Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki dies at the age of 95
Published: Wednesday, Jun 12th 2024, 10:20
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Fumihiko Maki was one of the most important representatives of his profession. The architect died shortly before the opening of the Reinhard Ernst Museum in Wiesbaden, which was based on his design. He also left his mark in Switzerland.
The Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki is dead. Maki died of natural causes at home in Tokyo last Thursday, as the Kyodo news agency and other Japanese media reported on Wednesday, citing his office.
Maki was 95 years old. He is one of the most important architects not only in his country. In 1993, he received the Pritzker Prize, which is considered the highest award in his field worldwide.
Maki's best-known buildings include the Aga Khan Museum in the Canadian city of Toronto, the Four World Trade Center in New York, the Sea World art and cultural center in Shenzhen, China, and the multi-purpose Spiral Building in Tokyo. The Reinhard Ernst Museum for Abstract Art, which opens in Wiesbaden on June 23, was also designed by Maki.
An office building in Switzerland bears his name: The so-called Maki office building on the Novartis Campus in Basel is based on his design idea. Spatial openness, large windows and cross-storey air spaces are intended to create a transparent office ambience. Viewed from the outside and especially in the dark, the building, which is illuminated from the inside, has a floating appearance. This floating transparency has also characterized "The Circle" at Zurich Airport, especially the interior of the building. The architect Riken Yamamoto was explicitly inspired by Fumihiko Maki.
When the Japanese master of architecture was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1993, it was said that Maki "uses light in a masterful way so that it becomes as tangible a part of any design as the walls and the roof." In 2013, Maki, who was born in 1928, was honored by the Japanese government as a person of special cultural merit.
©Keystone/SDA
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