Presenting the latest in Japanese building, this book reveals how this unique creativity is a fruit of Japan”s very particular situation that includes high population density, a modern, efficient economy, a long history, and the continual presence of disasters in the form of earthquakes. Accepting ambiguity, as seen in the evanescent reflections of Sejima”s Kanazawa Museum, or constant change and the threat of catastrophe is a key to understanding what makes Japanese architecture different from that of Europe or America.
This XL-sized book highlights 39 architects and 55 exceptional projects by Japanese masters-from Tadao Ando”s Shanghai Poly Theater, Shigeru Ban”s concert hall La Seine Musical, SANAA”S Grace Farms, Fumihiko Maki”s 4 World Trade Center, to Takashi Suo”s much smaller sustainable dental clinic. Each project is introduced with photos, original floor plans and technical drawings, as well as insightful descriptions and brief biographies. An elaborate essay traces the country”s building scene from the Metabolists to today and shows how the interaction of past, present, and future has earned contemporary Japanese architecture worldwide recognition