The New Sensualist: Architect Kengo Kuma

Great (Bamboo) Wall House project - just outside of Beijing

Traditional Japanese architecture is known for its precision, connection with nature, and delicate use of materials (primarily natural wood). The influence of this long architectural tradition is strongly perceptible in the work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Similar to other New Sensualist architects, Kuma's work adheres to a rigorous minimalist aesthetic with atmospheric results.

Back in 2006 I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Kuma at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). One point he mentioned that stuck with me is the great amount of time and attention he devotes to a given design project. Having worked in the profession myself for a few years, I have noticed that there is a definite correlation between time spent designing and thinking about the details of a project and the quality of the final product.

Unfortunately, devoting an abundant amount of billable hours to designing the intricacies of a project does not pencil out from a business perspective for most practicing architects (nor will clients see the value in paying for such time). As such, reaching the level of refinement that Kuma does with his buildings is no easy task.

At the time of the LACMA lecture, most of the projects he presented were of a smaller scale: home and pavilion designs. And to be sure, the kind of command over detail that Kuma expressed as part of his design philosophy is more easily achieved in smaller projects as opposed to huge mega-developments. So it was much to my surprise when I learned that it was none other than Kuma himself who was the architect behind one of Beijing's most new and popular upscale shopping areas, the Sanlitun Village.

Sanlitun Village shopping center - Beijing

Sanlitun Village is a deviation from Kuma's earlier portfolio of work in terms of scale yet it retains the sense of material sophistication present in his other work. In this case, Kuma is playing subtlety with glass forms. And rather than using colored glass as it appears in the above image, Kuma has specified colored window shades to give the effect of a dynamic colored facade pattern. This is smart planning in that in the future the shades could be replaced to give another reading of the facades.

The Opposite House Hotel - Beijing

If Sanlitun Village was not enough, Kuma also designed the adjacent boutique hotel dubbed The Opposite House. Like the Village, The Opposite House employs glass panels with colored shades to give the facade its appearance. Once inside the lobby, the wood floors and minimal interiors hearken back to his earlier works.

Rising on the other side of Workers' Stadium North Road from Sanlitun Village and The Opposite House is yet another Kengo Kuma-designed mega-project: Sanlitun SOHO. Scheduled to open this year, Sanlitun SOHO is conceived as a 'compact city' or a 'city within a city'. Due to its large scale and diverse mix of uses (office, residential, retail, park space), Sanlitun SOHO is bound to become a Beijing landmark. The organic forms of the towers and playful facades give the architecture a soft touch in spite of its grand size.

Sanlitun SOHO under construction

It is highly encouraging that an architect such as Kuma, who is reputed for thoughtful and detailed design, is being awarded contracts that will leave a significant mark on the urban fabric for years to come. The success of Sanlitun Village as a popular urban space (albeit a private and controlled space) is a testament to the power of architecture to incite attraction. Large-scale urban development is often criticized for being insensitive and cataclysmic but as Kuma's Sanlitun projects demonstrate it does not always have to be.