For Immediate Release: April 24, 2008
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
Visit the Press Room
Shigeru Ban: Paper House and the Architecture of Disaster Relief: News Release
The importance of architecture and engineering in planning for natural and man-made disasters and reconstruction
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Countries around the world face unprecedented challenges to preserve, restore -- and where necessary -- rebuild after destruction from natural disasters. What are architects, planners, and engineers doing to protect people against the devastation of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, fires, and earthquakes? A growing number are exploring innovative humanitarian designs for people displaced by natural disasters or other emergencies.
Architecture students from Japan's Keio University's Shigeru Ban Laboratory and the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture collaborated to create three Ban-style paper houses that are easy to construct, light-weight, and transportable. These structures, designed by world-renowned Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, will be on view throughout the city. One of the full-scale paper houses will be on view on the Museum's West Lawn from May 5 – 9 and the others at the Meridian International Center. Presented in collaboration with the Meridian International Center, Ban returns to the National Building Museum to continue educating the public about his work. Dean Karen Van Lengen of the UVA School of Architecture and architecture students from Keio University and the UVA will join Ban. Ban and Van Lengen will lead their students in a conversation about their cross-cultural experiences creating relief shelters entirely from paper.
Over the years, the National Building Museum has been a major forum on design and disaster recovery. This daytime program is one of a series of past, present, and future programming and exhibitions at the Museum to address disaster reconstruction, engineering, and design. For example, in November 2001, the Museum launched a series of exhibitions and public programs titled Building in the Aftermath, which provided a forum for public dialogue and debate about architecture, engineering, and urbanism in response to September 11. Following Hurricane Katrina, the series examined short- and long-term housing issues that governments, planners, and residents of the hurricane devastated region face – looking at post-disaster planning issues and steps that should be taken to better prepare for future disasters.
Following those important public programs, the Museum's new, three-year lecture series Community in the Aftermath, begins in June. The Museum presents this series in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Community in the Aftermath focuses on lessons learned from providing post-disaster housing through the Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) and is a forum to present results from extensive evaluation by HUD and FEMA. The inaugural program explores critical issues and objectives of the AHPP, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. AHPP is a grant competition to develop more readily available and culturally appropriate post-disaster housing for Hurricane Katrina-ravaged areas.
Additionally, the Museum recently began planning a new exhibition about designing for disaster. The Museum received a grant from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to research for this exhibition. As many complex questions arise in the wake of and in advance of future devastation, exploring topics such as housing for the homeless, preservation of architectural history, redesigning towns and entire urban neighborhoods, and engineering infrastructure improvements are increasingly important in disaster relief.
In addition to addressing natural disasters, the Museum is also examining how man-made disasters impact the built environment. One such program is Afghanistan's Architectural Legacy. In this program, Omar Sultan, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture for Afghanistan, will discuss the role of cultural preservation and the Afghani architectural landscape. The Bamiyan Valley, a World Heritage Site, is perhaps best known for the two monumental statues of Buddha that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. This program is presented in partnership with US/ICOMOS and with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society.
Registration
Shigeru Ban: Paper House and the Architecture of Disaster Relief
Thursday, May 8 / 12: 00 – 1:30 pm
FREE. Registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
To learn more about this program and the Meridian International Center's two-day symposium addressing sustainable environmental practices and global disaster relief, visit the Meridian's website.
Afghanistan's Architectural Legacy
Wednesday, May 28 / 6:30 – 8:00 pm
$12 NBM Members; $12 Students; $20 Non-members. Pre-paid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
To register for these or other National Building Museum programs, visit www.www.nbm.org or call 202.272.2448.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
