- “This immense architectural tome establishes once and for all that sustainability and style need not be set at odds.”
- “… a celebration of Kuma’s approach to sustainable architecture.”
- “Through descriptions, elevation drawings, sketches, and photographs, the architect’s signature texture seems to jump off the page.”
- “For the past 30 years, I have been driven to create architecture by the desire to recover materials, and to reconnect people and physical things. It turned out to be the most enjoyable experience imaginable. This is because the world itself is material.”
- “Explores all aspects of Kuma’s career – from 1988 all the way until today.”
- “Details the architect’s humanistic approach to architecture.”
- “A richly illustrated overview of Kuma’s oeuvre that delves into his complete archive of built landmarks across the globe.”
- “…unfolds the mastery of Kengo Kuma’s architecture in its full glory.”
- “Kuma’s unique and sustainable approach to contemporary architecture is celebrated.”
Kuma. Complete Works 1988–Today
Hardcover, 12.1 x 15.4 in., 10.95 lb, 460 pages200Edition: English, French, German Availability: In Stock
Kuma. Complete Works 1988–Today
200The Complete Kengo Kuma
Erasing architecture: a definitive survey of the architect’s oeuvre
To this end, Kuma shaped the China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum partially from discarded roof tiles; created a Chapel out of birch and moss in Nagano; and worked with local craftsmen to sculpt the V&A Dundee into a twisted, layered reflection of the Scottish coastal cliffs. With an extraordinary sensitivity for space, light, and texture, Kuma reveals unexpected qualities in materials, finding the weightlessness of stone in Chokkura Plaza and the softness of aluminum in the thatched roof of the Yangcheng Lake Tourist Transportation Center.
More recently, the architect brought his philosophy to the Japan National Stadium built for the Olympic Games, originally planned for 2020. Kuma has said the stadium could be “the catalyst that will transform Tokyo back from a concrete city. I want it to set an example that will help alter the direction of Japanese architectural design.”
In this XXL-sized monograph with some 500 illustrations spanning photographs, sketches, and plans, Kuma guides us through his entire career to date, detailing milestone projects as well as ongoing works.
Also available as an Art Edition with a custom-built wooden slipcase and accompanied by a photogravure of a sketch by Kengo Kuma, signed by the artist and limited to 200 copies.
The artist
Kengo Kuma (born in Yokohama in 1954) attended the University of Tokyo and established Spatial Design Studio in 1979 after further studies at Columbia University, New York. In 1990, he founded Kengo Kuma & Associates. He is based in Tokyo and Paris, while he teaches at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, where he also runs his own Laboratory, Kuma Lab.
The editor
Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Architecture Now! series and monographs on numerous major architects, including Norman Foster, Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid.
Kuma. Complete Works 1988–Today
Hardcover, 30.8 x 39 cm, 4.97 kg, 460 pagesISBN 978-3-8365-7512-6
Edition: English, French, German5