A larger and updated version of the first monograph devoted to the work of the Japanese architect Shuhei Endo to mark the first 25 years of his audacious career. The text of the book is in Italian and English.
He first came into the limelight of architectural advertising in the early years of the 3rd millennium on account of the original design of his buildings made of corrugated steel, Skintecture, Springtecture, Rooftecture are some of the terms coined by Endo to summarize the formal and structural nature of his buildings. They range from slender, delightful station roofs to small, complicated pavilions or houses for private clients, whose distinctive, innovative, personal nature lies in the material he uses: it’s cheap, standardized, tough, flexible, multi-purpose and recyclable.
Over the last ten years, Endo’s work has evolved and been revitalized. Important commissions have resulted in the design of ever-more complex buildings which have given rise to new forms of expression, accompanied by research into new materials and technical solutions. Works completed in recent years include: the Taishi-cho crematorium in Osaka, the tennis arena and logistical hub for the Miki Disaster Management Park, the Tsunami Disaster Preventive Control Center and Refuge at the port of Futura, the Disaster Control Center at Minamiawaji, all of which are located in Hyogo prefecture.
The book begins with a critical essay by Hiroyuki Suzuki and a selection of recent writings by Shuhei Endo, introducing about 40 projects and completed buildings.