public space >> – Page 12

tesla’s patents now belong to us.

Jun 16, 2014

above> elon musk presents model s in 2012

Yesterday Tesla released their patents. From Elon Musk: “Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.” [ tesla news ]

cantilevers and concrete defines issam fares institute. zaha hadid architects.

Jun 13, 2014

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) building by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) continues the on-going implementation of the 2002 AUB Campus Master Plan by Sasaki Associates (in colaboration with Machado and Silvetti, MGT of America, and Dar Al-Handasa, Shair and Partners) to advance the university’s academic mission in the 21st Century with facilities of the highest international standards.

The IFI was established as a neutral, dynamic, civil, and open space where people representing all viewpoints in society can gather and discuss significant issues, anchored in a long-standing commitment to mutual understanding and high quality research. The institute aims to harness, develop and initiate research of the Arab world to enhance and broaden debate on public policy and international relations.

The design significantly reduces the building’s footprint by ‘floating’ much of the IFI’s facilities above the entrance courtyard to preserve the existing landscape integral to the 2002 master-plan, create a new public space for the campus, and establish links from the university’s Central Oval to the Middle Campus and Mediterranean Sea to the north. “The building emerges from the geometries of intersecting routes as a series of interlocking platforms and spaces for research, engagement and discourse,” said Zaha Hadid Architects.

Relocating the infirmary closer to the new university hospital presented AUB with the opportunity to build the institute on the constrained site with a 7 meter drop in elevation between its south and north boundaries. The existing AUB campus combines buildings constructed in concrete throughout the 20th Century in a variety of revivalist and modernist styles with different cladding and rendering treatments.

[ vitals ]
2011 Construction begins (January 2011)
2012 Concrete structural frame completed & Cantilever propping released
2013 External systems rerouting, landscaping, and interior finishes
2014 Inauguration

Total site area: 7,000 m2
New exterior spaces: 4,000 m2
Total floor area: 3,000 m2
Auditorium capacity: 100 seats
Floors: 6
Maximum height: 22 m
Length of cantilever: 21 m
Total surface of fair-faced concrete: 6,000 m2
Total surface area of glazing: 800 m2
Concrete cast in-situ: 4,200 m3
Total Steel used for structure: 800 kg
Employees on site: 90 (builders & technicians) for 1,100 days
Total working hours: 500,000 hours

the yenikapi project. peter eisenman & aytac architects.

Jun 2, 2014

Peter Eisenman with his firm Eisenman Architects and Aytaç Architects collaborate to create The Yenikapi Transfer Point and Archaeological Park in Istanbul. The design for the historic site includes a park, an archaeological museum, and a transit building adjacent to the new underground rail hub, construction of which uncovered important artifacts from the Roman and even neolithic eras. The project is introduced by Zuecca Project Space, their first architectural presentation, during the 14th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Through the presentation in Venice, curator Maurizio Bortolotti highlights mercantile trade links between Venice and the 1600 year old former Theodosius Port in Yenikapi, where the remains of 35 ships will be displayed as a main feature of the Archaeological Museum. On the Historic Peninsula, the Yenikapi area helps to bridge the European and Asian sides of the city. For its first architectural presentation Zuecca Projects breaks new ground in its continued research into the unique Eastern-facing cultural history of Venice and examines how this connects with contemporary art and architecture.

The project concept consists of three fundamental aspects: urban vision, urban design, and architectural design. The exhibition in Venice is split into four quadrants, including drawings, models, the ongoing urban design and archaeological museum projects, as well as images and animations of an installation of the archaeological excavations still underway.

Internationally renowned architect and educator Peter Eisenman’s work is characterized by a deconstructivist approach, notably in his collaborations with post-structuralist philosopher Jacques Derrida. His interest in the architectural strata of Venice is well documented and The Yenikapi Project draws on the relationship between his projects for Venice and Istanbul. All images courtesy Eisenman Architects e Aytac Architects.

above> Aerial view at the sunset of Yenikapy, toward West.The stone pier from Theodosian Era will be preserved and exhibited in the square. Image by Moka-studio.

above / below> the gallery of the wrecks, Building B of the museum. Image by Parsa Khalili.
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elevation of ‘building A’ in the museum complex

The Zuecca Project Space exhibition is located at the Complesso Delle Zitelle, on the island of Giudecca in Venice. It runs from 7 June > 23 November 2014, and is open every day, except Mondays, from 10a > 6p.

massimo vignelli. 1931>2014.

