{"product_id":"kuma-complete-works-1988-today-2021-edition","title":"Kuma","description":"After Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, and Fumihiko Maki, \u003cb\u003eKengo Kuma has breathed renewed vigor and lightness into Japanese architecture\u003c\/b\u003e. Departing from the modernist skyscraper of the 20th century, Kuma traveled through his native Japan to develop a truly sustainable approach, translating local craftsmanship and resources into site-specific, timely buildings. Informed by tradition, and with both feet firmly planted in the present, this \"materialist\" heralds \u003cb\u003ea new tactile architecture\u003c\/b\u003e marked by its \u003cb\u003eengaging surfaces\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003einnovative structures\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003efluid forms\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ereconnecting people with the physicality of a house\u003c\/b\u003e. Kuma's objective, above all else, is \"just to respect the culture and environment of the place where I am working.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e To this end, Kuma shaped the \u003cb\u003eChina Academy of Art's Folk Art Museum\u003c\/b\u003e partially from discarded roof tiles; created a \u003cb\u003eChapel out of birch and moss\u003c\/b\u003e in Nagano; and worked with local craftsmen to sculpt the \u003cb\u003eV\u0026amp;A Dundee\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003cb\u003eChokkura Plaza\u003c\/b\u003e and the softness of aluminum in the thatched roof of the \u003cb\u003eYangcheng Lake Tourist Transportation Center\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e More recently, the architect brought his philosophy to the \u003cb\u003eJapan National Stadium\u003c\/b\u003e 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.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this XXL-sized monograph with some \u003cb\u003e500 illustrations\u003c\/b\u003e spanning \u003cb\u003ephotographs\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003esketches\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eplans\u003c\/b\u003e, Kuma guides us through his entire career to date, detailing \u003cb\u003emilestone projects\u003c\/b\u003e as well as \u003cb\u003eongoing works\u003c\/b\u003e.","brand":"TASCHEN","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42523041923108,"sku":"9783836575126","price":390.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0725\/9734\/0196\/files\/9783836575126.jpg?v=1779480309","url":"https:\/\/thamesandhudson.com.au\/products\/kuma-complete-works-1988-today-2021-edition","provider":"Thames \u0026 Hudson Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}