15 Facts About Kengo Kuma

Kengo Kuma is a Japanese architect and emeritus professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo.

Frequently compared to contemporaries Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima, Kuma is noted for his prolific writings.

Kengo Kuma is the designer of the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, which was built for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Kengo Kuma is married to architect Satoko Shinohara, and they have one son, Taichi, an architect.

Kengo Kuma was born in Kanagawa, and attended Eiko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School.

Kengo Kuma then moved to New York City for further studies at Columbia University as a visiting researcher from 1985 to 1986.

Kengo Kuma has taught at Columbia University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Keio University, where in 2008, Kuma was awarded a Ph.

Kengo Kuma's stated goal is to recover the tradition of Japanese buildings and to reinterpret these traditions for the 21st century.

Kengo Kuma's projects maintain a keen interest in the manipulation of light with nature through materiality.

Kengo Kuma utilizes technological advancements which can challenge unexpected materials, such as stone, into providing the same sense of lightness and softness as glass or wood.

In parallel, Kengo Kuma showed material innovation to support local traditional craftsmanship through his works.

In 2016, Kengo Kuma delved into designing pre-fabricated pavilions in partnership with Revolution Precrafted.

Kengo Kuma designed the mobile multifunctional pavilion named The Aluminum Cloud Pavilion.

Kengo Kuma Lab is a Research Laboratory headed by Kengo Kuma based in the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus that was started in 2009.

In 2012, Kengo Kuma Lab published the book Patterns and Layering, Japanese Spatial Culture, Nature and Architecture, including the research from various Doctoral Candidate Lab members.