image © Kengo Kuma and Associates

Tsunagu: Connecting to the Architecture of Kengo Kuma to Explore Architect’s Vision, Philosophy, Process

February 4 – February 29, 2016

at the Center for Architecture ,403 NW 11th Ave, Portland

This February, the Portland Japanese Garden will host the first exhibition in the U.S. that explores the architecture of Kengo Kuma. The month-long exhibition, held at the Center for Architecture in Portland, is the first major opportunity to formally introduce Kengo Kuma’s ideas to the public by focusing on his design for the Japanese Garden’s Cultural Crossing expansion project. Don't miss it! Architect Kengo Kuma will be visiting from Japan for the exhibition opening on February 4th. The expansion project is Kuma’s first public commission in North America. The Garden is reopening March 1st and the Cultural Crossing expansion will be completed in 2017.  

In September 2015, the Garden embarked on a $33.5 million expansion project. The centerpiece of the expansion is Kuma’s design for a Cultural Village of three LEED-certified buildings to house a learning center, a library, gallery space and a traditional tea café. 

Kengo Kuma at the Portland Japanese Garden. image © William Anthony

Using project images, construction drawings, and an interactive use of space, Tsunagu: Connecting to the Architecture of Kengo Kuma will focus on the philosophy of continuity in Kuma’s work: continuity between nature, natural materials, and Japanese tradition.

Tsunagu means connection, but also has implications of continuity, linking, and looking forward. The word represents the essential connection between nature and people through architecture. Kengo Kuma's work is about a continuous flow of spaces, reinforcing the human relationship with nature and one another. On a more historical level, the project represents a connection between Japanese and American culture, and Kuma's place in that process of exchange. People visiting the exhibition will be able to make their own meanings and connections between what is on display, and their own ideas of what architecture can be.

Balazs Bognar, Chief Manager at Kengo Kuma & Associates, is the exhibit’s curator. “Kengo Kuma is known for connective spaces, often putting nature and the human experience first,” says Bognar. “His emphasis on light as well as locally sourced materials makes the Portland Japanese Garden’s expansion project the perfect lens through which people can see and understand the guiding ideas of Kuma-san’s work.” 

The show will also feature materials that can be touched, seen, and smelled, such as sudare screens, tatami mats, and samples of the Port Orford cedar and Oregon granite used in the Garden’s building design. “This exhibition is intended to be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds, not just those in architecture,” says Bognar. “Kengo Kuma’s work is felt on a fundamental level, so we’re putting several ‘layers’ into the exhibition so the experience is immersive. It will be rewarding for those just visiting, for those wanting to understand key concepts, and for those who really want to get in to the details.” 

This show runs from February 4 – February 29, 2016 at the Center for Architecture ,403 NW 11th Ave, Portland, or. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public daily. 

Please see WA previous media coverage about Kengo Kuma's Portland Japanese Garden

To learn more about the exhibition, please visit

> via japanesegarden.com