May 27, 2014

above> c 1976 | how i remember him

Massimo Vignelli leaves us with inspiring design legacy. He lived to the age of 83.

american airlines | 1967

new york city metro transportation system | 1966

knoll corporate identity | 1966

handkerchief chair | knoll | 1982

collection | heller | 1972

passionate in design and life

“If you can design one thing, you can design everything.” He leaves his wife, Lella; his children, Luca and Valentina. [ vignelli associates ] [ wikipedia ] [ tribute: michael bierut ]

about ron kovach

icff 2014. wrap 1.

May 20, 2014

We’re back in Chicago. For those still in town and looking for more we liked the following:

[ wanteddesign ] terminal stores 269 11th ave
This fourth-year iteration of ‘Wanted’ is comprised of collectives, emerging/big gun design, student competitions, product launches and more.

qc design / booth 34

A collective of 12+ designers from Quebec pull their resources together to make their road show affordable. [ qc design ]
chicagoland in new york / booth 4

Funded by grants and Kickstarter to come to ICFF the group’s focus is on the collaboration between designer and local (Chicago) manufacturing. [ chicagoland ]

DesignApplause interviews Giulio (Cappellini), Philippe Nigro (Ligne Roset), Giulio Iacchetti (Alessi) and David Trubridge.

[ west village ]
Herman Miller and maharam conceive a tribute to Alexander Girard, Herman Miller’s director of design from 1952 to 73. The tribute is in the form of an exhibit loaded with archival artifacts of the prolific Girard. You’ll also see new interpretations of iconic furniture with the help of maharam’s textiles. The space also is conceived to be an oasis, as visitor’s are encouraged to come in and chill and have a refreshment. Alexander Girard: An Uncommon Vision will be open to the public thru 28 May. 446 West 14th Street.

[ times square ]
Vitra introduces us to the new (two weeks old) Dutch boutique hotel citizenM. Probably because citizenM continues their collaborations with architecture firm concrete, book store MENDO and… Swiss design label Vitra. The lobby is topped by their rooftop bar and sky gym. [ citizenM ] 218 west 50th.

[ soho ]
There’s a faith of (Italian) flagship showrooms offsite in SoHo. The Poltrona Frau Group three showrooms are right next to each other. Cappellini / 152 wooster | Cassina / 151 wooster | Poltrona Frau / 145 wooster. Also Alessi / 130 greene street | Flos / 152 greene

giulio cappellini

string lights | michael anastassiades | flos

[ javits center ]
We only found one booth of emerging designers in Javits: Christopher Gentner and Felicia Ferrone. We know both very well. This is their first ‘booth’, first collection(s). Christopher earned his reputation by building high quality furniture for designers and architects. He’s now applying this knowledge to his own designs. Felicia is an architect by training and apprenticed under Antonio Citterio. [ gentner ] [ fferone ]
booth 1854

artek usa / booth 1804
brazilian furniture / 1472 & 1572
emeco / 1732
flavor paper / 1032
fritz hansen / 2022
jasper morrison ‘the good life’ / 1644
lasvit / 826
nanimarquina / 1104
samuel heath / 1548
tom dixon / 1318
vitra / 1704
wilsonart / 2248 & 2353
wolf gordon / 1332

[ upper eastside ]
italian futurism, 1909-1944: reconstructing the universe | 1071 5th ave

skyscrapers and tunnels (gratticieli e tunnel) | fortunato depero | 1930

@ICFF #ICFF @wanteddedsign #wanteddesign @IndustryCityBK @NYCxDESIGN #nycxdesign

CHGO DSGN at the chicago cultural center.

May 7, 2014

opening public reception | friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p

CHGO DSGN [Chicago Design], a major exhibition of Recent Object and Graphic Design by 100+ of the city’s leading designers, will open 31 May and run through 2 November 2014 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Chicago has long been regarded as an international center for design, and this retrospective celebrates the region’s creative and innovative spirit. The exhibition is curated by Rick Valicenti, 2011 recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, with displays designed by Tim Parsons, Associate Professor of Designed Objects at the School of the Art Institute.

white room

plaid room

“Chicago design is alive once again and on display for the world to see,” Valicenti says. “Almost a century ago, Chicago designers were at the epicenter of print. A few years later, Chicago was home to the New Bauhaus, and in the 70s our designers championed international modernism. Today’s designers are reverberating with inspiration from storied times as they amplify Chicago design’s future.”

