Shigeru Ban – designing outside the square
Amazing.
What do a Rwandan refugee camp and a world fair in Germany have in common. Radical architect Shigeru Ban is what. Both the tent and the massive pavilion are supported by his key design innovation — not reinforced steel or carbon-fibre but humble cardboard paper tubes! Winner of both Best Young Architect of the Year (1997) from The Japan Institute of Architects through to the Grande Medaille d’Or from the Academie d’ Architecture last year. This design virtuoso has taken cubby house creation to its logical conclusion. He has designed both temporary and permanent structures using his cardboard tubes. From the grand halls of busy cities to lowly rural refugee accommodation, he has amply demonstrated that new thought and working with simple materials can create buildings, that satisfy both need and want.
