"The work as a team is always the basis of creation," says Japanese architect Kengo Kuma
More than 400 people attended the lecture given by the architect at School of Architecture of the University.
PHOTO: Manuel Castells
"The team is always the basis of creation," said Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in an interview prior to the lecture he gave at the University of Navarra. The event, which took place at the classroom Magna of the University of Navarra, was attended by more than 400 people. School of ArchitectureThe event, which took place at the University of Navarra, was attended by more than 400 people.
The architect is the author of The Great Bamboo Wall (China), the building for the Fond Regional D'art Contemporain (France) and the Nagaoka City Hall (Japan), among other works, and his architectural personality is built around"particulate nature", which creates a sense of spatial immateriality.
"Organic architecture is a relationship between the exterior and interior, like the human body, where form is a secondary matter," explained Kengo Kuma, who insisted on the importance of designing a surface capable of "controlling" the interior and exterior.
To this end, the international architect looks for the "best solution" in each project :"The detail is not independent, it is always closely linked to the material". So the place, time and cultural history condition the subject of material he works with and the design of the building. "Architecture, which is a conversation between material and composition, must always look for something new," Kengo Kuma stressed.
In this sense, he assured that the skill to communicate and creativity is "very important" and are values that he needs in his team, because"architecture does not come from a single brain, but from the team; because in this way we can stimulate each other and this stimulation can create something fascinating".
The architect acknowledged the immense work of his team: "We are always talking, we make sketches and model as a team. The team is always the basis of creation". A method that he wanted to transmit to the students of the School of Architecture, whom he encouraged to "think with their hands and not with their brains", as these are "the most important tools for the architectural design ".
Likewise, Kengo Kuma, who in New York shaped his look at his own oriental tradition, highlighted the benefits of traveling. He recalled his visit to Africa and the Sahara Desert, whose experience "changed him completely" and "strongly" suggested to students to "travel a lot and to different places."
Kengo Kuma's visit is the closing event of the School's 50th anniversary. An event sponsored by FYM- Italcementi, the National Brotherhood of Architects (hna), Bodegas Otazu, project Luz, and partnership of the high school Official Basque-Navarre Architects Association (COAVN).