Surprise, invention, and risk run through the 200+ works on display. A broad range of endeavors are featured from functional objects to theoretical proposals.

Highlights include the DIVVY bike naming and graphic identity program by IDEO and Firebelly, the world’s thinnest watch from Central Standard Timing, an exhibition catalog for the Art Institute of Chicago by Studio Blue, some of the best Kickstarter-funded initiatives such as TIKTOK by MNML design director Scott Wilson, an open-source international library of icons called The Noun Project, and product designer Steven Haulenbeek’s collection of bronze bowls cast in the ice during this winter’s frigid polar vortex.

The exhibition features work from Chicago’s established design studios: Crosby Associates, Morningstar, VSA Partners, Wright, the University of Chicago Press, the Department of Design at Leo Burnett, Threadless, and furniture-design legend Holly Hunt.

odense chair | holly hunt

the way of the shovel scratch-off poster | romain andré and michael savona | mark dion, shovel illustration on the top layer and tony tasset, uncovered photograph, images courtesy mca chicago

The next generation of designers are featured as well, including the delicate utensil designs by Martin Kastner for Alinea, publications designed by James Goggin, an experimental book by Plural, a sonically-activated animation by John Pobojewski of Thirst, the radical designs by Materious, audio-generated posters for the Poetry Foundation by Sonnenzimmer, public works by the designers from the Museum of Contemporary Art, and a conceptual study for typography made with water by Matt Wizinsky.

A selection of works will have their Chicago debut, including a limited edition bronze chair by furniture designer Jonathan Nesci, a bookshelf by Felicia Ferrone, a sculptural leather chair by Jay Sae Jung Oh, a film using an experimental microscopic camera by Leviathan, and an incense-burning skull by Cody Hudson.

lunatik taktik extreme | minimal

o’hare terminal 5 murals | thirst

[ opening public reception ] friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p / exhibit hall | chicago cultural center | 78 east washington | 4th floor

