KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

The protective gallery of the polychrome sculpted portal of Saint-Maurice Cathedral (Angers, France).   The final prototypes have been approved to begin the prefabrication of the 660 pieces that will form the future gallery. Each concrete element, made of white cement, sand, and aggregates from the Loire basin, will be cast and polished. The pieces will be partially assembled at the JOUSSELIN company site, 60 km from Angers, before being transported to the cathedral for the final assembly of the larger pieces in the spring. Prototypes of lighting fixtures and metal gates, made by local companies and blacksmiths, were also presented. Two light fixtures, crafted like objects, will slightly highlight the restored polychrome sculptures.   This gallery is intended to protect the 12th-century polychrome sculptures, under restoration since 2018, that adorn the western entrance of the religious building. The architecture will ensure the longevity of this restoration by physically protecting it from the elements: water, sun, and wind. At the same time, it will contribute to the animation of the public space, which will undergo a complete renovation funded by the City of Angers. The choice of prefabricated concrete was the best option to preserve the buried remains, avoid impacting the western massif of the cathedral, and allow for quick on-site assembly without risking damage to the restored western massif.   Kengo Kuma and his team were joined on-site by Philippe Chopin, prefect of Préfecture de Maine-et-Loire; Anne Gérard, regional director of cultural affairs (DRAC); Valérie Gaudard, heritage curator at the DRAC; and Nicolas Dufetel, deputy mayor of Angers in charge of Culture and Heritage.   --- The project ownership team: La direction régionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC) des Pays-de-la-Loire Assisted by : CAIOPS  - Guillaume Dubaut --- Chief Inspectors of Historic Monuments, ACMH : Hélène Lebédel-Carbonnel, Pierre Bortolussi Architect of Historic Monuments, ABF: Virginie Vallée, Gabriel Turquet de Beauregard --- The project management team: Lead Architect: KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES - Kengo Kuma, Elise Fauquembergue Heritage Architect: Vincent Brunelle ACMH - Martin Brunelle General contractor engineer: BETEM Atlantique – Guillaume Baudouin, Boris Rombolotto, David Commereuc, Fabien Caignec Lighting Designer: 8'18" – Emmanuelle Sebie, Line Muckensturm --- The selected construction companies: Lot 01 : Groupe Luc DURAND Lot 02 : ALBIZZATI Père et Fils Lot 03 : Cegelec Angers Tertiaire Lot 04 : SAS LOUBIERE LA FORGE D'ART

KIGUMI ‒ Exhibition of “A Message to Humanity” at Nobel Peace Center, Oslo Norway The 1,000 KIGUMI were meticulously handcrafted by Japanese artisans, each piece made with care and precision. They are crafted from Japanese cedar, a material celebrated for its stunningly elegant wood grain, gentle hue reminiscent of human skin, and soft, smooth texture. However, like the human body, this material is incredibly delicate and fragile. Without a strong will for peace, both humanity - fragile as it is̶ and the deliacte environment of our planet can easily be damaged and lost. To convey this message, I designed these KIGUMI using thin planks of Japanese cedar, so delicate that they could easily break.

Ça vient de sortir ! 📚 Avec ce nouvel hors-série, Beaux Arts éditions dévoile pour la première fois les œuvres que vous pourrez admirer dans les 68 nouvelles gares du Grand Paris Express, le plus grand projet d'aménagement d'Europe. Découvrez ce projet inédit à travers un portfolio, des entretiens inédits, des cartes... À retrouver ici 👉 https://lnkd.in/gnuQbU8C

