Shigeru Ban

Pritzker Prize-winning architect revolutionizing humanitarian disaster relief

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (b. 1957) redefined design's social role through emergency shelters made from paper tubes. The 2014 Pritzker laureate combines high-design aesthetics with low-cost materials for displaced populations.

After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Ban created the Paper Log House using beer crate foundations and waterproofed paper walls. His Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch (2013) became a symbol of post-earthquake recovery. These innovations prove disaster architecture needn't be temporary or ugly.

Ban's Voluntary Architects Network trains communities in participatory reconstruction. By using local materials like bamboo and recycled paper, his designs empower survivors rather than creating aid dependency.