Shigeru Ban: Timber in Architecture

$ 99.95

"The Japanese master of innovation and sustainable architecture, Toyko-based Shigeru Ban has pioneered working with timber, and this book celebrates just that. Employing wood and bamboo in his designs, materials with proven positive effect in health and wellness, both physical and emotional, Ban is behind projects such as the headquarters of Swatch and Omega, as well as the Aspen Museum, the Pompidou Metz, the Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, and La Seine Musicale Performance Hall in Paris. This lavish publication studies them all, delving deeper into the art of designing and building with timber, from private projects to emergency shelters and anything in between." —WALLPAPER*

Why wood?

Though it is one of the world’s oldest building materials, wood is still revolutionizing the way buildings are designed and constructed today. It is imperative that everyone considers how construction practices impact climate change. Timber buildings are not only environmentally responsible—they also make us feel measurably happier, healthier, and more productive, benefiting both individuals and organizations.

Shigeru Ban Architects has innovated in wood for over 35 years, creating inspiring spaces that have a positive impact on building inhabitants, communities, and the environment. The firm has built over 65 wood and mass timber projects, from prefabricated plywood houses to parametrically modeled glulam gridshells.

Timber in Architecture presents the trajectory of 45 works from concept through construction, demonstrating the challenges and merits of wood buildings through essays, technical drawings, and photographs.

Featured projects include the Centre Pompidou-Metz (Metz, France, 2010), the Aspen Art Museum (Aspen, Colorado, USA, 2014), the Mt. Fuij World Heritage Centre (Shizuoka, Japan, 2019), and Swatch/Omega Campus (Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 2019), as well as current works.

Product Details:

By Laura Britton (Editor) & Vittorio Lovato (Editor)*

ISBN: 9780847872220

Published: Oct. 25, 2022 by Rizzoli

Pages: 272, Hardcover

Dimensions: 8.64 x 1.14 x 11.98 inches

Weight: 3.75 lbs.

*By Laura Britton & Vittorio Lovato, with contributions from: Paul Hawken (Foreword), Shigeru Ban (Contributor), Hermann Blumen (Contributor)

About the Author:

Born in Tokyo in 1957, Ban graduated from the Cooper Union with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1984. He founded Shigeru Ban Architects in 1985 and later established offices in New York and Paris.

Since 1985, Ban has developed a unique structural system using recycled paper as a building material and, alongside his architectural work, has been engaged in disaster relief efforts worldwide. In 1995, he founded a nonprofit organization named Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN).

He is the recipient of le grade de commandeur of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2014), the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2014), the Mother Teresa Social Justice Award (2017), the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord (2022), and the Praemium Imperiale for Architecture (2024). His major works include Centre Pompidou Metz (2010, France), Cardboard Cathedral (2013, NZ), La Seine Musicale (2017, France), Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre Shizuoka (2017, France), Tainan Art Museum (2019), SIMOSE (2023), and Toyota City Museum (2024).

From 2023 he serves as Special Guest Professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology. In March 2025, he was named as a new member of the Japan Art Academy and in October 2025 as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese Government.

For his architectural, cultural, and humanitarian contributions, Ban has been honored as a Pritzker Laureate, and the recipient of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the National Order of the Legion of Honor in France, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture, and the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.

He has been awarded as the recipient of the 2026 AIA Gold Medal as the fourth to receive this honor among Japanese architects.

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