by: Daniel Fox
Event: 2007-8 Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment
Location: The Cooper Union, 01.22.08
Speaker: Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA — Principal, Shigeru Ban Architects
Organizer: The Architectural League of New York; The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union
Shigeru Ban Architect’s Centre Pompidou Metz.
Courtesy archleage.org
In his Architectural League talk in Cooper Union’s Great Hall, Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA, scarcely allowed time for in-depth reflection and, for those familiar with his designs, offered little in the way of new insights. However, the existing work reinforces his architectural ingenuity with new technologies, material creativity, an aesthetic emphasis, and most notably, a profound environmental conscience. Whether through single-family houses for high-end clients or emergency shelters for earthquake victims in Rwanda, Ban’s “reduce, reuse, and recycle” philosophy has guided all his work.
Ban’s version of sustainable architecture kicks in at the onset of the design process, as in his concept for the Nomadic Museum. As a museum intended to travel the world, Ban found inspiration in the industrial cargo containers used for its transport. On site, the shipping containers are stacked to form the building’s walls, while on the road they carry the structural elements, such as paper tube columns. This building-block solution allows the structure to respond to unique site conditions and minimizes waste once the show has run its course.
Though Ban is always concerned with the afterlife of his structures, his design for the Japanese Pavilion at the Hanover Expo 2000 is a particular triumph. He knew its life there was short, so he developed a grid shell structure using his signature paper tubes, then arranged for the tubes to be returned to the manufacturer and made into pulp when the event finished. Likewise, the foundation was made of wooden boxes filled with sand and ready for re-use, rather than a more permanent and non-recyclable concrete.
Lest his innovations appear too effortless, Ban is quick to discuss the bureaucratic difficulties when seeking to prove the integrity of both his material and structural choices. Though it may require extra effort, the outcome can lead to substantial change in construction processes, which is crucial to the future of sustainable design. As Ban puts it: “Ultimately out of crisis comes architectural opportunity.”
Rachel Schauer is concentrating her studies on architecture and sociology at New York University Gallatin School. She also is e-OCULUS’ graphic designer.