SFI8 KEYNOTE

Shigeru Ban

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is internationally acclaimed for his humanitarian efforts and his innovative use of building materials. First in the world to construct a building out of recycled paper, Ban built the “Community Dome,” a meeting place for victims of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. His “Paper Log Houses” provided temporary shelter for the earthquake victims. The houses were later reused for earthquake victims in Turkey and India. This work has led Ban to create housing for Rwandan refugees in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 1995, Ban joined the U.N. commission as a consultant and established the Voluntary Architects’ Network to address housing shortages and substandard living conditions around the world. His material research into the structural capacity of organic materials, such as paper tubes, bamboo and wood, Ban has created a new vocabulary for contemporary architecture based in environmental and social concerns.