Shigeru Ban was born in Tokyo on August 5, 1957. Ban attended Tokyo University of the Arts to focus on studying architecture where he learned structural modeling using paper, wood, and bamboo. In 1977 Ban searched for a school from which he could transfer and decided to attend the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
In 1985, Ban started his own practice in Tokyo without any work experience. In 2001, Ban was named a professor on the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University. After he won the competition of Centre Pompidou-Metz, he established a private practice in Paris with his partner Jean de Gastines. In 2008 he resigned from Keio University and in 2010, he worked as a visiting professor at Harvard University and Cornell University. In 2011, he became a professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design.
Ban is currently working on creating architecture, he volunteers for disaster relief, lectures widely, and teaches. He continues to develop material and structure systems.
Source: Collated from Pritzker Architecture Prize
website; image courtesy of Shigeru Ban
