Fumihiko Maki, winner of the 1993 Pritzker Architecture Prize, is widely regarded as one of Japan's finest architects, based on his rational approach and use of technology to create imaginative spaces for contemporary society. His buildings are known for their innovative use of modern materials, attention to well-crafted details, and overall sensibility of lightness and transparency. Yet he remains, first and foremost, an urbanist with a keen interest in the scenographic quality of the public spaces he creates.
Lavishly illustrated with numerous color and black-and-white photographs and a wealth of drawings and plans, this monograph is the only book available on Maki. It provides an overview of nearly three decades of work, concentrating on twenty-five major projects of the most recent and productive decade, including the Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco; Hillside Terrace, Shibuya, Tokyo; the Fujisawa Municipal Gymnasium, Fujisawa, Kanagawa; and the Zeebrugge Ferry Terminal, Zeebrugge, Belgium. The text includes essays by Botond Bognar (author of Japan Guide), Paolo Polledri, and Alex Krieger, as well as excerpts from Maki's landmark essay "Investigations in Collective Form."
