Kengo Kuma

Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1954. His interest in architecture began at age ten after visiting Kenzo Tange's Yoyogi National Gymnasium during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, graduating in 1979, and later continued his research at Columbia University in New York. After working with Nihon Sekkei and Toda Corporation, he established Spatial Design Studio in 1987 and founded Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990.

Kuma developed an architectural language that challenges the monumentality of concrete and steel through natural materials, layered surfaces, and structures that feel integrated with their surroundings. His international projects include the V&A Dundee, the Nezu Museum, the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, the Japan National Stadium, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. His practice also extends to furniture, lighting, interiors, and product design, bringing the same attention to craftsmanship, texture, and human scale to each discipline. Kuma is a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary architecture.