Studio with paper tube shell in Kyoto and Paris – Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban designed and built an architectural studio with a paper tube shell in Kyoto, and the project has been replicated in Paris using the same technique, adapted to meet local requirements.   The building in Kyoto and the one in Paris are very similar, especially in layout, and make use of the same kind of arch structure.
The Kyoto building was entirely made by students at the University of Art and Design, minimising the use of heavy machinery to lift weights, and the design of the building had to take this into account. It is a grid of paper tubes measuring 2.2x1.2m, held together by a chain of post-tensioned cables which absorb lateral thrust and improve the structure’s static activity. Each tube is jointed with special steel nodes containing eyelets for the tie rods, making the whole structure rigid enough to be perfectly isostatic.
The covering layer of polystyrene rests on sheets of plywood which collaborate in the rigidity of the lowered arch thus constructed, with storage units located at the imposts of the vault to optimise use of space. 
The studio in Paris is set up in the same general way, but the arch is full, and the radius is much smaller due to problems specific to its location. The shelving is higher, so that the springer of the arch rests on them comfortably. Both structures rest on the ground, with no anchorage, as they are intended to be temporary. Technical installations run through the air space below the floor, and light is provided through apertures in the studio’s skin.

Fabrizio Orsini 

Completion Date: June 2013
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Project Team: Shigeru Ban, Yasunori Harano
Structural Engineer: Minoru Tezuka
Construction: Students of Shigeru Ban studio at Kyoto University of Art and Design