Saint-Denis Pleyel station, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, is officially open and in service ! French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the opening of the station and the extension of line 14 on June 24, 2024. Covering 34,000 m², the station is the largest of the Grand Paris Express and will ultimately form a single hub of connection between 4 GPE lines, lines 14, 15, 16 and 17 and in connection with the RER D. Around 250,000 travelers will use the station every day. Special thanks to our Teams: Client: Société des Grands Projets Lead Design Architect: KKAA - Kengo Kuma & Associates Site construction : Aurélie Vernon - Amelie Fritzlar - Mariya Popova - Florence Festa - Marina Aristondo - Manon Taillepierre Rabiaa Sbai Studies : Matthieu Wotling - Aurélie Vernon - Amelie Fritzlar - Silvia Fernandez - Romain Beal - David Chinéa - Nicolas Cazali - Mariya Popova - Michaël Abric - Bianca Sibilla Competition : Matthieu Wotling - Chizuko Kawarada - Aurélie Vernon - Jordi Vinials - Tiago Sa Technichal projet lead – engineering: EGIS Consultants: Landscape design: @AC&T Paysage Façade engineer: RFR – structure et enveloppe Lightning design: 8’18’’ Acoustician: PEUTZ & Associés Sustainibility: AIA Studio Environnement Quantity Surveyor: LTA Security/Fire consultant: VULCANEO Main construction companies: EIFFAGE – BESIX - EVEN ©Michel Denance Grand Paris Express, KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES, Egis, BESIX, Eiffage, Société des grands projets,

At the end of the international conference Le portail polychrome de la cathédrale d'Angers, jointly organised by the DRAC des Pays de la Loire, the Université catholique de l'Ouest, the Université de Nantes and the Université de Poitiers, held in November 2022 on the subject of the polychrome portal of Saint-Maurice cathedral in Angers. The proceedings of the conference have just been published by PUR in a handsome book entitled Le portail polychromé de la cathédrale d'Angers (XIIe-XXIe siècle) : la pierre, la couleur, la restauration. It includes contributions from Kengo KUMA and his team. This reference work takes a fresh look at an exceptional example of the polychrome decoration of cathedrals in France, providing an overview of current knowledge and, above all, a new study of the western portal of Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers. It represents a milestone in the study of French and European sculpted and polychromed portals. It concludes with a presentation of the contemporary gallery created by architect Kengo Kuma to protect the portal. In so doing, it opens the door to the 21st century. https://lnkd.in/eRjYzFjz

We were happy to go through Yama Tani in the north-east of Paris! Yama Tani is a small wooden housing delivered in 2023. Playing with its fold, the main façade on the street revisits the traditional Japanese art of origami: each section of wood receives the sun following its course. This main façade breaks the linearity and livens up the street: a special vibration which makes the building unique.   Data Sheet Project name: Yama-Tani Designing Period: 2018 – 2020 Construction Period: 2020 - 2023 Location: Paris, France Europe Principal uses: Housing Total floor area: 500 m2   Credits Lead design Architect : KKAA – Kengo Kuma & Associates Kengo Kuma - Chizuko Kawarada, - Charlotte Brussieux, Marika Maione* - Mathieu Faliu* - Maria Cervantes* - Michael Albric* (*former staff) Client : REI Habitat Engineering: EQO engineering, S2T fluids, AÏDA acoustic Construction site management: EQO engineering Construction company: Rubner, Rehago Photo © Sergio Grazia Photo © KKAA 2024

After the success of the exhibition in Venice during the Architecture biennale, Onomatopoeia Architecture will take place at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany, from March 8 to September 1, 2024.   To describe his architecture without mediations and theoretical superstructures, Kengo Kuma imagines thirteen onomatopoeias whose repeated, rather comical and somewhat “manga-like” sound translates certain key words, such as: solid and void, fluidity, softness, sound symbolism, water, folds, perception, light and air, pression, interstice, particles, materiality and void, layered space in planes, horizontal and flat, membranes, symbolic gesture, sensory process, fineness/thinness, wave, elasticity. Para para, sara sara, guru guru, pata pata, giza giza, zara zara, tsun tsun, suke suke, moja moja, funya funya, pera pera, fuwa fuwa, zure zure. All these sensations seem to fit perfectly with Palazzo Franchetti and Venice, in its continuous ephemeral and vital perception, perhaps resembling the “atmospheric” version depicted by Turner rather than the one painted by Canaletto, Guardi, or Longhi. Or the Venice that features in the wonderful photos by Fulvio Roiter,3 who loved to cite Steiglitz: “a maximum of detail for a minimum of simplification,” just like the architecture in this exhibition. The sensation of the ephemeral and reflected beauty of this ideally impossible city on the water takes us back to the Japanese concept of mono no aware (fragility and eva-nescence), which resonates in the impermanence and essence of materiality according to Kengo Kuma. Simon Vogel, 2024 © Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland GmbH https://lnkd.in/eNk3uuQ5

