Fumihiko Maki

From Phaidon, Fumihiko Maki. Deceptively appearing simple in whole form, Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki creates sophisticated structures mixing collaged design elements with functionality, progressive technology, and a constant strive for modernity while thoughtfully relating the project to its physical surroundings and more recently, its global impact. Compared to his numerous works throughout Japan, Maki has designed a limited number of structures within the United States (Kemper Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts), but will soon invade New York City with a 13 story mixed-use tower in Cooper Square, a prominent seat on New York City’s skyline with the planned World Trade Center Tower 4, and a recently completed expansion project for the United Nations.

Fumihiko Maki travels through three phases of Maki’s 50-year career: The first period labeled his “formative years” including his training at university, the birth of his practice Maki & Associates, and his time as faculty member at the School of the Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. Next, the two decades (1970-1990) in which Maki grew into his signature modernist form of expression, and lastly, Maki today - in the dawn of the 21st century and in the face of global warming and globalization. What’s wonderful about this book is that it’s authored by the architect… and as a current professor of architectural studies at Keio University in Japan, the reader is no less his student. In his own succinct words, Maki thoughtfully reflects on a select forty-four projects alongside stunning photographs, models, drawings, and supplemental essays from architecture historians Kenneth Frampton, David Stewart, and Mark Mulligan. (320 pages, hardcover).

Highlights: Fujisawa Minicipal Gymnasium (Fujisawa, Japan), Mihara Performing Arts Centre (Hiroshima, Japan), Republic Polytechnic Campus (Woodlands, Singapore), and the in-progress Aga Khan Museum (Ontario, Canada) and World Trade Center Tower 4 (New York City, United States).