Kazuo Shinohara

Kazuo Shinohara (1925 – 2006) is one of the most influential architects of our time. He started his career focusing on house building, and the houses he worked on in the 1960s and 70s, such as House in Kugayama (1954) and House in White (1966), were made based on his investigation of the traditional Japanese in architectural space. After the 1980s, Shinohara also designed public buildings including the Ukiyo-e Museum (1982) and Centennial Hall, Tokyo Institute of Technology (1987), and explored a new concept in those architectural formations. Besides, his theories – thoughts on the city over forty years, such as “the beauty of chaos”, “house is art” – created a sensation with traditionalist’s conservatives. Thus, in both practice and theory, Shinohara provided a springboard for the field. The impact of his work is still clearly traced in the following generation of both Japanese and international architects and artists, even after his death. At the 12th Venice Architectural Biennale this year, The Golden Lion in memoriam was awarded to Shinohara for his broad influence and achievement.

1999/2001/2004/2006/2010

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