Photographer: kengo kuma & associates | ArchDaily

Mobility Justice: Urban Equity in an Era of Innovation

Olivia Poston — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Every city contains two transportation systems. One is the visible network of roads, rail lines, sidewalks, and bus routes mapped in planning documents. The other is the invisible geography of privilege and exclusion embedded within it: the neighborhoods that received highways instead of parks, the communities whose bus routes were cut, the sidewalks that abruptly end at the edge of a district. For many years, built-environment professionals have treated infrastructure as a technical challenge. Mobility justice insists it is, fundamentally, a political one.

8 Renowned Architects Design Birdhouses to Explore the Relationship between Architecture and Nature

Dima Stouhi — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 06:30:00 +0000

Muz Yer, a permanent public exhibition in Rennes, France, has invited 8 internationally-renowned architects to design birdhouses that highlight the relationship between contemporary architecture and nature. Each birdhouse serves as a response to one or more of the 13 bird species designated by the Birds Protection Committee (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux - LPO), and raises awareness of the architectural heritage of Rennes and its urban ecology. The list of exhibitors includes Julien De Smedt Architects, ADEPT, a/LTA, Duncan Lewis, Marion Normand, Kengo Kuma & Associates, Tham & Videgard, and Dominique Perrault Architects & Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost Design.

Amanpuri Retail Pavilion / Kengo Kuma & Associates

María Francisca González — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 06:00:00 +0000

It is fitting that Aman’s new retail concept should begin its journey at Amanpuri – the very first Aman property to open its doors on Phuket’s Andaman coastline 32 years ago. At the striking new Retail Pavilion, designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, guests can browse and purchase an impeccably curated selection of items, exclusive to Aman, through unique collaborations with renowned local and international artists and designers.

15 Incredible Architectural Works in the Mountains

María Francisca González — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 07:35:00 +0000

The mountains—one of the contexts that almost every architect would like to build in at least once. And yet even though it's an attractive setting, the associated challenges, including, but not limited to the sheer remoteness of mountain regions and their distance from basic services, make building in the mountains particularly demanding.

We've compiled a selection of 15 incredible works of architecture that maximize the breathtaking surroundings found in mountainous areas, featuring photographs from Felipe Camus, Janez Martincic, and Anze Cokl.

Japan House São Paulo / Kengo Kuma & Associates + FGMF

Martita Vial della Maggiora — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 05:00:00 +0000

The Japan House Sao Paulo opened as the first case of the “Japan House Project,” led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that aims to promote various aspects of Japanese culture in the world.

Mont-Blanc Base Camp / Kengo Kuma & Associates

Diego Hernández — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 03:00:00 +0000

Les Houches is a small village situated in the French Alpes, close to one of its most important peaks, the Mont-Blanc. The aim was to integrate as naturally as possible the project into the extraordinary mountainous landscape.

Kengo Kuma Wins Competition to Design Metro Station in Paris

Karissa Rosenfield — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 15:30:06 +0000

Kengo Kuma and Associates has won an international competition to design the new Saint-Denis Pleyel train station in France. Like Enric Miralles Benedetta Tagliabue and Elizabeth de Portzamparc, Kengo Kuma will design one of four stations that will be built as part of the ambitious Grand Paris Express (GPE) project which seeks to modernize the existing transport network and create an automatic metro that will connect new neighborhoods to Paris.

Kengo Kuma Unveils "Green Hospital" for Tokyo

Karissa Rosenfield — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000

Traditionally, hospital environments are internalized, cut off from the natural world, and structured around efficiency, despite its affect on patient health. Moving beyond this, Kengo Kuma & Associates have unveiled plans to replaced an aging medical center in Setagaya, Tokyo, with a “modest,” “actively open” hospital centered around a landscaped courtyard garden.