[ exhibitors lists ]
Aaron Ferber, IDEO
Adrianne Hawthorne
Alan Snider, VSA Partners
Alberto Velez, HOLLY HUNT
Alex Fuller
Alex Gilbert
Alex Solis, Threadless
Alexa Vicious, Plural
Alisa Wolfson, Leo Burnett
Alli Nash, Wink Design Atelier
Andrew Fenchel, LAMPO
Andy Gray, VSA Partners
Ania Jaworska
Baozhen Li, Thirst
Bart Crosby, Crosby Associates
Ben Deter, Faust
Ben Stagl, ChiLab
Beth Weaver
Bo Rodda, ChiLab
Bob Faust, Faust
Bob Zeni
Bradon Webb, Leviathan
Brandon Hill
Brandt Brinkerhoff, BB-KK
Brandy Olsen, Leviathan
Brenda Bergen, Wink Design Atelier
Brendan Shanley
Brett Schnacky, Mode Project
Brian Hieggelke, Newcity
Brian Watterson, Studio Blue
Brooks Ruyle, Mode Project
Bruce Tharp, Materious
Bryce Wilner
Bud Rodecker, Thirst
Cameron Brand, Thirst
Casey Lurie
Casey Martin, Leo Burnett
Chad Hutson, Leviathan
Chad Kouri
Charles Adler, Kickstarter
Cheryl Towler Weese, Studio Blue
Chris Beers, Leviathan
Chris Roeleveld
Chrissi Cowhey, Studio Blue
Christopher Gentner, Gentner Design
Chrystine Doerr, VSA Partners
Claire Williams-Martinez, Studio Blue
Claudia Alberts, VSA Partners
Claudine Litman, VSA Partners
Cody Hudson, Struggle Inc.
Colin Carter, Mode Project
Colin Hall, VSA Partners
Colleen Tracey, Firebelly
Corey Roach, VSA Partners
Craig Zacok, Leviathan
Craighton Berman
Cristina Anichi, VSA Partners
Curt Schreiber, VSA Partners
Cyril Marsollier, Club Club
Dan Forbes, Leo Burnett
Dan Knuckey, VSA Partners
Dan Kraemer, IA Collaborative
Dan Marsden, JNL Design
Dana Arnett, VSA Partners
Darren McPherson, Firebelly
Dave Hanicak, VSA Partners
Dave Pabellon, Faust
Dave Reynolds, Wink Design Atelier
Dave Vondle, Central Standard Timing
David Berthy, IDEO
David Brodeur, Leviathan
David Williams, Morningstar
Dawn Hancock, Firebelly
Denny Liu, VSA Partners
Dustin Yerks, VSA Partners
Eiji Jimbo, Thing Thing
Elaine Fong, IDEO
Eleanor Kung, Studio Blue
Emily Bentrup, VSA Partners
Erin Borreson, Legacy Frameworks
Felicia Ferrone, fferrone
Franchec Crespo
Frank Garguilo, Wink Design Atelier
Gene Bellini
Gina Rossi, VSA Partners
Gosia Sobus, Crosby Associates
Greg Calvert, Firebelly
Greg Samata, Samata
Helen Maria Nugent, Haelo Design
Hillary Geller, Studio Blue
Holly Hunt, HOLLY HUNT
Howard Willenzik, VSA Partners
Hwa-Ryong Kim, Newcity
Ian Koenig, VSA Partners
Isaac Tobin, University of Chicago Press
Ivan Brunetti
J. Brad Sturm, Studio Blue
Jackson Cavanaugh
Jake Nickell, Threadless
James Costello, Costello Communications
James Goggin, Practise
Jamie Koval, VSA Partners
Jarrod Ryhal, VSA Partners
Jarut Chanprapanont, TNOP DESIGN
Jason Gillette, ChiLab
Jason Jones, 50,000feet
Jason McKean, Leo Burnett
Jason Pickleman, JNL Design
Jason White, Leviathan
Jay Sae Jung Oh
Jeff Mumford, Crosby Associates
Jennifer Mahanay, Wright
Jeremiah Chiu, Plural
Jerry O’Leary, Central Standard Timing
Jessada Weesuwan, TNOP DESIGN
Jessi Adrignola, Samata
Jessica Charlesworth, Parsons & Charlesworth
Jill Shimabukuro, University of Chicago Press
Jilly Simons, Concrete
Jim Misner, 50,000feet
Jim Toth, VSA Partners
Jin Ko, IDEO
Joanna Vodopivec, Crosby Associates
Joe Van Wetering, Threadless
John Fisher, VSA Partners
John Massey
John Pobojewski, Thirst
Jon Krohn, Plural
Jonathan Nesci, HALE
Jonathan Sadler, Tenspeed Hero
Jonathan Turitz, VSA Partners
Josh Witherspoon, VSA Partners
Julie Driggs, VSA Partners
