Towards an Architecture of Relationality (Part 2): Kuma Kengo
photographed by
Fujitsuka Mitsumasa (unless otherwise indicated)
materials provided by
Kengo Kuma & Associates
SPACE February 2026 (No. 699)
Following the feature on Yung Ho Chang (covered in SPACE No. 690, FEATURE section), SPACE and Inha Jung (Professor, Hanyang University) trace the history of modern and contemporary East Asian architecture through a two-part interview with Kuma Kengo. Having experienced the rise and fall of Japan’s bubble economy firsthand during his university studies and early years of practice, Kuma critically viewed the architecture of that era – which he saw as ostentatious as American Postmodernism – and sought a different architectural path, diverging from the previous generation of architects who flourished during the economic boom. While the previous issue examined his formative experiences and the concepts of form and freedom found in Weak Architecture, this concluding installment delves into his critical perspective on Postmodernism, his proposal of ‘relationality’ as an alternative to ostentatious architecture, and the value of time shared by East Asian architecture.
From the Age of the Icon to the Age of Relationships
Inha Jung (Jung): What was your initial intention in planning the project Goodbye Modernism (1989)?
Kuma Kengo (Kuma): I studied at Columbia University as a visiting scholar from 1985 to 1986. I had plans to open an office in Tokyo around that time, but before that, I wanted to experience what America was like. Fortunately, I received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. This gave me the opportunity to meet and interview postmodern architects like Peter Eisenman and Michael Graves. I visited their offices and was sometimes invited to their homes. Philip Johnson even invited me to his home, the Glass House (1949). Through the interview with them, I learned many things. I could understand the close relationship between their philosophy, everyday life, and professional practice. Their lives, philosophies, and architectural practices were integrated into a unified whole at a remarkably high level. That experience was very helpful for me, and I enjoyed those interviews very much.
Jung: Did you view American postmodernism as a key prism through which to understand Japan’s Bubble era?
Kuma: Yes! American postmodernism and the Japanese bubble economy were very much connected. Basically, creating an ‘icon’ was the goal of that period. This was because the icon and the economy were connected in that period. But I think the new generation doesn’t need icons anymore. For them, relationships are more important than icons.
Jung: Before you moved to the U.S., Isozaki Arata completed his famous Tsukuba Center in 1983. Were you influenced by this building when you studied postmodernism in architecture?
Kuma: Yes, I was interested in Isozaki because he knows history. However, the history he studied and used was basically Western history; Western classical architecture. He was not interested in Asia; he was always facing the West. The Tsukuba Center came from his love and respect for Western history. I was not interested in that kind of building. History is important to me, too, but I learned more from the history of Japan and Asia.
Jung: You designed the M2...
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Kuma Kengo
Kuma Kengo received his Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Tokyo and established Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990. Kengo Kuma & Associates aims to design architecture which naturally merges with its cultural and environmental surroundings, proposing gentle, human scaled buildings. The office is constantly in search of new materials to replace concrete and steel, and seeks a new approach for architecture in a post-industrial society.
Inha Jung
Inha Jung, born in 1964, received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Seoul National University before acquiring his Ph.D. from the University of Paris I (Pantheon- Sorbonne), France, in 1993. He is currently a Professor of Architectural and Urban History at Hanyang University ERICA Campus. His research focuses on East Asian modern architecture and cities. His recent major publications include; Constructing the Socialist Way of Life: Mass Housing and Urbanism in North Korea (2023); Modern Architecture in Korea (2023); Architecture and Urbanism in Modern Korea (2013); and Exploring Tectonic Space: The Architecture of Jong Soung Kimm (2008).
