{"title":"Kengo Kuma","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKengo Kuma\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling exploration of contemporary architecture, blending tradition with innovative design. His works invite readers to consider the subtle interplay between space, materials, and the environment, reflecting a thoughtful approach to urban and cultural landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom personal narratives to analytical essays, these books provide insight into Kuma's architectural philosophy and creative process. Ideal for enthusiasts of \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e, this collection deepens understanding of how architecture shapes and is shaped by society.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"point-line-plane-by-kengo-kuma-9780500027967","title":"Point Line Plane","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA collection of writings that sets out Kengo Kuma's theories of architecture, but also a left field critique of where the architecture world finds itself today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKengo Kuma is one of Japan's leading architects and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Widely known as a prolific writer and philosopher, he proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough a series of thought-provoking essays, he unveils his vision of architecture as a dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation. Critiquing the megastructures and capitalist influences of the 20th century, he challenges readers to reconsider the role of architecture in shaping our world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing from diverse disciplines including art history, philosophy, and literature, Kuma crafts a narrative that transcends the boundaries of traditional architectural theory. He presents a compelling manifesto for a new era of design—one that dismantles hard concrete volumes into \u003ci\u003epoints\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003elines\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eplanes\u003c\/i\u003e that celebrate the simplicity and sustainability of human connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362952069356,"sku":"9780500027967","price":60.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/100533482366.jpg?v=1772906204"},{"product_id":"kengo-kuma-my-life-as-an-architect-in-tokyo-by-kengo-kuma-9780500343616","title":"Kengo Kuma: My Life as an Architect in Tokyo","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was around Kengo Kuma's tenth birthday that he came into contact with Kenzō Tange's fishlike Yoyogi National Gymnasium, completed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and determined that he would become an architect. In the intervening five or so decades, he has become one of the world's most fascinating and influential architects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKuma is known throughout the world for his formally daring and materially expressive buildings, recognised for his inventive use of traditional materials, and his use of innovative materials in vernacular forms. He is perhaps less known for his work inside his native Japan, where he works actively towards the preservation of ancient building techniques and craft. A keen curiosity for all forms of building and a wealth of knowledge about the world acquired through expansive travels make Kuma a unique commentator on Tokyo's dynamic architecture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough twenty-five stories, this intimate little publication paints a picture of how a building inspired a boy to become an architect, how Japan's national heritage helped form his thinking, and how his professional experience has made him one of the most successful architects of his generation. \u003cem\u003eKengo Kuma: My Life as an Architect in Tokyo\u003c\/em\u003e contains something for everyone: design acumen, insights into Japanese culture, a tour of Tokyo and the heartfelt commitment to producing buildings that have meaning and longevity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 41 illustrations, 21 in colour\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47424459112684,"sku":"9780500343616","price":43.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780500343616.jpg?v=1774768436"},{"product_id":"architecture-of-defeat-by-kengo-kuma-9781138390836","title":"Architecture of Defeat","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKengo Kuma, one of Japan’s leading architects, has been combining professional practice and academia for most of his career. In addition to creating many internationally recognised buildings all over the world, he has written extensively about the history and theory of architecture. Like his built work, his writings also reflect his profound personal philosophy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eArchitecture of Defeat\u003c\/i\u003e is no exception. Now available in English for the first time, the book explores events and architectural trends in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in both Japan and beyond. It brings together a collection of essays which Kuma wrote after disasters such as the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City on 9\/11 and the earthquake and tsunami that obliterated much of the built landscape on Japan’s northern shore in a matter of minutes in 2011. Asking if we have been building in a manner that is too self-confident or arrogant, he examines architecture’s intrinsic—and often problematic—relationship to the powerful forces of contemporary politics, economics, consumerism, and technology, as well as its vital ties to society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the title, \u003ci\u003eArchitecture of Defeat\u003c\/i\u003e is an optimistic and hopeful book. Rather than anticipating the demise of architecture, Kuma envisages a different mode of conceiving architecture: guided and shaped by more modesty and with greater respect for the forces of our natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeautifully designed and illustrated, this is a fascinating insight into the thinking of one of the world’s most influential architects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47605031698668,"sku":"9781138390836","price":341.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/e74533afef0839890028ebf8668758eb.jpg?v=1788127870"},{"product_id":"kengo-kuma-by-kengo-kuma-9780500028223","title":"Kengo Kuma","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe second monograph on one of the world's pre-eminent architects - a follow-up to \u003ci\u003eKengo Kuma Complete Works\u003c\/i\u003e, first published in 2012 and updated in 2018.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKengo Kuma\u003c\/i\u003e is one of Japan's leading architects and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Widely known as a prolific writer and philosopher, he proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings. In this book, Kuma's second monograph, forty projects are arranged according to building use, with a timely focus on those that respond to natural disasters and the pandemic, build on the importance of local communities, and address our need to come together with other people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe projects range in scale and ambition, from Japan's Olympic Stadium - where Kuma used timber from every region in the country to build the nation's largest arena - to a small community centre in Yusuhara and a fairytale museum in Denmark. Each celebrates Kuma's skill using natural materials, as he pushes these to their limits to create exciting and surprising forms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA substantial introduction by Grace La considers Kuma's progression since the last book, as well as exploring the themes of his work and how they relate to the architecture world today. The projects for inclusion - stadiums and cultural centres, museums and houses, cafés and parks, temples and pavilions - have been chosen by Kuma himself as best representative of this stage in his career. None appear in the previous book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47773084582124,"sku":"9780500028223","price":120.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780500028223-kengo-kuma.jpg?v=1782180019"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/kengo-kuma.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}