In memoriam

Posted by Alfredo J. Martiz J. (Panama City, Panama) on 13 October 2007 in Architecture and Portfolio.

Architect Kisho Kurokawa Dies

Internationally known architect Kisho Kurokawa, died Friday of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital at the age of 73.

Born in Kanie, Aichi, Kurokawa studied at Kyoto University, graduating with a bachelor's degree from the Department of Architecture in 1957. He continued his studies at the University of Tokyo's School of Architecture under the guidance of Tange Kenzo, achieving a master's degree in 1959 and a doctoral degree in 1964.

Together with some colleagues, he co-founded the Metabolist Movement in 1960; its members were known as Metabolists. It was a radical Japanese avant-garde movement pursuing the merging and recycling of architecture styles around an Asian philosophy. The movement was very successful, peaking when its members received praise for the Takara Cotillion Beautillion at the Osaka World Expo 1970. The group broke up shortly thereafter.

Looking at his architecture, at metabolism, tradition may not seem to be present, but underneath the hard skin of the surface, his work is Japanese. It is difficult to claim that the modern technologies and material used has inherited from Japanese tradition, and that the traditional forms of Japanese architecture can be recognized in his modern concrete or steel towers. However, Kurokawa’s architecture evolves from Japanese tradition and one can sense the Japanese aesthetic behind his work. Kurokawa’s work focused on keeping the invisible concepts Japanese traditions, especially materiality, impermanence, receptivity and detail. These 4 points were specifically discussed by Kurokawa in his explanation for a new wave of Japanese Architecture.

Many of Kurokawa's buildings explore the notion of engawa, the "in between space" where public realm and private space co-exist in harmony. His recent architecture has achieved considerable international acclaim and has secured a series of prestigious commissions.

Kurokawa's best-known architectural works include the Nakagin Capsule Tower, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the New Wing of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the National Art Center in Tokyo.

Kurokawa won various international awards, including the Gold Medal from the Academy of Architecture of France and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum International Architecture Award.
Source: Kisho Kurokawa, The Japan Times, Wikipedia, Metabolist Movement, Great Architects

National Art Center. March 30th, 2007

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