KENGO KUMA Named Louis I. Kahn Award Winner

Philadelphia, PA, February 26, 2025 – Kengo Kuma, founder of Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) a renowned Toyko based architecture firm — will present a talk in acceptance of the 38th Louis I. Kahn Award, an award given by DesignPhiladelphia. The ceremony will take place at the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Anthropology and Archeology at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Tickets will be on sale on the DesignPhiladelphia website in March.

KKAA has recently completed several notable projects that exemplify their innovative approach to architecture. As recognized by Katherine McLaughlin at Architectural Digest, she highlighted KKAA’s recent project in Yixing, China, where they designed the UCCA Clay Museum, a 37,000-square-foot structure adorned with 3,600 handmade tiles, reflecting the region's rich pottery heritage.

Another project in Paris, called Yama-Tani, which is a conjunction of the Japanese words for mountain and valley, has a unique façade composed of ridged chestnut panels. Trevor Schillaci writes in The Architect’s Newspaper that this “project builds upon motifs in KKAA’s previous work, which often utilize timber, drawing upon the folded forms or origami, as well as traditional Japanese architecture.”

KKAA also designed the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Portugal, a stunning recent project that just opened last September. The defining element of this project is a 100-meter-long sweeping canopy, composed from ceramic tiles made in Portugal. The building's redesign by Kuma draws from the Engawa, a sheltered walkway typical of Japanese dwellings, considered neither totally inside nor outside. Incorporating this typology, the architecture has been integrated into the surrounding gardens of the Gulbenkian Foundation – a nod to Kuma's vision for 'soft and humane architecture' and in response to CAM's commitment to establish a greater connection between the building, the garden and the city.

Kengo Kuma was selected for the 2025 Louis I. Kahn Award by DesignPhiladelphia due to his profound contributions to contemporary architecture. His designs harmoniously blend traditional Japanese elements with modern aesthetics, creating spaces that foster a deep connection between nature and the built environment. Kuma's innovative use of materials and forms demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and cultural sensitivity, aligning with the values celebrated by the Louis I. Kahn Award. His work continues to inspire and influence architects worldwide, making him a deserving recipient of this prestigious honor.

The 2025 Louis I. Kahn Award is generously supported by presenting sponsor Gattuso Development Partners — a developer of exceptional, sustainable high-performance workplaces. Led by former Liberty Property Trust leaders John S. Gattuso, President and CEO, and Anne Cummins, COO, the Gattuso team has played a vital role in reshaping the Philadelphia skyline and revitalizing its urban landscape.

The annual Louis I. Kahn Award, founded in 1983, is Philadelphia's signature event honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of architecture. The event celebrates these achievements in memory of the storied career of Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn—widely considered the most critical Modernist American architect and designer of such famous structures as the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and the Richards Medical Research Laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The event raises funds to provide free design education to children in Philadelphia through the Design Education program of DesignPhiladelphia, which brings practicing architects and designers into public school classrooms. Design Education Introduces children to the fields of architecture and design while empowering them to use design to shape their homes, neighborhoods, and city.

Kengo Kuma was born in 1954. He established Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990. He is currently a University Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo after teaching at Keio University and the University of Tokyo. KKAA projects are currently underway in more than 50 countries. Kengo Kuma proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings. His major publications include Kengo Kuma Onomatopoeia Architecture Grounding (X-Knowledge), Nihon no Kenchiku (Architecture of Japan, Iwanami Shoten), Zen Shigoto (Kengo Kuma – the complete works, Daiwa Shobo), Ten Sen Men (Point Line Plane, Iwanami Shoten), Makeru Kenchiku (Architecture of Defeat, Iwanami Shoten), Shizen na Kenchiku (Natural Architecture, Iwanami Shinsho), Chii-sana Kenchiku (Small Architecture, Iwanami Shinsho) and many others.

Past Kahn awardees include Pritzker Prize Winning Architecture Firm Herzog & de Meuron, architects of Tate Modern gallery in London, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, National Stadium in Beijing; Stephen Kieran, FAIA + James Timberlake, FAIA, founders of the firm KieranTimberlake and architects of the Embassy of the United States in London; Diller Scofido + Renfro, architects of the High Line and The Shed at Hudson Yards; Bjarke Ingels, architect of Google headquarters; Sir David Adjaye, architect of the National Museum of African American Museum in Washington D.C.; Lord Norman Foster, architect of Comcast Innovation + Technology Center; Peter Bohlin, FAIA, architect of Apple’s iconic glass cube; Daniel Liebskind, BDA, architect of the original Freedom Tower concept; Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, architect of the Comcast Center; Rafael Viñoly, FAIA, architect of the Kimmel Center; and César Pelli, FAIA, architect of Cira Center.

The 2025 Louis I. Kahn Award is generously supported by presenting sponsor Gattuso Development Partners — a developer of exceptional, sustainable high-performance workplaces. Led by former Liberty Property Trust leaders John S. Gattuso, President and CEO, and Anne Cummins, COO, the Gattuso team has played a vital role in reshaping the Philadelphia skyline and revitalizing its urban landscape.

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About Louis I. Kahn

Louis Isadore Kahn was born in Pärnu, Estonia, in 1901, emigrating to Philadelphia in 1906. A student of Philadelphia’s Central High School and, subsequently, the University of Pennsylvania, Kahn is considered one of the most influential architects of the second half of the twentieth century, according to his biography on The Athenaeum of Philadelphia’s website. His style, based mainly on geometric shapes, is most noted as being heavy and monumental. Kahn’s notable projects include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA; the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX; and the Library of the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. Kahn was also a renowned teacher at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and Princeton.

About DesignPhiladelphia

DesignPhiladelphia's vision is that together we will create a Philadelphia that is designed for and by everyone. We foster a vibrant design community from K through Career committed to excellence, inclusivity, and connections. As an invaluable partner in Philadelphia’s progress, we do that through multidisciplinary design education, our annual festival, and public programs. We do this because for students we will open doors and create economic opportunities in underserved communities, providing support and sparking new aspirations, from kindergarten through career. For designers we will support and unify the design industry across the region; make it less siloed, more inclusive, and more consequential in Philadelphia’s progress. And for the Philadelphia region we will ignite the narrative that Philadelphia is a global design hub, charting a new course to make design by and for everyone. Learn more at www.designphiladelphia.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:  Rebecca Johnson, rebecca@designphiladelphia.org; (mobile) 215-266-9232