Kengo Kuma

“The theme of light is a very contemporary theme for young architects, whereas the shape and the form were the main themes of architecture in the middle of the 20th century. But now the main theme has moved from the form to the phenomena, and light can be the main theme of today.”

“Light can pick up the real character of the site, it is the most valuable tool to do this.”

“Basically natural light is stronger that artificial light in a philosophical sense.”

“The general tendency, year by year, is that is becoming more difficult to get natural light. Even so, people are starting to appreciate the value of natural light.”

“Formalist architects forget that material and natural light are one thing, they divide it.”

“It is not only about seeing. We can reach the essence of the material through natural light. And if we want to understand the essence of the material we should use light in the appropriate way, without that we can only touch the surface.”

Light of tomorrow, Velux award 2006
Arquitectura Viva
ISBN: 84-611-2912-1