Shigeru Ban
Shigeru Ban Architects 1984 Received Bachelor of Architecture
5-2-4 Matsubara, Setagaya-ku
Tokyo 156-0043
Phone +81-3-3324 6760
Fax +81-3-3324 6789
tokyo@ShigeruBanArchitects.com
www.shigerubanarchitects.com
Established 1985
Owner-Shigeru Ban
Partner-Nobutaka Hiraga
Paper House Paper Log Houses
Naked House Curtain Wall House
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from Cooper Union
1985 Established private practice in
Tokyo
1993-95 Adjunct Professor of Architectu-
re at Tama Art University
1995-00 Consultant of United Nati-
ons High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)
1995 Established NGO (VAN)
1995-99 Adjunct Professor of Architectu-
re at Yokohama National University
1996-00 Adjunct Professor of Architec-
ture at Nihon University
2000 Visiting Professor of Columbia
University
2000 Visiting Fellow of Donald Keen
Center, Columbia University
2001- Professor of Keio University
Picture Window House
Walls-less House
shigeru ban, malinova, peykova
Shigeru Ban, Paper House
two spaces of different size were defined
by 110 paper tubes(2.7 high,275 mm in
diameter and 148 mm thick) arranged in
an s-shape above a squere 10 meters to
a side. This was the first project in which
paper tubes were authorized for use as a
structural basis in a permanent building.
Ten paper tubes support the vertical
load and the eighty interior tubes bear
the lateral forces. The cruciform wooden
joints in the bases of the columns are an-
chored to the foundation by lug screws
and cantilevered from the floor. The lar-
ge circle formed by the interior tubes
forms a big area. A freestanding paper
tubes column with a 1.2m diameter in
the surrounding gallery contains a toilet.
View toward the outside
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The public today has an image of Shige-
ru Ban as the ’’paper architect’’. He beca-
me interested in paper tubes,that is the
tubes that areused in paper mills as cores
for rolled paper,around the time he retur-
ned to japan from the us. He first used
the material in the ‘’alvar alto exhibition ‘’
to create freestanding walls and celling.
Paper tubes have a texture different
from that of wood,and arranged in row
they suggest that ancient and beautiful
architectural feature,the colonade. Ban
used paper tubes as an architectural ma-
terial in exibition and event sites in 1989
and 1990. The use of the tubes in the
main structure of a building was still not
permitted by the building standard law.
Ban’s first paper-tube building af-
ter getting authorization was ‘’Pa-
per House’’ 1995, a villa for himself.
This vila is based on a certain geometry
The exterior paper tubes surrounding
the courtyard stand apart from the
structure and serve as a screen. The li-
ving area in the large circle is without
furnishing or detail other than an isola-
ted kitchen counter, sliding doors, and
movable closets. When the perimeter
sashes are opened, the roof, supported
by the colonnade of paper tubes, is visu-
ally emphasized and a spatial continui-
ty is created between the surrounding
gallery space and the outdoor terrace.
The sliding doors on the four sides of the
equare are detached from the structure,
and the relationship between exterior
and interior spaces can be freely alte-
red by opening or closing these doors.
First floor
Exterior view from the southwest The living area, surrounded by paper
shigeru ban, malinova, peykova
Shigeru Ban, Paper Log Houses
cked with adhesive is sandwiched bet-
ween the paper tubes of the walls.
The cost of materials for one 52 square
meter unit is below $2000. The unit
are easy to dismantle, and the ma-
terials easily disposed or recycled.
Turkey: Based on the shelter in Kobe, Ja-
pan, some improvements were applied to
fit in with the environment in Turkey. One
unit, for example, was 3 x 6m, a different
and slightly larger configuration, which
was due to the standard size of plywood
in Turkey and also to the country‘s larger
average family size. Secondly, there was
more insulation. Shredded wastepaper
was inserted inside the tubes along the
walls and fiberglass in the ceiling, and
also cardboard and plastic sheets were
used for more insulation, depending the
Turkey
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Paper architecture is based on the idea
of using a standardized element gene-
rated by a production process, namely
paper tubes. Transferring the technolo-
gy behind an everyday material to ano-
ther made possoble a change in thin-
king. The idea inevitably led to search
for a place that most requires such a
low-cost, simple material. In 1994 ban
conceived the idea of making prototy-
pes for refugee shelters out of paper.
Japan: These are temporary Paper Log
Houses built for the victims of the earth-
quakes in Kobe, Kaynasli and Bhuj. The
foundation consists of donated beer
crates loaded with sandbags. The walls
are made from 106mm diameter, 4mm
thick paper tubes, with tenting materi-
al for the roof.The 1.8m space between
houses was used as a common area. For
insulation, a waterproof sponge tape ba-
resident‘s needs.
India: What makes the India‘s log house
unique is the foundation and the roof.
Rubble from destroyed building was
used for the foundation instead of beer
crates, which could not be found in this
area. It was coated with a traditional mud
floor. For the roof, split bamboo was ap-
plied to the rib vaults and whole bamboo
to the ridge beams. A locally woven cane
mat was placed over the bamboo ribs,
followed by a clear plastic tarpaulin to
protect against rain, then another cane
mat. Ventilation was provided through
the gables, where small holes in the mats
allowed air to circulate. This ventilation
also allowed cooking to be done inside,
Japan
with the added benefit of repelling mos-
quitoes. For the roof, split bamboo was
India
applied to the rib vaults and whole bam-
boo to the ridge beams. A locally woven
cane mat was placed over the bamboo
ribs, followed by a clear plastic tarpau-
lin to protect against rain. Ventilation
was provided through the gables, whe-
re small holes in the mats allowed air to
circulate. This ventilation also allowed
cooking to be done inside, with the ad-
ded benefit of repelling mosquitoes.
shigeru ban, malinova, peykova
Shigeru Ban, Picture Window House
A gentle hill continues up from the ocean‘s
edge, and near its peak is the location of
the site; a place that, amazingly in Japan, is
uncluttered by any unsightly distractions.

