Japanese architect and humanitarian Shigeru Ban has been named the 35th Laureate of the Praemium Imperiale Award for Architecture. Established in 1988 by the Japan Art Association, the annual award seeks to recognize exceptional achievements in Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theatre/Film. Shigeru Ban's contributions to architecture have been significant, not only for the distinctive design aesthetics but also for the innovative use of materials, particularly in the context of emergency interventions and humanitarian work.

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Japanese architect Shigeru Ban stands out in the architectural world for his commitment to socially responsible design, his eagerness to respond to disaster-related emergencies, and his creativity in adapting solutions to local conditions. He pioneered the use of materials such as paper and cardboard, employing them to create high-quality low-cost shelters and even community amenities such as churches, containers for creating a Nomadic Museum, and mass timber to push the possibilities of responsible design. The works of the Pritzker Prize laureate are now explored in the latest monography by Taschen, “Shigeru Ban. Complete Works 1985–Today” led by author Philip Jodidio. The multilingual edition features texts in English, French, and German, and will become available on June 14, 2024.

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The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies have announced the over 150 winners of the International Architecture Awards. This event takes place every year to recognize the most significant and inspirational buildings and urban planning projects around the world. Founded in 2005 by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre, the awards aim to set a global standard for architectural achievement worldwide.

This year’s winning projects focus on inclusive design, sustainable solutions, and finding a sensible response to the surroundings and local cultures. Restorations, renovations, and adaptive reuse solutions are also well represented among this year’s winners. projects range from significant cultural destinations such as Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Centre China to new city infrastructure such as the Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus; a UNESCO cultural building in Greenland to a Modularized COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention Hospital in Shanghai.

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Designers have created civic institutions, governmental centers, public plazas, and many other spaces as testaments to individual and shared values. As spaces for gathering and exchange are necessary elements to urban life, architecture can also act as a vehicle to encourage understanding. Advocating knowledge while empowering the public, libraries celebrate ideas, curiosity and empathy.

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2014 Pritzker Laureate Shigeru Ban may be as well known for his innovative use of materials as for his compassionate approach to design. For a little over three decades, Ban, the founder of the Voluntary Architects Network, has applied his extensive knowledge of recyclable materials, particularly paper and cardboard, to constructing high-quality, low-cost shelters for victims of disaster across the world —from Rwanda to Haiti, to Turkey, Japan, and more. We've rounded up 10 projects of his humanitarian work, explained by Shigeru Ban Architects themselves.

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Shigeru Ban (born August 5th 1957) is a Japanese architect who won the 2014 Pritzker Prize for his significant contributions in architectural innovation and philanthropy. His ability to re-apply conventional knowledge in differing contexts has resulted in a breadth of work that is characterized by structural sophistication and unconventional techniques and materials. Ban has used these innovations not only to create beautiful architecture but as a tool to help those in need, by creating fast, economical, and sustainable housing solutions for the homeless and the displaced. As the Pritzker jury cites: “Shigeru Ban is a tireless architect whose work exudes optimism.”

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TripAdvisor announced the World’s Top Destinations “on the rise” according to the 2018 Travelers’ Choice awards. According to TripAdvisor, the winning cities are based on millions of comments posted on the site each year. They also look for cities with an increase in search traffic and user interest to make reservations.

This years list includes ten cities. Keep reading to find out which ten cities were chosen by TripAdvisor world travelers:

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To celebrate the first anniversary of our US Materials Catalog, this week ArchDaily is presenting a three-part series on "Material Masters," showing how certain materials have helped to inspire some of the world's greatest architects.

Shigeru Ban’s portfolio is a strange dichotomy, split between shelters for natural disaster refugees and museums commissioned by wealthy patrons of the arts. Even stranger is the fact that, in both cases, Ban’s material palette frequently incorporates recycled cardboard, paper, and old beer crates. The Pritzker prize laureate is unique in this regard, and so great is his predilection for recycled paper tubes (originally formwork for concrete columns), that he has become known as the “Paper Architect.” His work receives media attention worldwide for the unorthodoxy of its construction materials. Yet Shigeru Ban is not concerned with unorthodoxy, but with economy. It is for this reason that, when paper tubes are deemed unsuitable, Shigeru Ban constructs his buildings in wood. Inspired by the architectural tradition of his native Japan, Ban is not only the "Paper Architect," but also one of the most famous architects working in wood today.

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