Kate Trogan, VSA Partners
Katherine Walker, BB-KK
Katrina Nelken, Leviathan
Kelly Bjork, VSA Partners
Kelly Dorsey, Leo Burnett
Ken Fox, 50,000feet
Kevin Primm, Leviathan
Kristen Cullen, Grillo Group
Kristofer Newgren, VSA Partners
Kuan Wen Chiu, ChiLab
Kuen Chang, IDEO
Kyle Fletcher
Kyle Hames, VSA Partners
Kyle Poff, Kyle Poff Design
Lauren Ayers, Tenspeed Hero
Lauren Boegen, Studio Blue
Lauren Gallagher
Lauren Nassef
Letherbee
Levi Borreson, Legacy Frameworks
Lim Heng Swee, Threadless
Luke Batten, Tenspeed Hero
Lyndon Valicenti
Magdalena Wistuba
Maggie Lewis, Studio Blue
Maria Grillo, Grillo Group
Martin Kastner, Crucial Detail
Mary Yang, Studio Blue
Mathew Dorfman
Matt Daly, Leviathan
Matt Ganser, VSA Partners
Matt Herlihy, VSA Partners
Matt Puhalla, MINIMAL
Matt Wizinsky, Studio Junglecat
Matthew Hieggelke, Newcity
Matthew Hoffman
Matthew Terdich, Morningstar
Max Davis, ChiLab
Maya Romanoff
Megan Deal, Studio Blue
Melanie Carson, Newcity
Melissa Keller, VSA Partners
Michael Freimuth, VSA Partners
Michael Savona
Mike Bingaman, Plural
Mike Coon, Leviathan
Mike LaHood, Leviathan
Mike McQuade
Mike Scussel, VSA Partners
Molly McGee, VSA Partners
Mosher, @MosherShow
Nadine Nakanshi, Sonnenzimmer
Nancy Flemm, pixies & porcupines
Nancy McCabe, Costello Communications
Natalia Kowaleczko, Leo Burnett
Nick Adam, Firebelly
Nick Butcher, Sonnenzimmer
Ohn Ho, Firebelly
Paul Higgins, Chicago Reader
Peter Cuba, VSA Partners
Rachel Broaddus, Leviathan
Rachel Mulder, Thing Thing
Regan Blough, Concrete
Renata Graw, Plural
Renee Benz, Morningstar
Rick Valicenti, Thirst
Robyn Paprocki, MCA Design Department
Romain Andre
Ron Berkheimer, VSA Partners
Ron Kirckpatrick, Haelo Design
Ron Kovach, DesignApplause
Ross Zietz, Threadless
Sam Silvio
Sandro, Sandro, Inc.
Sara Frisk, IDEO
Sarah Herda
Sarah Trent, VSA Partners
Scott Reinhard
Scott Thomas
Scott Wilson, MINIMAL
Shan James, Practise
Sharon Burdett, Strand Design
Silja Hillmann, Studio Blue
Simon Anton, Thing Thing
Stacey Donaldson, VSA Partners
Stefan Draht, Mode Project
Stefan Herman, VSA Partners
Stephan Draht, Mode Project
Stephanie Tharp, Materious
Stephen Farrell, Slip Studios
Steve Christopher, MINIMAL
Steve Ryan, VSA Partners
Steven Haulenbeek
Stratton Cherouny, VSA Partners
Sung Jang, Sung Jang Laboratory
Tanner Woodford, Morningstar
Ted Burdett, Strand Design
Thom Moran, Thing Thing
Thomas Leinberger
Thomas Wolfe, VSA Partners
Tim Alamillo
Tim Parsons, Parsons & Charlesworth
Tim Sepulveda, Leviathan
Timothy White, VSA Partners
Tnop Wangsillapakun, TNOP DESIGN
Todd Piper, VSA Partners
Tony Mingo, VSA Partners
Tony Riazzi, VSA Partners
Tracy West, 50,000feet
Tricia Chamberlain, Leo Burnett
Tuan Pham, Studio Blue
Tyler Deal, Idiot Pull
Valarie D’Antonio, VSA Partners
Wallo Villacorta, Club Club
Wesley Webb, Wink Design Atelier
Whitney Waters, Crosby Associates
Will Miller, Firebelly
Willie Diaz, VSA Partners
Wiriya Mana-anantakul, TNOP DESIGN,
Zoë Ryan, The Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibition resources made possible by > Smithfield Properties, Best Imaging
Additional resources provided by > Casati Gallery, Cenveo, Classic Color, FLOR, Graphic Arts Studio, Holly Hunt, Lamin-8, Leo Burnett, Maya Romanoff, Morningstar, TenFab Design, Wright
Opening Reception refreshments provided by > Goose Island Beer Company, SkinnyPop