Shigeru Ban - „The first time I set foot

on the site, my immediate response
was to frame the wonderful view of
the ocean stretching horizontally. That
is to say that the building itself should
become a picture window. Also, to pre-
vent the architecture from becoming an
obstacle disrupting the natural sense
of flow from the ocean, I‘ve thought of
maintaining that continuity by passing
it through the building up to the woods
at the top of the hill. Thus, the whole
upper storey became a truss spanning
20 meters, and below, a 20 meter by
2.5 meter picture window was created.“

Structure: The main structure consist of

two glass membranes anchored ba me-
tal wall panels at either end.when the
room‘s sliding glass doprs are opened are
pushed back, the interior transforms into
a conduit for light,air,and sound,all flo-
wing freely. The main room opens onto a
poarch,which is a rail-less platform and is
inspired by traditional engawa verandas.
a double -hight entry foyer with a ba-
throom and a two -story pottery studio
with a study flank the main space.doub- 1. living room
ling as a stuctural supports,the two end 2. kitchen
pieces carry the house‘s vertical load to th 3. studio
eground. They tie into the second floor‘s 4. entry
steel-and-concreat floor slab and truss- 5. bedroom
like web of columns,beams,anddiagona 6. storage
l braces-designed like a bridge to span 7. bathrooms
the lower level‘s unobstructed openings.

Technik: The building required va-

riouse of measures:screens ti keep
out insects;supplementing passive
measures,heated floors and an elec-
tric heat pump,a symphony of blinds
curtains,and a roof overhang to reduce
summer heat gain while letting still let-
ting in a warming wintwr rays. Alumi-
num blinds may be deployed above or
retructed left.

