Kuma Word 2 April 1, 2011

Fujiwara-kun, the staggering baselines of the concrete’s surface and the steel frame are actually a variation of the Brunelleschi problem. Thickness does not exist in geometry whereas it does in substance, and this gap has been one of the most difficult problems in architecture. Brunelleschi solved it in his Ospedale degli Innocenti with the solution of double column. The “Brunelleschi problem” normally appears only on plans in two dimensions, but this time it came out in three dimensions, which made our work even harder—but we sorted this out forcibly with computer, didn’t we? I am very much intrigued how Jun Sato, who was in charge of structural design, found this project.

Kengo Kuma