Shigeru Ban Architects, in collaboration with The Glass House and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of the Cooper Union, have just revealed “Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House at The Glass House.” This collaborative installation opened on April 15th and is on display until December 15th, 2024, welcoming more than 13,000 annual visitors. This year, students from The Cooper Union actively participated in the making of this structure as part of the university’s Building Technology Course.
Designed by the renowned architect Shigeru Ban, recipient of the Pritzker Prize, the installation process involved guiding 39 architecture students in fabricating and assembling the Paper Log House. This 13.5×13.5-foot enclosure is crafted from paper, tubes, wood, and milk crates and stands as a testament to Ban’s various humanitarian efforts. In fact, the installation specifically echoes the architect’s temporary housing for disaster victims across five continents over three decades.
The Paper Log House’s components were fabricated over five weeks before being transported to the site in New Canaan. On March 18th and 19th, a team of 17 students and faculty assembled the structure over a fifteen-over period during two days. The installation aims to explore the unexpected opportunities offered by disparate building materials, such as glass, brick, and paper.
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Dating back to 1985, Ban’s affinity for paper tubes has now evolved into a pioneering exploration of the material’s construction. In fact, the architect has used paper tubes in installations, buildings, and disaster relief projects. Notable among these is the 79-foot-tall Cardboard Cathedral erected in 2013, which has become a permanent landmark.
The Paper Log was originally conceived in 1995 as a shelter for Vietnamese refugees displaced by the Great Hands-on Earthquake, exemplifying Ban’s commitment to affordability and sustainability and the use of recycled materials. According to Shigeru Ban, “If a building is loved, it becomes permanent.” Ultimately, the work aims to challenge conventional notions of permanence and material strength.
Shigeru Ban, a Pritzker Prize Laureate, is an architect, educator, and humanitarian pioneering innovative solutions with a commitment to sustainability and social impact. In other similar news, the architect recently announced the intention to collaborate with the municipality of Lviv to design an expansion of the Lviv hospital, which is the largest in Ukraine. The proposal uses cross-laminated wood and joints to create a safe and welcoming environment for healing and recuperating. Additionally, Shigeru Ban recently developed an improved version of the temporary housing developed to help those affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake, using an upgraded version of the paper tube system.
