Balancing Architectural Works and Social Contributions
Shigeru Ban - Architect
This talk is being presented by the Yale School of Architecture and co-sponsored by the Yale MacMillan Center Program on Refugees and the Yale MacMillan Center Council on East Asian Studies.
Shigeru Ban is an architect, educator, and humanitarian with a global perspective. He believes in the capacity of architecture to raise the quality of life for all people, whether through arts and civic engagement, or emergency shelters in the wake of disasters. The lecture will begin by tracing the evolution of Ban’s public and residential works, exploring structural and material innovations ranging from paper tube constructions to contemporary mass timber buildings. Next, Ban will address the need for and nature of temporary structures to support people displaced by natural disasters and refugee crises. Currently, Ban is working to provide housing for Ukrainian refugees and survivors of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Born in Tokyo in 1957. Graduated from the Cooper Union’s School of Architecture in New York City. Started working for Arata Isozaki & Associates in 1982. Founded Shigeru Ban Architects in 1985. Became consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1995. Established the NGO, Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN) in the same year to support disaster relief. Selected works include Centre Pompidou - Metz, Õita Prefectural Art Museum, Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Picture Window House in Shizuoka, Musical Complex of La Seine Musicale, and Swatch Omega Headquarters. Recipient of multiple awards, including Grande Médaille d’or de l’Académie d’Architecture, France (2004), Prize of Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) for Design (2009), le grade d’Officier for L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2010), Auguste Perret Prize (2011), Art Prize from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (2012), le grade de Commandeur for L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2014), Pritzker Architecture Prize (2014), Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, Japan (2017), Mother Teresa Social Justice Award (2017) and Princess of Asturias Award for Concord (2022). An ambassador among “distinguished thinkers and practitioners” for the New European Bauhaus high-level roundtable (2021). Currently Professor at Keio University in Minato, Tokyo at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies and the Graduate School of Media and Governance.