Shigeru Ban: Timber in Architecture

The Museum’s focus on mass timber and wood, in conjunction with the exhibition TALL TIMBER: The Future of Cities in Wood, continues this fall with a webinar & book talk on the work of Shigeru Ban Architects on September 16 at 6pm ET. This is a virtual program—online only.

Though it is one of the world’s oldest building materials, wood is still revolutionizing the way buildings are designed and constructed today. It is imperative that everyone—from architects, engineers, and contactors, to clients and the general public—considers how construction practices impact climate change. Timber buildings are not only environmentally responsible, they also make us feel measurably happier, healthier, and more productive.

Shigeru Ban Architects has innovated in wood for over 35 years, creating inspiring spaces that have a positive impact on building inhabitants, communities, and the environment. The firm has built over 65 wood and mass timber projects, from prefabricated plywood houses to parametrically modeled glulam gridshells.

In this book talk, SBA Managing Partner Dean Maltz and Associate Laura Britton will present works featured in Shigeru Ban: Timber in Architecture (Rizzoli, 2022). The book presents the trajectory of 45 timber works from concept through construction, demonstrating the challenges and merits of wood buildings through essays, technical drawings, and photographs.