[ opening public reception ] friday evening 30 may 30 | 6 > 10p
[ general information ] dates > 31 may – 02 nov 2014 / venue > exhibit hall | chicago cultural center | 78 east washington | 4th floor
[ chgo dsgn happenings ]

century: 100 years of type design opens at aiga.

May 3, 2014

above> the century identity installed in the storefront window of the aiga national design center

[ On view at the AIGA National Design Center 1 May > 18 June 2014 ] Interest in type, typefaces, typography and fonts has grown far beyond the graphic design community, yet few truly understand how and why these vital components of design are created and applied. This exhibition, organized by Monotype and designed by AIGA Medalist and Pentagram partner Abbott Miller for the AIGA National Design Center, celebrates 100 years of type as a constant influence in the world around us.

Gathering rare and unique works from premier archives in the United States and London, “Century” will serve as the hub of a series of presentations, workshops and events held at the AIGA gallery as well as the Type Directors Club and the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography at Cooper Union in New York City. The “Century” exhibition features a range of artifacts representing the evolution from typeface conception to fonts in use. Typeface production drawings by the preeminent designers of the last 100 years, proofs, type posters and announcement broadsides are supplemented by publications, advertising, ephemera and packaging.

[ aiga celebrating 100 years of design ] In 2014, AIGA turns 100! Established in 1914 as an institute dedicated to the graphic arts, AIGA’s focus and reach have continually expanded. From 40 founders to 25,000 members and from a New York club to a nationwide network, what began as the old guard of a new profession has become a rich and active community embracing diverse and rapidly changing expressions of design.

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queens museum: a legacy of two world fairs.

Apr 30, 2014

The newly renovated Queens museum offers up the legacy of two worlds fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-5, that placed design and designers central. In 1939 it was Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Loewy and others. In 1964 it was Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and George Nelson. The Museums’ worlds fair collection is held in open storage—an excellent mode of display for design fans, best known to me through a Luce Foundation program that has set up open storage at the Met, the Smithsonian Art Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. [ nytimes 2001 archive ]

The [ Queens Museum ] has received many visitors this week, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the 1964 fair. Another legacy of the fair in the museum is the great Panorama of the City of New York: a huge scale model of the city, exact to every building. The museum has been renovated. In 1939, it served as the New York state pavilion. The work of the U.S. branch of Grimshaw, the new design adds a glass façade to the original Doric fluting unrolled to become ornamental. The architects have opened the building with glass and brought in the park beyond. The central space features an elaborate light reflector system.

Inside, the design includes small, thoughtful details. Tiny windows at child height offer secret views into the New York City Panorama. A play area with toys is set up by the stairs for harried parents dealing with multiple ages and multiple distractions of their children. The base of the stairs—a big of a structural show-off–echoes the base of the Unisphere, the giant globe theme structure of the fair, seen through glass wall.

about phil patton

designer easter eggs. vogue.

Apr 20, 2014

designer easter eggs. dressed up for easter. via vogue daily [RK]

2014 pritzker architectural prize: shigeru ban.

Mar 26, 2014

above> shigeru ban | photo richard drew/ap

Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, a 56-year-old architect born in Tokyo, was named the winner of his profession’s top honor. Ban is the seventh Japanese architect to receive the prize since it was established in 1979, following Kenzo Tange in 1987, Fumihiko Maki in 1993, Tadao Ando in 1995, and the third in the past five years with the team of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 2010, and Toyo Ito last year.

His body of work is diverse, brilliant, a mix of both minimal and complex architecture, art and poetry. Seemingly minimal with conventional architectural materials and complex by structural necessity for his use of exposed wood, plastic and paper. Like all master craftsman, despite the diversity there’s a signature presence. Strikingly, amid all his architectural achievements is his passion for humanity. Quite a combination and frankly needed.

“Receiving this prize is a great honor, and with it, I must be careful,” said Ban, who splits his time between offices in Tokyo, Paris and New York. “I must continue to listen to the people I work for, in my private residential commissions and in my disaster relief work. I see this prize as encouragement for me to keep doing what I am doing – not to change what I am doing, but to grow.”

paper log houses in kobe | 1995 | © Takanobu Sakuma

House Paper Tubes in Kobe, Japan. DIY refugee shelters Ban have proved very popular and effective solution for housing low cost emergency to natural disasters, these have been used in Japan, Vietnam, Turkey, India and China, Haiti, Rwanda and other countries worldwide.

cardboard cathedral | 2011 | stephen goodenough /afp/ getty images

wall-Less house | 1997 | © hiroyuki hirai

above/below > His early residential commissions feel a bit like he became bored and quickly finished projects without walls, windows. Maybe he was the perfect foil for those clients who wanted something different and he solved their problems within a limited budget. Usually a great degree of space and quite utilitarian. His later homes are still very zen-like with more than a dash of sumptuous.

villa vista | 2010 | © hiroyuki hirai

metal shutter house | 2010 | © michael moran

above > Many solutions are changelings, able to morph into one function or another, mostly indoor – outdoor excursions.

above/below > An architect’s home reveals their sensitivities, built in 1997, resides in a forest and the challenge met was no trees were cut down.

[ jury citation 2014 ]
Since its establishment thirty-five years ago, the goal of the Pritzker Architecture Prize is to recognize living architects for excellence in built work and who make a significant and consistent contribution to humanity.

Shigeru Ban, the 2014 laureate, reflects this spirit of the prize to the fullest. He is an outstanding architect who, for twenty years, has been responding with creativity and high quality design to extreme situations caused by devastating natural disasters. His buildings provide shelter, community centers, and spiritual places for those who have suffered tremendous loss and destruction. When tragedy strikes, he is often there from the beginning, as in Rwanda, Turkey, India, China, Italy, and Haiti, and his home country of Japan, among others.

