Terunobu Fujimori: Architect

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Hannes Rössler Editor

Michael Buhrs Editor

Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern, Germany, 2012, English

Nonfiction, Architecture

8 x 10.5 inches, paperback, 240 pages

ISBN: 9783775733236

Suggested Retail Price: $60.00

From the Publisher. The sophisticated buildings of Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori (born 1946) combine the archaic, eccentric, poetic and the ecological--almost all of them are made of simple, traditional materials such as earth, stone, wood, coal, bark and mortar. Often referred to as a "surrealist" architect, Fujimori designs buildings that stand on stilts, rest in trees, support plant ecosystems and rise from the ground at vertiginous angles. This unique approach perhaps stems from Fujimori's early career as a successful architectural historian; he accepted his first commission at the age of 44. Buildings completed since then include teahouses, museums and private homes, known by names such as the "Dandelion House," "Charred Cedar House" and "Too-Tall Tea House." This publication explores Fujimori's career with models, drawings, architectural plans and photographs. Also documented is the construction of a teahouse designed for the garden at the Villa Stuck in Munich.

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Published on the occasion of a retrospective exhibition at Museum Villa Stuck in Munich, this book is a welcome addition to the few titles on the Japanese architect who started practicing architecture at the age of 42, after two decades of teaching architectural history. Fujimori’s distinctly personal architecture balances his long view of architecture (especially his appreciation of prehistoric “standing stones”) with a desire to wrap modern buildings in nature. It’s great to have documentation of over 20 of his completed projects in one place, alongside urban planning projects, photos from the Street Observation Society he started with artist Genpei Akasegawa, and essays by prominent architects and writers.

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