as "Paper Architecture".
In June 2020, he and other architects, as well as chefs, Nobel laureates in Economics and leaders of
international organizations, signed the appeal in favour of the purple economy (“Towards a cultural
renaissance of the economy”), published in Corriere della Sera,[8] El País[9] and Le Monde.[10]

Use of paper as a building material

Ban's experimental development of paper tubing structures came
in 1986, before any of his programmatic commissions. He found
paper's structural integrity to be much better than expected and
noted that it is also available all around the world. The structures
are most commonly available from manufacturers providing paper
tubes for use in textile factories, as in the case with the disaster
relief shelters project in Ahmedabad, India.[11]pg29
Construction details of the Limited material availability during times of disaster relief
Cardboard Cathedral; cardboard,
reconstruction is a major concern and involves increased market
wood and glass
prices. Paper tubing on the other hand, not being a typical building
material, is comparatively inexpensive and very accessible. In a
special case in Turkey in 1999, Ban was able to get paper tubing for free. Paper tubing also proved
advantageous for building emergency shelters during the Rwanda refugee crisis in 1994, where the use of
trees for framing was creating deforestation problems, and alternative construction materials were
difficult to find. The United Nations supplemented wood with aluminum piping but this was very
expensive, and in the end the refugees sold off the aluminum for money. The refugees then reverted to
cutting trees for building materials.[11]pg30 Switching to paper tubing for frames helped save money,
prevent theft and conserve the local trees. Ban's paper tube shelter design from Rwanda's Byumba
Refugee Camp was featured in a PBS NewsHour story.[12]

In 1995, the magnitude 7.2 Great Hanshin earthquake devastated Kobe, Japan, which offered a
reconstruction project to Ban.[13]pg173 Not only are the temporary shelters very cheap and easy to develop
as they incorporate community participation, but they offer more versatile living conditions compared to
traditionally used tents. The 16-square-metre (172 sq ft) modules have paper tubing for walls, with small
ventilation gaps between the members, which can also be taped up to insulate.[13]pg174The roof was made
from a waterproof tenting material while the foundation consisted of donated beer crates filled with
sandbags.[14]pg107

Ban's interest in using existing materials aligned with his minimalist ideology. There was never a question
of manufacturing a different paper material as current technologies such as waterproofing films,
polyurethane and acrylic paints can be used to improve its material properties.[11]pg31 In the design of
"The Paper Dome" in 1998, paper as an innovative building material had to meet the rigorous
construction codes, so a great deal of structural engineering data was submitted to the government. In this
project straight paper tube joists were connected by laminated timber joints. Although the joints were
expensive, the low price of the paper tubing made for an inexpensive overall budget.[11]pg32 In addition,
the 6-foot (1.8 m) paper tubes were waterproofed with liquid urethane to minimize expansion and
contraction due to humidity variances found in Osaka-Cho Japan.[14]pg93
Another project, the Expo 2000 Japanese Pavilion, in Hannover, Germany, also used paper tubing but at
much longer dimensions of 67 feet (20 m) with 4.75-inch (121 mm) diameters, at a less than 1 inch
(25 mm) thickness. It was also waterproofed both inside and out by a coating of polyurethane to meet
testing requirements for extreme weather conditions and fire protection. Surprisingly, the paper tubes are
very difficult to burn due to the high density of the material. Ban's design allowed for full recyclability of
the Japanese Pavilion, in keeping with Expo 2000's theme of environmental awareness. Fabric tape was
used instead of mechanical joinery. The fabric tape allowed for complicated movement, and also naturally
post tensioned the structure.[11]pg32 The main tunnel of the pavilion was designed as an incredibly large
space, at 242 by 82 by 52 feet (74 m × 25 m × 16 m) (L × W × H).[14]pg135 The fabric tape was used with
a buckle system which allowed for manual construction and dismantling. Due to the strict building codes
in Germany and the unconventional use of paper as a revolutionary building material, the Japanese
Pavilion had to be over-designed and incorporate wooden elements, thus, becoming more of a hybrid
structure. An innovative design feature was Ban's use of recyclable wooden boxes filled with sand instead
of a concrete foundation.[11]pg33

In the 2024 TASCHEN release of Shigeru Ban's Complete Works 1985–Today[15], the architect named
among his primary inspirations the Japanese structural engineer Gengo Matsui, who helped him develop
paper as a structural material for his projects. When describing the collaborative process between him as
the architect and Gengo Matsui as the structural engineer, Shigeru Ban recalls: "He taught me to see the
structural engineering process visually, almost intuitively".[16]

Nepal Project
In July 2015, Ban began a project to rebuild homes for the victims of that year's Nepal earthquake.[17]
The structures of the homes are wood framed for flexibility and built fully with brick walls. The homes
are thus quickly and easily built. Also, the Nepalese can use them for many other purposes, such as
schools.

