Balancing Architectural Works And Social Contributions

Born in Tokyo in 1957. After studying at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 1978 1980, Ban graduated from the Cooper Union with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1984. In 1982–1983, he worked at Arata Isozaki Atelier. In 1985, he established Shigeru Ban Architects and set up an office in Tokyo, Paris, and New York. In 1995, he began serving as a consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In the same year, he founded a nonprofit organization named Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN) to engage in disaster relief efforts worldwide.

In 2010, he served as Visiting Professor at Harvard University Graduate School of Design as well as at Cornell University. In 2001–2008 and 2015–2023, he served as Professor at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University.

His major works include Paper Church – Kobe, Japan Pavilion Expo 2000 Hannover, Centre Pompidou Metz, Cardboard Cathedral, Oita Prefectural Art Museum, Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre Shizuoka, La Seine Musicale, Swatch Omega, Zenbo Seinei, SIMOSE, and Toyota City Museum.