MoMA shines light on structural design in experimental Japanese architecture

A new publication from MoMA shines light on the role that structural engineers play in the burst of experimental architecture in postwar Japan. Through essays, images and conversations it traces a lineage of internationally-minded engineers, collaborating effectively, exchanging ideas with architects and mentoring younger generations.
Charting Japanese structural design from 1950 to today, the book prides itself in a scholarly yet accessible approach to the largely unexplored subject. Visual material including archival and contemporary photography is sure to attract new audiences. Texts by Japan’s leading structural engineers will also appeal to experts in the field.
Based on a 2016 symposium held at The Museum of Modern Art during the exhibition ‘A Japanese Constellation: Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Beyond’, the content features a series of in depth essays and roundtable discussions. It’s here where the inter-generational journey of knowledge can be traced – through the experiences of working architects and engineers who have participated with and learnt from the 20th century practitioners first-hand.
Editor Guy Nordenson, a structural engineer in New York and professor at the Princeton University School of Architecture, pulls out the ‘lineages’ highlighted in the title: Structured Lineages: Learning from Japanese Structural Design. And gives special focus to the work of Kawaguchi Mamoru, Kimura Toshihiko, Matsui Gengo, Saitō Masao, Sasaki Mutsurō, and Tsuboi Yoshikatsu.
The book argues for more credit to be given to these collaborative spirits, who created the best circumstances for the innovation that defined the Japanese architectural scene from the late 20th century until today.
Interior view of Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo by Tange Kenzō (architect) and Tsuboi Yoshikatsu (engineer), completed 1964.
Japanese Exhibition House, The Museum of Modern Art by Junzo Yoshimura, exhibited 1954-55. courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art Department of Architecture and Design. Soichi Sunomi/The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Interior view of 12th World Orchids Conference Pavilions, Kanagawa Prefecture by Murata Yutaka (architect) and Kawaguchi Mamoru (engineer), completed 1987. Courtesy Kawaguchi & Engineers
Expo ’70 Fuji Group Pavilion, Osaka, Japan by Kawaguchi Mamoru, architect and engineer, completed 1970.Courtesy Kawaguchi & Engineers
INFORMATION
Structured Lineages: Learning from Japanese Structural Design, published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York / Thames and Hudson, $45/£35
store.moma.org
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
‘Dr Tetris’ on the biggest ever iteration of the puzzle in London
Tetris comes to 360-degree, 23,000 sq ft, 16k LED screens in London; Craig McLean speaks to Henk Rogers, the man who’s kept the game alive
By Craig McLean Published
-
Hot news: Claridge’s Bakery is set to open this summer
Claridge’s, London’s grand dame of hotels, announces the opening of its very own bakery, led by British baker Richard Hart
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
New Superhouse show captures the rebellious spirit of Dan Friedman’s Manhattan apartment
In the late 1970s, graphic designer and artist Dan Friedman transformed his apartment into a Day-Glo laboratory of ideas. Now, a new exhibition at Superhouse in New York revisits his vibrant, rebellious world
By Ali Morris Published
-
And the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 goes to... SANAA!
The RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 winner is announced – Japanese studio SANAA scoops the prestigious architecture industry accolade
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architect Sou Fujimoto explains how the ‘idea of the forest’ is central to everything
Sou Fujimoto has been masterminding the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka for the past five years, as the site’s design producer. To mark the 2025 Wallpaper* Design Awards, the Japanese architect talks to us about 2024, the year ahead, and materiality, nature, diversity and technological advances
By Sou Fujimoto Published
-
Tadao Ando: the self-taught contemporary architecture master who 'converts feelings into physical form’
Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect who rose to become one of contemporary architecture's biggest stars. Here, we explore the Japanese master's origins, journey and finest works
By Edwin Heathcote Published
-
The Kumagaya House in Saitama is a modest family home subdivided by a soaring interior
This Kumagaya House is a domestic puzzle box taking the art of the Japanese house to another level as it intersects a minimal interior with exterior spaces, balconies and walkways
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Shigeru Ban wins 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture Award
The 2024 Praemium Imperiale Architecture Award goes to Japanese architect Shigeru Ban
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph
'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Pace Tokyo is a flowing Sou Fujimoto experience that ‘guides visitors through the space’
Art gallery Pace Tokyo, designed by Sou Fujimoto in a Studio Heatherwick development, opens in the Japanese capital
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a lovingly compiled photographic portrait of cars and architecture
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a celebration of the European Car of the Year and changing perceptions of modern design, pairing the best buildings of the age with their automotive contemporaries
By Jonathan Bell Published