Teaching
Ban is currently a professor at Keio University. Previously, he taught at institutions including Harvard
University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Nihon
University, Tama Art University, and Yokohama National University.[18]

Selected works
Shutter House, Manhattan, New York City, USA
Curtain Wall House (1995), Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
Naked House (2000), Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture, Japan
Japanese Pavilion (2000) at Hannover World Exhibition Expo 2000, Hannover, Germany
Nomadic Museum (2005–present), built to house Gregory Colbert's video/photo work
"Ashes and Snow"
Takatori Catholic Church, Kobe, Japan
Paper Dome, Nantou, Taiwan
 Centre Pompidou-Metz museum, Metz, France
Cardboard Cathedral, Christchurch, New Zealand
(2012–2013)[19]
Aspen Art Museum, US[1]
Bamboo Furniture House, Great Wall, China
Ōita Prefectural Art Museum, Ōita-shi, Japan
Onagawa Station, Onagawa, Miyagi, Japan Centre Pompidou-Metz, France
La Seine Musicale, Cultural complex and concert-halls
on the Ile Seguin Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Villa Vista, Weligama Sri Lanka
Tainan Art Museum, Tainan, Taiwan

Awards and recognitions

The JIA Prize for the Best Young Architect of the Year,
Japan (1997)
Time magazine Innovator of the Year, US (2001) Aspen Art Museum at dusk
Prix de l'Académie d'Architecture de France (2004)
Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture,
American Academy of Arts and Letters, US (2005)[20]
Honorary doctorate degree of Technische Universitaet
Muenchen, Germany (2009)
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2010)
Honorary Doctorate from The New School, US (2011)[21]
National Order of Merit, France (2011)
Auguste Perret Prize for Technology Applied to
Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre,
Architecture (2011)[22]
Fujinomiya, Shizuoka
Mainich Design Prize, Japan (2012)
Pritzker Architecture Prize (2014)[4]
Asia Game Changer Award (2014)[23]
World Economic Forum Crystal Award (2015)[24]
Princess of Asturias Award for Concord (2022)[25]

