Shigeru Ban: Timber in Architecture

by Laura Britton (Editor), Vittorio Lovato (Editor), Shigeru Ban (Contribution by), Hermann Blumen (Contribution by), Paul Hawken (Foreword by)

Overview

Why wood?

Though it is one of the world’s oldest building materials, wood is still revolutionizing the way buildings are designed and constructed today. It is imperative that everyone considers how construction practices impact climate change. Timber buildings are not only environmentally responsible—they also make us feel measurably happier, healthier, and more productive, benefiting both individuals and organizations.

Shigeru Ban Architects has innovated in wood for over 35 years, creating inspiring spaces that have a positive impact on building inhabitants, communities, and the environment. The firm has built over 65 wood and mass timber projects, from prefabricated plywood houses to parametrically modeled glulam gridshells.

Timber in Architecture presents the trajectory of 45 works from concept through construction, demonstrating the challenges and merits of wood buildings through essays, technical drawings, and photographs. Featured projects include the Centre Pompidou-Metz (Metz, France, 2010), the Aspen Art Museum (Aspen, Colorado, USA, 2014), the Mt. Fuij World Heritage Centre (Shizuoka, Japan, 2019), and Swatch/Omega Campus (Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 2019), as well as current works.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847872220
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	917,590
Product dimensions:	8.64(w) x 11.98(h) x 1.14(d)

About the Author

Shigeru Ban is an architect, educator, and humanitarian with a global perspective. Upon completing his studies at the Cooper Union, Ban established Shigeru Ban Architects in 1985. In 1994, Ban founded the Voluntary Architects Network, an NGO through which he has provided a wide array of relief projects for nearly 30 years. Today, his multidisciplinary practice includes offices in Tokyo, Paris, and New York, with more than 150 projects constructed across six continents. In addition to his design work, Ban is dedicated to teaching the next generation of architects, and has taught at numerous institutions, including Tama Art University, Keio University, Harvard GSD, Cornell AAP, and Columbia GSAPP. For his architectural, cultural, and humanitarian contributions, Ban has been honored as a Pritzker Laureate, and the recipient of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the National Order of the Legion of Honor in France, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture, and the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.

Editorial Reviews

"As the world and the design industry grapples with how to lessen our impact on the planet and its resources, the work of Pritzker Prize–winning architect Shigeru Ban, a proponent of the use of humble materials like wood and cardboard in architecture, has never felt more relevant or necessary. This book features more than 50 important projects of Ban’s design." —ELLE DECOR.

"The Japanese master of innovation and sustainable architecture, Toyko-based Shigeru Ban has pioneered working with timber, and this book celebrates just that. Employing wood and bamboo in his designs, materials with proven positive effect in health and wellness, both physical and emotional, Ban is behind projects such as  the headquarters of Swatch and Omega, as well as the Aspen Museum, the Pompidou Metz, the Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, and La Seine Musicale Performance Hall in Paris. This lavish publication studies them all, delving deeper into the art of designing and building with timber, from private projects to emergency shelters and anything in between." —WALLPAPER*

"Pritzker-winning architect Shigeru Ban has designed everything from museums and private homes to churches and emergency shelters. In his latest book, he flaunts his incredible portfolio of projects that use timber in extraordinary ways." —THE GRAND TOURIST

From the Publisher