Join us for The Symposium hosted by EDDA and The University of Tokyo. With the National Library of France setting the most beautiful historic scene Yuki Ikeguchi and Asger Taarnberg look forward to presenting selected projects of KKAA and to discuss the current / future potential of AI implementation within the field of architecture. @ Bibliothèque Nationale de France – Richelieu | Monday, May 6 at 4 p.m.

Kenzô Tange – Kengo Kuma 丹下健三と隈研吾展 －東京大会の建築家たち Architectes des Jeux de Tokyo Exhibition from Thursday, May 2 to Saturday, June 29, 2024 Maison de la Culture du Japon, 101bis Quai Jacques Chirac 75015 Paris Kenzô Tange and Kengo Kuma are the fathers of the sports facilities built for the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964 and 2020 (postponed to 2021): the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and the National Stadium. This exhibition highlights, on the eve of the Olympic Games in France, the importance of these achievements in the careers of these two immense architects, allowing us to understand their influence on contemporary Japanese architecture, their fascination with the Katsura Imperial Villa, and their connections with France. Curator: Saikaku Toyokawa (lecturer at the University of Chiba) Round table discussion Yoyogi Gymnasium, legacy of the Tokyo Games Tuesday, April 30 at 2:30 p.m. Speakers: Kengo Kuma, Bénédicte Gandini, Noritaka Tange, Yôichi Miyamoto, Kaori Hasegawa, Saikaku Toyokawa, Yoshiyuki Yamana (moderator)   Conference The Katsura Imperial Villa. A myth and a model of Japanese architecture Thursday, May 30 at 6 p.m. Speaker: Philippe Bonnin   Guided tours Free guided tours of the exhibition are available upon reservation on Thursdays, May 16, 23, and 30, and June 6, 13, and 20 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations can be made starting from Tuesday, April 16, 2024, subject to availability. https://lnkd.in/e6Sqq-gA

The Morette Memorial, Thônes/La Balme-de-Thuy, Haute-Savoie, France - 1st award-winning poject - The Departmental Council aims to redevelop and enhance the entire Morette site to convey the history of the Plateau des Glières, a key location of the Resistance during World War II, and to evoke the events related to deportation in Haute-Savoie. The memorial includes the Departmental Museum of Resistance, the Departmental Memorial of Deportation, and the National Necropolis of Glières.   The Morette Memorial site is located on the floodplain of the Fier River. Its ecological position lies on the edge of two ecosystems: the plain and the relief. The braided riverine linear of the Fier makes it a true natural infrastructure with high biodiversity. The road, acting as a levee, has stabilized the land of the Morette site, which has been cultivated. Emphasizing this edge position seemed obvious to us. It is about revealing this floodplain soil in which the heroes of the Resistance in Haute-Savoie were buried. And from this clay, to erect a monument to tell their individual stories through the grand history.   The limestone mineral character echoes the reliefs, emphasizing the shadow fighters. By day and by night. The folded form of the monument creates a skylight opening to receive homogeneous northern light to serve the permanent exhibition space, and by night emits a glow like a nightlight over these resting men. On going 2024 – 2027 / Special thanks to our Teams: Lead Design Architect:  KKAA - Kengo Kuma & Associates Kengo Kuma - Elise Fauquembergue – Bianca Sibilla – Maja Pihl - Glenn Hongdao Lu Heritage building architect: ARCHIPAT General Engineering, Quantity Surveyor: AIA Environment Engineering: AIA environment Acoustic Engineering: PEUTZ Landscape designer: AC&T Paysage Scenographer: Atelier Maciej Fiszer Museographer: Laura Gaudenzi Graphic designer: Atelier Bastien Morin 3D Visualisation : ©Kengo Kuma & Associates – Images KDSL image d'architecture