Shigeru Ban on his new concert hall in Switzerland which takes the
form of a piggy bank, paper tube architecture, and why designers ought to stop talking about sustainability and start decreasing waste. (Credit: Hiroyuki Hirai)Can you inform us about your auditorium job in Altdorf, Switzerland?It is one of the most fascinating tasks. A pianist, Andreas Haefliger, asked me to develop a small concert hall with 250 seats inside an existing historic structure. The building used to be a storage space
for arms, so it has an extremely stiff, rectangle-shaped kind. Yet the new wood shell within the existing building appears like a piggy bank!Yes it does! The difficulty was how to place a new efficiency space within that existing envelope. I needed a volume that was big enough to achieve good acoustics, but also independent from the external shell. At the very same time, I had to produce space in between the new hall and the existing structure for supporting functions like dressing rooms and circulation.
That is why the type ended up being completely different from the original building. It might look uncommon– some people say it appears like a piggy bank– but the shape is not arbitrary. It comes from acoustic requirements and the need to fix the relationship between the brand-new structure and the old one.
I typically think about architecture in terms of structure and efficiency instead of appearance. In this case, the geometry is driven by how sound acts, how the hall needs to confine the audience, and how it fits within the restrictions of the existing building. So although the type is expressive, it is the outcome of extremely useful conditions.
Interior render of the
Altdorf Konzertsaal.(Credit Shigeru Ban Architects)What phase is that task at?At the moment, we have finished the principle style and are moving towards the next phase. The structural system and material method are still being developed, so information like whether it will utilize CLT or another timber system have not yet been finalised.
What’s next for the auditorium project?As quickly as the style is authorized, we will move into advancement very soon.
Interior render of the Altdorf Konzertsaal. (Credit Shigeru Restriction Architects)
How do you approach encouraging clients to try new materials?When I studied the history of architecture in school, every period had great talent, however they were often influenced by the fashionable style of the time. There are just a few designers who are not affected by fashion and instead develop their own style, like Frei Otto, Buckminster Fuller, or Gaudí. They design structures, develop building approaches and materials. That is why they can produce their own style. I don’t want to be affected by stylish styles. Since the beginning of my career, I wanted to develop my own structural system. When I saw strong paper tubes, I believed they could be good structurally since they are inexpensive and industrially accurate. It wasn’t due to the fact that of eco-friendly movements. I began establishing my own structural system to create my own architectural language. In reality, I first used paper tubes in 1986 for an exhibit on Alvar Aalto. Because of budget plan restraints I could not utilize wood, so I used recycled paper from my studio. That experience altered whatever. Example of a Paper Log House in India from 2001, created as temporary real estate in reaction to the Gujarat earthquake. Rubble from destroyed buildings was used for the structure, topped with a traditional mud flooring. For the roof, split bamboo was utilized for the rib vaults and whole bamboo for the ridge beams, covered by two mats of woven bamboo sandwiching a plastic tarp.(Credit: Kartikeya Shodhan)You do a great deal of testing and research study, but how does that work as an organization model?Whenever I have new ideas, I have to check them to get unique permission, and that is normally not
paid for by the design charge. As part of my research, I have to do it anyway. Some structural engineers are extremely kind and support me without being paid. It ends up being a cooperation in between the engineer and myself. Trainees also support us, assisting with testing as part of their studies. I have always worked closely with structural engineers. I teamed up with Frei Otto, for instance, on the Hannover Exposition, where we used
a wood box filled with sand instead of concrete for the
foundation. These kinds of partnerships train and educate you Are there provides the profession ought to be resolving more seriously?Greenwashing is a big issue now. It is incredibly popular because, commercially, individuals wish to show something is sustainable without actually comprehending what sustainability indicates. If natural
products are used, individuals immediately say it is sustainable, but that is not
constantly real. Sustainability has become a business word. I never state my buildings are sustainable. I just try to lower waste as much as possible. You talk about reducing waste. Do you assess buildings after
completion?I don’t know how to determine it specifically, however I always consider the life process of a structure. When I design a commercial building, I think of how it can be easily dismantled, and what products can be recycled or recycled.
It is the designer’s obligation to think about the life-span and life process of a building. People are eliminated by structures. That is our duty as designers. We should improve living conditions before we start restoring cities. Are customers interested in life-cycle thinking?Not yet. Often these methods are more pricey. But I think soon they will be
, particularly as guidelines change. Your work spans both prominent cultural buildings and catastrophe
relief. How did that begin?In 1995, after the Rwanda genocide, I went to the UN headquarters in Geneva without a consultation. There I fulfilled a German architect who helped me
start working on refugee shelters. There was severe logging, so utilizing lumber was not proper. That is why I established paper tube structures for tents. At the very same time, I was working
in Kobe after the earthquake. Every Sunday I travelled there to meet displaced Vietnamese communities living
in extremely poor conditions. We developed temporary homes utilizing paper tubes, with structures made from beer cages filled with sandbags to resist wind. Eventually, a Vietnamese priest trusted me to design a paper tube church. That was an essential moment. How do those experiences influence your architecture more broadly?Privacy is the most fundamental human right. Even in short-lived shelters, individuals require self-respect. This thinking performs all my work, whether it is catastrophe relief or long-term buildings.
Internal render of the proposed CLT healthcare facility in Lviv.( Credit: Shigeru Restriction Architects)What other jobs are you working on?I am working on a health center in Ukraine, and also a brand-new wing for the National Museum in Oman. It is my very first project at that scale in the Middle East, so I am very excited. I am likewise trying to use mud for the very first time, studying existing local 
innovations and materials to use them in a contemporary way. Just recently, I have been very busy
due to the fact that there have actually been lots of earthquakes around the globe. Looking back, what did success mean to you at the start of your career?From the start, I wanted to establish my own structural system. For instance, when no one asked me to develop
with paper tubes, I designed my own home using them. I have actually constantly worked together with very good structural engineers. That has trained and educated me.
Even now, for wood structures, I work with professionals like Hermann Blumer. These cooperations are very important. Shigeru Restriction’s own Paper House. (Credit: Hiroyuki Hirai)How do you build those kinds
of collaborations?Don’t force it. Young students and architects are naturally thinking about environmental and social problems, so collaborations establish naturally from shared interests.
What suggestions would you offer to young designers
