Press Release
Vision of nature inspires eco-architecture exhibition at Kew
For release: 13 February 2002
Kisho Kurokawa: ECO-ARCHITECTURE / ECO-CITIES
An exhibition at White Peaks
20 March - 6 May 2002
A Japan 2001 Event
|
Lecture: An illustrated lecture by Kisho Kurokawa will be held in the Jodrell Lecture Theatre at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on Wednesday 20 March at 8.00pm. Tickets are £4.00. Booking line: 020 8332 5622 |
Kisho Kurokawa is one of the most important figures in Japanese contemporary architecture today. Since the 1960s, his buildings have set new standards in design and presentation, both in Japan and abroad. Now, his ecologically-inspired, sustainable urban design projects have put his philosophies at the forefront of city regeneration programmes worldwide. These form the main theme of an exhibition at Kew Gardens this spring.
The exhibition focuses on the latest of Kurokawa's urban design schemes in Malaysia, China and Kazakhstan. It illustrates how he draws on the themes of nature, symbiosis and change in his work to inform an organic, sustainable and integrated approach to urban environments.
Kisho Kurokawa was born in Nagaya in1934 and became one of the founder members of the Japanese Metabolism Group in the 1960s. Today he has a large practice in Tokyo and his ideas have evolved into the highly developed theory of Symbiosis which lies behind many of his ecological designs.
The exhibition features a number of Kurokawa's most recent large-scale projects. These include the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, built close to an area of rainforest. Parts of the forest have been integrated into the design as a noise blanket and barrier for the new airport. The forest theme is taken up with plants and gardens in the airport satellites.
For the new capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana, a new forest is planned to form a protective buffer zone from harsh winter winds and revitalise the existing ecosystem of steppe and forest. The city is designed to house nearly a million people by 2030. In the Riverfront development of Guangzhou, China, a system of 'Eco-corridors' links the area's rivers, mountains, forest, marshland and rice paddies.
These schemes are related to several of Kurokawa's earlier projects from the Japanese Metabolist Group, including the DNA based 'Helix City' for vertical and floating cities (Tokyo Bay). The first stage of the development of his Metabolist ideas were incorporated in a capsule housing project (Nakagin, Tokyo) and capsule offices (Sony, Osaka), both of which have been nominated for consideration as UNESCO World Heritage projects.
The concepts behind these early Eco-architecture projects have evolved into Kurokawa's more recent Eco-media city schemes. Together, they contribute to a wider understanding of complex urban and landscape issues.
Kisho Kurokawa is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects.
The exhibition is designed by Kisho Kurokawa Architect and Associates, Tokyo, and curated by Professor Dennis Sharp, Dennis Sharp Architects, London.
The exhibition programme is supported by funds from the Kisho Kurokawa Retrospective Fund and Japan 2001.
A fully illustrated colour catalogue for the KEW exhibition Kisho Kurokawa: Eco-Architecture - Eco-Cities edited by Dennis Sharp at £12.50 is available from the publishers Book Art.
A book produced for the Retrospective RIBA exhibition Kisho Kurokawa: From the Age of the Machine to the Age of Life (£22.50) is available from Book Art. It is available as part of a set with the new catalogue for the Kew exhibition at the special price of £28.00.
For further information and photographs, contact Claire Hyde or Hannah Rogers at Kew press office on 020 8332 5607/5619 or Dennis Sharp on 01707 875253 (shartpd@globalnet.co.uk).
For further Press information please contact:
|
Kew: Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5607/5619 |
Wakehurst Place: Public Relations Tel: +44 (0)1444 894018 |
