Public lecture by Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban is an acclaimed Japanese architect whose innovative work with paper, particularly cardboard paper tubes, has earned him international respect. His so-called ‘DIY refugee shelters’ were used in Japan after the Kobe earthquake, as well as in Turkey, Rwanda and around the world. They have proven to be highly effective for low-cost disaster relief-housing.

Ban’s key early projects were a series of innovative houses, many employing unusual structural solutions such as the use of furniture as load-bearing structures. A strong sense of humanitarianism also informs Ban’s work, and he is particularly attracted to sustainable, ecological architecture and materials, such as paper, that produce very little waste. Ban was the first architect in Japan to construct a building primarily out of paper, a medium he is attracted to because it is low-cost, recyclable and can be replaced.

The lecture is open to the public, and entry is free.