Kengo Kuma

According to the Guardian, the National Gallery's new wing is described as the biggest transformation in its 200-year history.¹ According to Eins zu Eins, Kengo Kuma & Associates was established in 1990.^4,5

Kuma delivered the Harvard GSD John Hejduk Soundings Lecture, titled 'Return to Nature'.² In a lecture titled “Return to Nature” at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, he presented work linking tradition and innovation, from wooden toy blocks to a large stadium.² According to Harvard Graduate School of Design, at the GC Prostho Museum Research Center, 6-by-6-centimetre timber members can come from immature trees, leaving old growth standing.²

According to Interni Magazine, a Venice exhibition presented Kuma's architecture through thirteen onomatopoeic concepts selected by him.³ E19 uses “parcelization” for books Imperadori attributes to Kuma, while the Harvard account uses “particlization.”.^2,3 According to Eins zu Eins, the Kigumi Table uses a lattice of wooden slats each measuring 20mm by 20mm.⁴

According to Eins zu Eins, the Noh Stage in the Forest received the Architectural Institute of Japan Annual Award in 1997.^4,5,6 According to Eins zu Eins, Kuma's projects include the Kirosan Observatory, Water/Glass, and the Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum.⁴ According to Eins zu Eins, Kuma won the AIA Benedictus Award for Water/Glass and the Murano Prize for the Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum.⁴

According to Eins zu Eins, projects by Kuma in Besançon, Marseille, and Aix-en-Provence were completed in 2013.⁴ According to Eins zu Eins biography, Kuma's firm currently works on about 100 projects in Japan, Europe, the USA, China, and other Asian countries.⁴ According to International Council of Museums, Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama in 1954.^5,6

According to International Council of Museums, Kuma completed a master's degree at the University of Tokyo in 1979.^5,6 According to International Council of Museums, Kuma became a professor at the Graduate School of Architecture of the University of Tokyo in 2009.⁶ According to International Council of Museums, Kuma won the Mainichi Art Award in 2010 for the Nezu Museum.⁶ According to International Council of Museums, Kuma received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2016.⁶

According to the Guardian, the National Gallery wing is linked to £150m pledges each from Crankstart and the Julia Rausing Trust, while the gallery faces an £8.2m deficit.¹ The National Gallery said its pledged funds would support acquisitions of art made after 1900 and an endowment.¹ According to the Guardian, Donations pledged by Crankstart and the Julia Rausing Trust to the National Gallery total £300m, designated for post-1900 art and an endowment fund.¹

The Guardian says the Crankstart and Julia Rausing Trust money will buy post-1900 works and provide an endowment fund.¹ According to the Guardian, the National Gallery faces an £8.2m deficit expected to cause job losses and possibly fewer exhibitions, higher ticket prices, and reduced international loans.¹ Domino 3.0, a 2025 Venice Biennale installation, uses soft 3D-printed joints to secure living trees.²

According to National Gallery jury, the jury called the Kuma design 'exemplary' and gave it the highest available score.¹ According to National Gallery competition jury, the National Gallery jury described the Kuma, BDP, and MICA proposal as exemplary.¹ According to critics, some critics likened Kuma's proposed porch for a historic cathedral in western France to a wart.¹

According to Kengo Kuma, Kuma's design approach includes particlization, using small replaceable pieces that can be repaired without destroying the larger entity.² According to Kengo Kuma, Kuma's architectural theory emphasizes particlization, utilizing smaller components to align structures with human scale rather than monolithic concrete boxes.^2,3 Kuma argues small timber members can come from immature trees, leaving old-growth forest untouched.²

According to Kengo Kuma, particlization enables the use of smaller wood members from immature trees, avoiding deforestation of old-growth areas.² Marco Imperadori said the onomatopoeia “para para,” evoking fullness and emptiness, is represented by porous architecture Kuma designed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.³ Kuma argues humans have small bodies and that large reinforced-concrete boxes exceed human scale.^2,3

According to Kengo Kuma, Kuma has written books on the theory of parcelization, arguing that modern materials are often beyond the human scale.³ According to Kengo Kuma, Kuma describes his architecture as a kind of frame of nature.^2,6 Kuma has stated his aim is to recover the place.⁶ According to Kengo Kuma, Kuma seeks to reinterpret Japanese building traditions for contemporary architecture.^5,6