Back to Nature

You are coridally invited to attend the lecture event by Kengo Kuma:

Time & Date:
18:30 – 20:00, 27 August 2026

Location:
UTown Auditorium 2
Stephen Riady Centre
2 College Ave West
Singapore 138607
National University
of Singapore

BOA-SIA CPD Points: TBC

Registration is now closed, as the quota has been reached.

Back to Nature

Architecture, in Kengo Kuma’s philosophy, must bridge the gap between human life and the natural environment. His work prioritises harmony with surroundings through the use of natural materials such as wood and stone—choices that are both sustainable and capable of evoking warmth and intimacy. This approach seeks to reconnect people with nature while redefining the boundaries of urban space.

Across projects including the Japan National Stadium and V&A Dundee in Scotland, Kuma has consistently challenged modernist tendencies that emphasise industrial materials such as concrete. Instead, he advocates for lightness, transparency, and adaptability—principles rooted in Japanese traditions yet universally resonant. The National Stadium, for example, incorporates cedar wood sourced from across Japan, symbolising unity while demonstrating ecological innovation.

Central to his work is the notion of “openness and intimacy,” promoting architecture that engages with rather than dominates its environment. By combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary technology, his designs reflect a balance between cultural heritage and ecological responsibility.

In this lecture, Kuma shares insights from his practice, encouraging architects, designers, and students to reconsider their role in fostering a more symbiotic relationship between the built and natural environments.

Kengo Kuma (born 1954) is a Japanese architect and founder of Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA), established in 1990. He is University Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and a member of the Japan Art Academy. Working across more than 50 countries, Kuma seeks to create architecture that establishes new relationships between nature, technology and human beings.

His work is distinguished by its sensitive engagement with place, craftsmanship and materials—including timber, bamboo, stone, earth and paper—often reinterpreting Japanese building traditions through contemporary technologies. Rather than treating architecture as an autonomous object, Kuma explores lightness, porosity and the dissolution of boundaries between buildings and their surroundings.

Major works include the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, V&A Dundee, the Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center, the Suntory Museum of Art, the Odunpazarı Modern Museum and the transformation of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre. In 2026, his practice was selected to lead the design of the National Gallery’s new wing in London. Kuma is also an influential writer whose publications include Anti-Object: The Dissolution and Disintegration of Architecture.