Kengo Kuma's V&A Dundee Budget "Blown By 70%"

James Taylor-Foster — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

When Kengo Kuma's concept for the new Victoria and Albert Museum of Design (V&A) in Dundee, Scotland, was unanimously chosen as the winning design in late 2012, the jurors had stated that the proposal has been "subject to exhaustive scrutiny, including having external assessors do a detailed examination of projected costs." They stated that they "did not have to exclude any of the submissions on grounds of affordability." It is now reported, a little over two years later, that the original £45million budget has now exceeded £80million in spite of the fact that the building has already been 'redesigned' once in order to try to reign in soaring costs.

Further Delays Predicted for Kengo Kuma's V&A Dundee as Costs Rise

Patricia Arcilla — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The latest obstacle in a tumultuous project history, figures released by Dundee City Council predict that Kengo Kuma and Associates' V&A museum in Dundee will cost an extra £31 million. Since unanimous selection by a competition jury in 2010, the project has been plagued by budget concerns, prompting a relocation from the original waterfront on the River Tay to a site further inland in 2012. Described by the V&A as "much more than just a building," Kuma's V&A Dundee is now slated to welcome the public in 2018, three years later than originally planned. Learn more about the delays after the break.

Five Cities Elevated by UNESCO “City of Design” Status

Karissa Rosenfield — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Dundee, Bilbao, Curitiba, Helsinki and Turin are often considered the cultural epicenters of their respected countries. Therefore it is no surprise that these five metropolises are the latest to achieve UNESCO’s City of Design status. Joining a list of 12 other cities, the newest City of Design selections are being recognized for the international influence on design. By awarding them “City of Design” status, UNESCO hopes to help further the development of creative industries and encourage cross-city cultural exchange in each selected metropolis.

Kengo Kuma Presents Shortlisted Design for ArtA "Civic Center" in Arnhem

Karissa Rosenfield — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:19:00 +0000

Kengo Kuma, one of four renowned architects competing to design the highly anticipated ArtA cultural center in Arnhem, has shared details about their shortlisted proposal. Enveloped in an “elegant filigree screen” of contextually prevalent red clay roof tiles, the “multileveled Arts Square” is designed to serve as “the living room of the city.” Its main programs, the Focus Film Theatre and Museum Arnhem, are united by a series of green terraces whose main purpose is to reconnect the inner city to its “unexploited resource,” the Rhine River.

BIG, Kengo Kuma Among Four Visions Unveiled for ARTA Cultural Center in Arnhem

Karissa Rosenfield — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 14:55:00 +0000

Four international teams have unveiled their shortlisted proposals in the final leg of a highly anticipated competition to design a new “cultural hotspot” on the edge of the Rhine. ArtA, the “catchy” new name of what was previously known as “The Arts Cluster,” is part of a larger redevelopment project for the City of Arnhem which aims to reconnect the southern district of Rijnboog with its waterfront and establish a new home for the Focus Film Theatre and Museum Arnhem.

Kengo Kuma Designs Cultural Centre in Iiyama

James Taylor-Foster — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 01:00:00 +0000

Kengu Kuma & Associates has unveiled designs for a small cultural complex comprising of two halls and a community centre located in Iiyama, Japan. According to the architects, "publicly funded cultural centers tend to be alienated from the rest of the town for their typically large volumes." As a result, they designed "the complex to be as open as possible toward the town and the landscape of Iiyama, so that all would exist in harmony."

Kengo Kuma's V&A at Dundee Granted Planning Permission

Karissa Rosenfield — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

After a slight redesign scaled the building’s stone facade back from the waters edge to reduce construction costs, Kengo Kuma & Associates has been granted planning permission from the city council’s development management committee to construct the V&A at Dundee. The “world-class,” competition-winning proposal will be the first V&A museum constructed outside of London, serving as an international center of design for all of Scotland.

Green Cast / Kengo Kuma & Associates

Karissa Rosenfield — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Kengo Kuma & Associates have created this visually stunning mixed-use building in Odawara, Japan, featuring a living façade made of aluminum die-cast panels that act as vertical planters. The slightly slanted panels are made of monoblock casting and give an organic appearance, as the cast comes from decayed styrene foam.