e-ch the european concept house shigeru ban, malinova, peykova

Shigeru Ban, Naked House
these rooms are not very large and hold
a minimum of belongings and fittings.
They can be moved accordingly to the
needs of their use. The basic construc-
tion of the house consists of slender tim-
ber frames that support the segmental
arched roof and the facade. The narrow
ends are glazed, affording views out to
the surrounding landscape. The plastic-
clad lond facades are closed and trans-
lucent, with only occasional ventilation
openings. Extruded white polyathylene
strands were chosen as the insulation
for the translucent skin of the building.
Normally used as packing materail for
transporting fruit, the strands were tre-
ated by hand with a fire-resisting sub-
stance by the architect‘s own assistants
and sealed in 500 plastic envelopes.
Flexible containers on rollers
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Reduced to the archetypal function of a
dwelling, Shigeru Ban‘s Naked House is a
pure enclosing skin. It is his tenth study
in building and materials, an architec-
tural experiment set in the countryside,
which site sits by a river, surrounded by
paddy fields, and in close proximity to
a number of dilapidated huts and iso-
lated greenhouses. Not unlike these
structures, the elongated volume of this
simple, functional building encloses a
single, two-storey-high space. Only the
bathroom is divided off. The kitchen,
utilities and storage areas are articulated
by curtains. Flexible containers on rollers
fulfit the function of individual spaces,
within which the occupants have their
sleeping quarters and zones for with-
drawal. The tops of these containers are
used as elevated working or play areas.
To reduce weight and optimize mobility,
These were divided into smaller cells to
prevent the filling down inside the en-
velopes. The cushion-like elements are
fixed to the timber structure with steel
clips. The external facade covering con-
sists of two layers of corrugated, glass-
fibre-reinforced plastic sheets, which
form the weather-resisting skin. Internaly,
the wall is sealed with a nylon membrane
that can be removed for cleaning when
required. A layer of plastic between the
insulation and the membrane prevents
the development of condensation in
the internal space and also protects
against the ingress of insects. Wholly
in the tradition of Japanese architectu- The containers can be moved accordin-
re, an even level of subdued daylight gly to the needs of use.
enters the internal space. This modern
enclosure is reminiscent of the typical
paper screens found in Japanese houses.
Internal side of the wall
Shigeru Ban:
„What the client wanted was descri-
bed as a house that „provides the least
privacy so that the family mambers are
not secluded from one another, a house
that gives everyone the freedom to have
individual activities in a shared atmos-
phere, in the middle of a unified family“...
This house is, indeed, a result of my vi-
sion of enjoyable and flexible living...“.
shigeru ban, malinova, peykova
Shigeru Ban, Curtain Wall House
The house is intended to be a reflection
of the owner‘s lifestyle. The client of this
house has long enjoyed an open and free
„downtown-culture“ lifestyle in this for-
merly Japanese-style house. The house
is intended to be opened up as much as
possible to the exterior so that the ow-
ner can maintain this kind of attitude in
contemporary life with the use of con-
temporary materials. Wide deck spaces
are attached on the east and south si-
des of the second-floor living room and
tent-like curtains are hung on the outer
facade spanning between the second
and third floors. Interior conditions such
as view, light, and wind are controlled by
opening and closing this Japanese-style
„curtain wall“. In winter, the exernal gla-
zed doors and the curtains can be com-
pletely closed for insulation and privacy.
This thin membrane takes the place of

shoji screens, fusuma doors, shutters,

and sudare screens in the traditional Ja-
panese house. The Curtain Wall House
consists of an elegantly spare two-floor
block of open living spaces sandwiched
between a large, overhanging triangu-
lar roof and deck that extend almost to
the curb line. Around the perimeter of
the triangle he hung billowing white
curtains that can be opened or closed to
regulate the degree of transparency bet-
ween interior and exterior.

„Mies van de Rohe invented the glass

curtain wall“, Ban explained,“but I just In winter, the curtains can completely Second-floor terrace on the southeast
used a curtain“. enclose the house. corner

Southwest exterior, seen when the

The exterior curtains are fluttering in the Interior view of LDK on the second floor
curtains are entirely opened.
wind, seen from the first floor.

e-ch the european concept house shigeru ban, malinova, peykova

Shigeru Ban, Walls-less House
The house is built on a sloping site, and
in order to minimize the excavation work
the rear half of the house is dug into the
ground, the excavated earth being used
as fill for the front half, creating a level
floor. The floor surface at the embed-
ded rear part of the house curls up to
meet the roof, naturally absorbing the
imposed load of the earth. The roof is
flat and is fixed rigidly to the upturned
slab freeing the 3 columns at the front
from any horizontal loads. As a result
of bearing only vertical loads these co-
lumns could be reduced to a minimum
55 mm in diameter. In order to express
the structural concept as purely as pos-
sible all the walls and mullions have
been purged leaving only sliding panels.
The house consists of a ‘universal floor’
on which the kitchen, bathroom and
toilet are all placed without enclosure.

Section, scale 1/150 Downward view from the northeast

The room can be sub-divided by the use View from the south. All the glazed doors View toward the southwest, seen from
of movable closet units with a height of on both sides can be slid into the wall. the dining area. The east, the west, and
2,10 mm. the south sides are entirely opened by
the use of movable glazed doors.

e-ch the european concept house shigeru ban, malinova, peykova