On the Duty and the Power of Architecture: Shigeru Ban

The lecture of the Pritzker Prize winner and Akademie member Shigeru Ban is a cooperation between the Academy’s Architecture Section and Bauhaus der Erde, a new initiative committed to a global transition towards a climate-resilient and inclusive urban environment, and Wood4Bauhaus. Our existing lecture series “On the Duty and the Power of Architecture” in which members present current projects and talk about the responsibility and influence of building culture (Baukultur) on our lives will be combined with the “Reconstructing the Future: Bauhaus Earth Lectures“.

Shigeru Ban lives and works in Tokyo, New York and Paris. He says of himself: “I'm an architect, not only for buildings in the town but for disaster relief activities.“ He became known for his innovative humanitarian and social engagement in various disaster areas. Not least, his paper-tube architecture enabled the rapid construction of the new cathedral in Christchurch.

He has been appointed Ambassador to the New European Bauhaus in 2021, together with climate impact researcher and initiator of Bauhaus der Erde Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, among others. After his lecture, Ban and Schellnhuber will join Matthias Sauerbruch in a discussion on the subject.