His creative approach and innovation, especially related to building materials and structures, not merely good intentions, are present in all his works. Through excellent design, in response to pressing challenges, Shigeru Ban has expanded the role of the profession; he has made a place at the table for architects to participate in the dialogue with governments and public agencies, philanthropists, and the affected communities. His sense of responsibility and positive action to create architecture of quality to serve society´s needs, combined with his original approach to these humanitarian challenges, make this year´s winner an exemplary professional.

The recipient has an exceptionally wide-ranging career. Since founding his first office in Tokyo in 1985 and later expanding to New York and Paris, he has undertaken projects that range from minimal dwellings, experimental houses and housing, to museums, exhibition pavilions, conference and concert venues, and office buildings.

An underpinning uniting much of his built work is his experimental approach. He has expanded the architectural field regarding not only the problems and challenges he tackles, but also regarding the tools and techniques to deal with them. He is able to see in standard components and common materials, such as paper tubes, packing materials or shipping containers, opportunities to use them in new ways. He is especially known for his structural innovations and the creative use of unconventional materials like bamboo, fabric, paper, and composites of recycled paper fiber and plastics.

In Naked House, he was able to question the traditional notion of rooms and consequently domestic life, and simultaneously create a translucent, almost magical atmosphere. This was done with modest means: walls externally clad in clear corrugated plastic and sections of white acrylic stretched internally across a timber frame. This sophisticated layered composition of ordinary materials used in a natural and efficient way, provides comfort, efficient environmental performance and simultaneously a sensual quality of light.

His own studio, atop a terrace at the Pompidou Center in Paris for the six years he was working on the museum project for Metz, was built using cardboard tubes and a membrane covering the arched roof. He has also used transportation containers as ready-made elements in museum construction. His body of work is proof of his ability to add value through design. Further new conceptual and structural ideas were developed and can be seen in PC Pile House, House of Double Roof, Furniture House, Wall-less House, and Nine-Square Grid House.

Another theme that runs through his work is the spatial continuity between interior and exterior spaces. In Curtain Wall House, he uses tent-like movable curtains to easily link interior and exterior, yet provide privacy when needed. The fourteen-story Nicolas G. Hayek Center in Tokyo is covered with glass shutters on front and back facades that can be fully opened.

For Shigeru Ban, sustainability is not a concept to add on after the fact; rather, it is intrinsic to architecture. His works strive for appropriate products and systems that are in concert with the environment and the specific context, using renewable and locally produced materials, whenever possible. Just one example is his newly opened Tamedia office building in Zurich, which uses an interlocking timber structural system, completely devoid of joint hardware and glue.

His great knowledge of structure and his appreciation for such masters as Mies van der Rohe and Frei Otto have contributed to the development and clarity of his buildings. His own architecture is direct and honest. However, it is never ordinary, and each new project has an inspired freshness about it. The elegant simplicity and apparent effortlessness of his works are really the result of years of practice and a love for building. Above all, his respect for the people who inhabit his buildings, whether victims of natural disaster or private clients or the public, is always revealed through his thoughtful approach, functional plans, carefully selected appropriate materials, and the richness of spaces he creates.

Shigeru Ban is a tireless architect whose work exudes optimism. Where others may see insurmountable challenges, Ban sees a call to action. Where others might take a tested path, he sees the opportunity to innovate. He is a committed teacher who is not only a role model for younger generation, but also an inspiration.

For all these reasons, Shigeru Ban is the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate.

1> curtain wall house | 1995 | © hiroyuki hirai
2> nine-square grid house | 1997 | © hiroyuki hirai
3> naked house | 2000 | © hiroyuki hirai
4> hannover expo japan pavilion | 2000 | © hiroyuki hirai
5> picture window house | 2002 | © hiroyuki hirai
6> glass shutter house | 2003
7> paper temporary studio atop pompidou center in paris | 2004 | © didier boy de la tour
8> nicolas g hayek center | 2007 | © hiroyuki hirai
9/10> nine bridges golf club | 2010 | © hiroyuki hirai / © jongoh kim 2010
11/12> centre pompidou-metz | 2010 |© F Martin / © james ewing
13> cardboard cathedral | 2013 | © stephen goodenough
14> swatch corporate headquarters | in progress
15> mount fuji world heritage center | in progress

[ shigeru ban architects ]

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