Yesterday I went to a public lecture by Shigeru Ban. He is the architect behind the “Cardboard Cathedral” being built in Christchurch at the moment.
He talked about all of his residential, commercial, and “temporary” work (many of which ended up being permanent). It was amazing to see the humanitarian work he had done and to hear about his ideas and ethics in regards to architecture.
Shigeru Ban talked about how historically and even now, grand monuments and works of architecture have been/are a way for privileged people to visually manifest their wealth. He talked about how he wanted to change this, and create better shelter and spaces for people in need, such as refugees and victims of natural or manmade disasters.
His paper tube structures and buildings are so so awesome. And I really liked his use of shutters on commercial and residential buildings.
This is a link to his paper tube works: http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/SBA_WORKS/SBA_PAPER/SBA_Paper_index.htm
