Established Japanese architect, Prof. Kengo Kuma was in Singapore as part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series organised by the National University of Singapore in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Architecture. Scheduled to speak about the subject of “Anti-Object”, Kuma’s lecture was filled to the brim with students and architects alike.

Prof. Kengo Kuma spoke to FIVEFOOTWAY.com before the lecture and chats about the state of Architecture today.

From Contrast to Blending in

“Architecture in the 20th Century was very much about creating contrast between the building and its context but in the 21st Century, buildings should blend in with its environment.” Those were the words of Prof. Kuma as he speaks about what his architecture is attempting to do. True to those words, the works of Prof. Kuma has never been about making a loud architectural statement but rather, a quiet calming presence that seems to live with harmony with its surroundings.

In his opinion, architecture must not be an object, but merely a device for the framing of life and the environment. Prof. Kuma takes great care in ensuring that his buildings achieve this and it is best manifested in his meticulous attention to details. “The typical size of the materials that are used matter”, says Kengo Kuma. “If it is too big, it will destroy the harmony with the environment. If it’s too small, it will disappear instead of blending into the environment”.

Search for the Local

When asked, Prof. Kuma also expressed his concern that cities are “becoming too similar” and if this is the eventual effect of globalization on cities around the world then he feels that it is “a tragedy”. Prof. Kuma proposes that because of this, it is even more important for architects to learn how to search for the distinguishing local element in every site.

While this might perhaps be easier in less developed areas it is not entirely impossible for dense urban areas. Prof. Kuma feels that the idea of the local can still exist even in cities such as Tokyo or Singapore. “One needs to observe the city carefully, break down the city into smaller districts and look for the local elements”.

Prof. Kuma believes that going local is not a romantic concept but rather one that makes economic and design sense.  “The material that can be obtained from the site is perhaps the material that is best acclimatized to the local climate. Also, when these materials come from local sources, it reduces the transportation costs incurred.”, he adds.

Feeling Singapore

When asked what he ‘felt’ about in Singapore, Prof. Kuma responded that he was most impressed by the co-existence of the dense urban developments and lush greenery.

He also added that such dense development have significant advantages when it comes to creating a sustainable environment. This, he proposes, is the way forward for cities as we realize the folly of sprawling suburbanisation

And to the quality of these dense buildings that we have in Singapore today, he said that while they are efficient, there is nothing special about them, a point that would perhaps be applicable to a large majority of the buildings standing today. Perhaps one day, if Prof Kuma were to get a commission to build in Singapore, he could realise his dream of “building a new kind of high-rise”.  To extrapolate from his Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey headquarters where he utilised wooden mullions for a building in metropolitan Tokyo, it would definitely be interesting to see how Prof. Kuma would deal with the Singapore context.

After the short interview, Prof. Kengo Kuma proceeded in delivering his lecture to the eager crowd. His pulling power was there for all to see as architects took time off their busy schedule to return to the University for the lecture. Enthusiastic students crowded round the aisles and steps of the theater and those who couldn’t fit into the room had to be content with a space in the next room where the lecture was telecasted live.

During the lecture proper, Prof. Kengo Kuma presented his range of projects to demonstrate his design principles manifested in practice. With his witty remarks, Prof. Kuma shared with the audience his thought processes and ideas that were embedded within his designs. In particular, his detail of including sprinkler heads within the wooden facade of the LV building in Tokyo to work around the city regulations were greeted with amusement and a nod in agreement to this man’s brilliance.

Prof. Erwin Viray perhaps summed it up the best in his closing remarks, citing Kengo Kuma as an example of an architect who has the uncanny ability to use architecture to evoke a romantic atmosphere without being overly nostalgic and he does this with a solid grounding in an understanding of tradition, materiality and technology.

Features >> Q&A

A conversation with Kengo Kuma