“This moment, the beginning of the 21st century, is a big moment to change the direction — toward sustainability and disaster relief,” he said. “This will continue as the main theme of this century.” Times had changed since the Modernist era: “Those times, people believed that they would have utopia some day. But we know that it’s not true. There’s no utopia.” — T Magazine
Nikil Saval, writing in T Magazine profiles architect Shigeru Ban in a wide-ranging article, shedding light on Ban's American education at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and The Cooper Union, highlighting the architect's ideological disagreements with Peter Eisenman, and his love for Alvar Aalto.
Not one to consider himself a "Japanese architect," Ban explains that instead he received exposure to the open-plan, indoor-outdoor elements of design traditional Japanese architecture is known for in reverse, after they had made their way from Japan to Frank Lloyd Wright and from Wright to Southern California's budding Mid-Century Modernism scene via the Case Study Houses.
Ban says, “My Japanese influence was made through Case Study Houses by accident,” he said. “Case Study Houses have many Japanese influences: for example, the connecting inside and out, like a Japanese traditional house, and also the way to use the materials, and also the post-and-beam structure. There were many innovative ways of using materials. That really amazed me, and really made my architecture experience in California.”
the number of times I have been told I cannot understand anything about Japanese culture because I am a westerner. Ugh. In Japan it is built into the culture, taken for granted. Friends and colleagues have said all these horrible Eisenman words to me without a tinge of self-awareness. It is interesting to learn that Ban had the same thing in reverse. Also super interesting to consider his japanese-ness coming through the american filter. That explains a lot.
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Doesn't he do more museums than shelters nowadays? NYT thinks the social good narrative brings people in.... it really just bores people with sanctimony (not Ban's but the editorial). I like Ban's work because it is good -- applicable to both a shelter and high end museum
great short article reflecting on his work as a whole without getting into much analysis of individual projects.
i've always loved the elegance and clarity of Ban; and his uncommon ability to make his use of paper into a convincing theme rather than gimmick. His houses really are brilliant and the basis of his merit as a great architect; whereas his work on shelter i think is a positive reflection of his character which is by itself admirable.
the bit on Ban's struggles at Cooper Union was fascinating and reassuring for anyone who ever felt sidelined at school. It reinforces the feeling many students have had that the evaluation is purely arbitrary, according to the whims of a few old men.
Peter Eisenman really puts his foot in his mouth defending himself against implications he was biased there: ‘Because you’re Japanese, you cannot understand Western ideology or Western theory’...
i'd like to see a reference though for this statement by the writer: "Plenty of architects are wealthy jet-setters who plop down signature buildings around the world regardless of context."
Also, I'd say none of Ban's work is specifically contextual - all of it seems to draw from the same spirit of simple clean workmanship and ethereal elegance. This isn't bad! Contextualism oughtn't be seen as the only measure of good architecture; it's really devolved into a vapid critique. Universalism can be sensitive and appropriate as a design strategy.
Eisenman has made a career out of putting his foot in his mouth.
the number of times I have been told I cannot understand anything about Japanese culture because I am a westerner. Ugh. In Japan it is built into the culture, taken for granted. Friends and colleagues have said all these horrible Eisenman words to me without a tinge of self-awareness. It is interesting to learn that Ban had the same thing in reverse. Also super interesting to consider his japanese-ness coming through the american filter. That explains a lot.
Same here Will. A few times I've been denied projects because I could never understand the American clients' culture to design a house.
"They really liked you but thought you couldn't understand their cultural needs."
Let's name it, after living in a country almost half a century, that was hurtful and veiled racism.
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