References
1. "Shigeru Ban's Aspen Art Museum opens" (http://www.dezeen.com/2014/08/06/shigeru-ban-
aspen-art-museum-opens/). Dezeen.com. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
2. Biography (http://www.pritzkerprize.com/2014/biography) Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20140325014037/http://www.pritzkerprize.com/2014/biography) 25 March 2014 at the
Wayback Machine, The Hyatt Foundation, retrieved 26 March 2014
3. Luscombe, Belinda (17 July 2000). "Innovators, Time 100: The Next Wave – He Builds With
a Really Tough Material: Paper" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110510102719/http://www.ti
me.com/time/innovators/design/profile_ban.html). Time. Time Warner. Archived from the
original (http://www.time.com/time/innovators/design/profile_ban.html) on 10 May 2011.
4. "Shigeru Ban named 2014 Pritzker Prize Winner" (http://www.archdaily.com/489209/).
ArchDaily. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
 5. Pogrebin, Robin (24 March 2014). "Pritzker Architecture Prize Goes to Shigeru Ban" (https://
www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/arts/design/pritzker-architecture-prize-goes-to-shigeru-ban.ht
ml?_r=0). New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
6. name="Belinda Luscombe 2000"
7. Cf. Natias Neutert: "Shigeru Ban – a gentle revolutionary". In: "Shigeru Ban Architects
/Paper Tube Architecture – 10., works 1990–2000", ed. by Renate Kammer/Sabine
Siegfried, Junius Verlag, Hamburg 2000. ISBN 3-88506-299-2
8. "Per un rinascimento culturale dell'economia" (https://www.corriere.it/cultura/20_giugno_07/
per-rinascimento-culturale-dell-economia-dcacbef2-a803-11ea-b900-84da2a1f22a9.shtml).
Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 7 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
9. "Por un renacimiento cultural de la economía" (https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-06-07/por-un
-renacimiento-cultural-de-la-economia-el-manifiesto-de-una-veintena-de-intelectuales-para-
una-nueva-epoca.html). El País (in Spanish). 7 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
10. "En dépit de son importance croissante, le culturel n'a pas suffisamment été pensé comme
un écosystème" (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2020/06/07/en-depit-de-son-importanc
e-croissante-le-culturel-n-a-pas-suffisamment-ete-pense-comme-un-ecosysteme_6042057_
3232.html). Le Monde (in French). 7 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
11. Toshiko Mori, Immaterial Ultramaterial: Architecture, Design and Materials (President and
Fellows of Harvard College 2002), 29–33.
12. Victoria Fleisher (27 March 2014). "Pritzker Prize winner used paper to build cathedral,
concert hall and homes for refugees" (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/pritzker-prize-winne
r-shigeru-ban-designs-houses-out-of-paper/). Art Beat, PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 8 April
2014.
13. Belen Garcia, Earthquake Architecture: New construction for earthquake disaster prevention
(Loft Publications S.L. and HBI 2000), 173–174.
14. Eugenia Bell, Shigeru Ban (Princeton Architectural Press 2001), 93–139.
15. Rathore, Rupal (9 September 2024). "Shigeru Ban: New TASCHEN Monograph Records
the Pritzker-Winning Architect's Complete Works Since 1985" (https://www.aarhuss.com/pos
t/shigeru-ban-new-taschen-monograph-records-the-pritzker-winning-architect-s-complete-w
orks-since-198). Aarhuss. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
16. "A Conversation with Shigeru Ban" (https://arccadigest.org/conversation-shigeru-ban/).
arcCA Digest. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
17. "SBA | Nepal Project" (https://web.archive.org/web/20151210213036/http://www.shigeruban
architects.com/works/2015_nepal_earthquake-4/index.html).
www.shigerubanarchitects.com. Archived from the original (http://www.shigerubanarchitects.
com/works/2015_nepal_earthquake-4/index.html) on 10 December 2015. Retrieved
8 December 2015.
18. "Profile | Shigeru Ban Architects" (http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/profile_shigeruban.h
tml).
19. Stewart, Ashleigh (3 August 2013). "Emotional moment for bishop at handover of new
cathedral" (https://archive.today/20130803005246/http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/899
6908/Bishop-keyed-up-at-cardboard-cathedral-handover-ceremony). The Press.
Christchurch. p. A3. Archived from the original (http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/89969
08/Bishop-keyed-up-at-cardboard-cathedral-handover-ceremony) on 3 August 2013.
Retrieved 3 August 2013.
20. "American Academy of Arts and Letters - Award Winners" (https://web.archive.org/web/2014
0330042847/http://www.artsandletters.org/awards2_popup.php?abbrev=Brunner).
Artsandletters.org. Archived from the original (http://www.artsandletters.org/awards2_popup.
php?abbrev=Brunner) on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
21. "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE" (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/06/pomp-a
nd-circumstance-mark-singer). The New Yorker. 6 June 2011.
22. "International Union Of Architects" (http://www.uia-architectes.org/en/s-informer/prix-uia/168
#.UysytlFdUqw). Uia-architectes.org. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
23. "Shigeru Ban, 3/11-born charity to receive Asia Game Changer Awards" (https://www.japanti
mes.co.jp/news/2014/09/17/national/social-issues/shigeru-ban-311-born-charity-receive-asi
a-game-changer-awards/). The Japan Times. 17 September 2014. Archived (https://archive.
today/20200915183805/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/17/national/social-issue
s/shigeru-ban-311-born-charity-receive-asia-game-changer-awards/) from the original on 15
September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
24. "Shigeru Ban, Andrea Bocelli, Angelique Kidjo get Crystal award" (http://www.business-stan
dard.com/article/pti-stories/shigeru-ban-andrea-bocelli-angelique-kidjo-get-crystal-award-11
5012001037_1.html). Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 20 January 2015.
Retrieved 20 January 2015.
25. "2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Concord: Shigeru Ban" (https://www.fpa.es/en/princess
-of-asturias-awards/laureates/2022-shigeru-ban.html?especifica=0).

External links
Official website (http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com)
Shigeru Ban: Emergency shelters made from paper (http://www.ted.com/talks/shigeru_ban_
emergency_shelters_made_from_paper) (TEDxTokyo, 2013)
Stories of Houses: The Naked House in Kawagoe, by Shigeru Ban (http://storiesofhouses.bl
ogspot.com/2005/10/naked-house-in-kawagoe-by-shigeru-ban.html)
Documentary: Shigeru Ban builds Pavilion (https://web.archive.org/web/20131111045953/ht
tp://www.plattner.in/en/filmprojects/film-bau-des-pavillons-shigeru-ban-museum-rietberg-zue
rich) Museum Rietberg, Zürich
Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay (http://delliscay.com/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
110202163052/http://www.delliscay.com/) 2 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine

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