Kengo Kuma:
Nature and Architecture
October 7, 2008
Garden Pavilion
Past event information:
The Portland Japanese Garden was pleased to welcome internationally renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for a lecture on Nature and Architecture. A graduate of the University of Tokyo and Columbia University, he founded Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990. In 1997, Kuma was the recipient of the prestigious Architectural Institute of Japan Award.
Great Bamboo Wall, Beijing, China
Kuma's stated goal is to "recover the tradition of Japanese buildings" and to reinterpret it for the 21st century. Kuma explains, "You could say that my aim is 'to recover the place.' The place is a result of nature and time; this is the most important aspect. I think my architecture is some kind of frame of nature. With it we can experience nature more deeply and more intimately. My ultimate aim is to 'erase' architecture, because I believe that a building should become one with its surroundings. I try to listen as carefully as possible to the site."
