Shigeru Ban

Architecture / 9 Nov 2017

On the road: these nomadic homes could set you free

We are all, once, nomads. Our ancient ancestors wandered from place to place as the climate and crop demanded—and their homes had to be fit for this itinerant lifestyle. If you’re on the move, your home needs to move with...

Architecture / 15 Aug 2017

Shigeru Ban on his masterfully minimalist interiors for Cast Iron House

Shigeru Ban likes to keep us guessing. The Pritzker Prize winner is best known for his radical tectonic experiments with materials like paper, wood and PVC plastic, and for his temporary designs for refugees and victims of natural disasters. But...

Architecture / 12 May 2017

Powered by solar panels, La Seine Musicale is a new icon for Paris

Designed by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines, Paris’ new music venue La Seine Musicale has now opened to the public on Île Seguin. A new icon of the 21st century and a gateway to west Paris, the building had...

Architecture / 24 Mar 2017

Support act: Shigeru Ban’s impermanent designs leave a lasting impression in Sydney

Humanitarian efforts are best appreciated when experienced at ground level. The centrepiece of Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban’s first Australian exhibition at the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF) best demonstrates this principle. A model of his renowned Cardboard Cathedral...

Architecture / 9 Nov 2016

Domestic dynasty: the Japanese house since 1945

Tracing the development of residential architecture in Japan since 1945, a new exhibition opening today at MAXXI in Rome brings together the projects by over 30 Japanese architects. Alongside works by filmmakers and artists, ‘The Japanese House: Architecture & Life...

Architecture / 23 Jun 2016

The space of change: charting the peculiarity of Japanese houses

The Japanese housing market is a peculiar phenomenon. Unlike homes in Western nations, Japanese residences depreciate rapidly in value over time. As argued by economists Richard Koo and Masaya Sasaki in a 2008 report, a typical home loses all economic...

Architecture / 13 Jan 2016

Big winner: Alejandro Aravena scoops the prestigious 2016 Pritzker Prize

We had an inkling that Alejandro Aravena was off to great things, ever since we first encountered his clever, considerate and socially conscious designs – him winning the director’s role for the upcoming 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale only reinforced this...

Design / 12 Oct 2015

Top 20 (design-minded) architects: the A-listers who have thought small and occasionally wiggly

Architects have long turned their hand to product design – from David Adjaye to David Chipperfield and Zaha Hadid – these A-listers have all occasionally thought small in scale and occasionally wiggly. (Yes, Frank Gehry, we’re looking at you!)...

Art / 27 Jul 2015

ArtCrush: Aspen’s annual fundraising festival is set for a memorable year

A year after the opening of its new Shigeru Ban-designed home (see W* 184), and a tripling in attendance numbers, the Aspen Art Museum is gearing up for an extra celebratory edition of its annual ArtCrush fundraising festival. The sparkly...

Architecture / 6 Jul 2015

Celebrating Japan: an exhibition of architectonic models at La Triennale di Milano

Delve into the minds of 41 great Japanese architects at ’Archi Depot Tokyo’ – an exhibition showcasing a range of architectonic concept models at La Triennale di Milano. The installation explores the thought processes of a number of lauded designers, revealing...

Design / 16 Jun 2015

Style and substance: André Balazs curates ’Design at Large’ at Design Miami/ Basel 2015

For the second time, Design Miami/ Basel presents a selection of large-scale works selected by a guest curator. After last year’s stint – curated by Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman, who presented a wide variety of multidisciplinary pieces – 2015’s...

Architecture / 11 Jun 2015

Soviet modernist: Rem Koolhaas-designed Garage Museum of Contemporary Art opens in Moscow

Architecture studio OMA has resurrected a 1960s Soviet Modernist ruin as a contemporary art museum in Moscow’s Gorky Park, restoring original features and wrapping the two-storey space in a gleaming polycarbonate façade. The 5,400 sq m building is a...

The Japanese architect is known for his masterful work with wood, paper and cardboard. Ban was named in the Wallpaper* Power 200, our carefully measured ranking of the world’s pre-eminent design talent – see the full list below