In this episode of our series about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition, As Built co-hosts Brian Jones and Patience Jones speak with competition finalist Kengo Kuma of Kengo Kuma & Associates.
BJ: Hello, and welcome to As Built, the podcast from Graphicmachine about architecture firms, buildings, and how both get built. I'm your host Brian Jones. With me is your co-host, Patience Jones. Today's episode is the next in our series about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition.
Our guest today is Kengo Kuma of Kengo Kuma & Associates. Welcome to the podcast. We'd like to start first by asking you to tell us a little bit about your firm.
KK: Founded in 1990, shortly after as the bust of the Japanese economy, this is when our practice began with small project in the Japanese countryside. We worked closely with the local craft people and materials developing the founding principles of our human-centered design we still use today. We handle projects at all scales, from master plans to cultural and civic buildings, to renovations and installations and experimental pavilions, even product design as small as a piece of jewelry.
The common thread is to blend architecture and human-scale design with nature, shifting away from monumental structure to create spaces that feel welcoming and easy to explore. Also, members come from all corners of the world. This fosters a rich environment of close cultural pollination. In-house, our staff have mostly a background in architecture and urban design, but we also have interior architects, landscape designers, textile designers, our physical model team, as well as a graphic design and computer graphics team.
These total skills help us cover every aspect of project under one roof. Specific to our practice is that members work on multiple projects at the same time with different team compositions, allowing for ideas to filter through one project to the other. We start each project by walking the site, feeling the ground under our feet, and touching the trees to sense the local atmosphere.
Using locally source sustainable materials keeps our designs feeling warm and natural, and extensions of the environment. We also hold direct talks with local stakeholders so we can reflect their insights into the designs.
BJ: Where is your firm based? And I know that there's a number of offices, but maybe you could talk about talk about that a bit.
KK: Yeah, so we are based in Tokyo with over 320 staff. We also have offices in Paris, Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul. This helps us handle diverse global projects and stay current and stay tuned to regional design influences. We have completed works in 26 countries on five continents, including over a dozen projects in the US.
This global perspective informs how we respect different cultures and local contexts. Since COVID, we opened four small offices across Japan, from the north in Hokkaido to the south in Okinawa. These outposts keep us close to local crafts, regional knowledge and through the communities, allowing our staff to foster meaningful connections and learn from traditional craftmanship and practices.
PJ: What type of work is your firm best known for?
KK: Our goal is always to serve people by shaping environment that feels coherent and human-friendly. We strive to bring everyday life closer to nature. By studying each site's climate and cultural context, we ensure our buildings fit naturally with their surroundings. We rely on local construction methods and materials to capture each place's spirit.
We listen and observe first, letting the project setting guide the design. We research concepts at multiple scales, city layout, the building volumes and small details without losing sight of human needs. This helps us tie everything together into an uplifting, cohesive experience.
BJ: What is one of your favorite projects to have worked on and why?
KK: Innovated and expanded the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon by adding an engawa – engawa is a Japanese special space that smoothly connects indoors and outdoors. By lowering the walls and creating new passages, we link the museum to its surrounding garden. Visitors can wander through a garden that feels immersive and open. Together with the landscape architects, we added hidden meadows, reflective water features, and varied vegetation. This created an evolving of a forest that plans art, nature and daily life. A spacious roof finished with Portuguese tile on top and ash wood beneath shelters a cozy gathering area. This fusion is local. Craftsmanship is Japanese feel that enriches the museum relationship with nature. The final result is a place where art, architecture, and greenery work in harmony, offering a look at how future museums might embrace culture and nature together.
PJ: Why did your firm decide to enter the Nelson-Atkins competition?
KK: We are drawn by the idea of making a museum for all. Museums are too often isolated and unapproachable, and the design brief invited us to tackle this problem. The Nelson-Atkins Museum needed to adapt to better serve its community. We believe in learning from local communities, hearing their stories and traditions so we can reflect them in the garden.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum has deep ties to the neighborhood, which matches our approach. It mostly serves repeat visitors from the region, not just tourists. We feel this is exciting because it allows for ongoing relationship and involving forms of engagement over time.
BJ: What have been your impressions of Kansas City so far?
KK: The people here seem humble and dedicated to improving their community. There's a real sense of caring and forward-thinking collaboration. Kansas City is positioned as a meeting of two rivers, so it has a long tradition to all trade and cultural exchange. This leads to a diverse, welcoming environment.
The city was perhaps once considered a barrier, but people turn them into boulevards and parks, which are this mindset of using natural contours as design partners ladder, then obstacles. From limestone foundations to modern development, the city shows resilience and creativity. We hope to honor these layers and help art, environment and the community thrive together.
PJ: What have you found to be a highlight of the museum from your visit? It could be a particular collection or a piece of artwork or something about the architecture.
KK: The Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park and gardens are more than scenic backdrops. They encourage informal activities like walking, picnicking or sketching. Our team were amazed by the museum's wide-ranging collection, with a special appreciation for its strong Asian art holdings. Families, students and art lovers treat the museum as both a world-class institution and social gathering place.
This shows the outdoor spaces can be even further activated with cultural events and educational programs. By pairing lively outdoor areas with thoughtful interior design, the museum can keep growing as a community center's destination.
BJ: What have you found most compelling and challenging about the competition brief?
KK: The 1933 neoclassical building by Wight and Wight is grand, yet can feel intimidating. We must honor its heritage while making it friendlier for a broader audience. In the US, preservation of options prioritizes the building itself. We prefer an approach similar to conservation, adapting old structure for modern use.
In Japan, we preserve crafts and tradition more than just physical form, and we want to unite these ideas with the 1933 building and the new edition. We need clear circulation and transparency so visitors can move freely among the 1933 building, the Bloch addition and the new extension. Yet we also need to speak wonder and host immersive art experiences, balancing everyday needs with moments of delight.
Our goal is to preserve the museum’s gravitas while introducing new element that truly opens the space to everyone. Finding this sweet spot between functional and poetic is what excites us.
PJ: What has inspired your approach to the competition brief? You've touched on that a little bit.
KK: Yes, we find inspiration from the site and from nature here. The rolling hills and limestone blocks guide our design concept, blurring the boundary between architecture and nature. Using local limestone and a warm natural palette helps land the new structure in Kansas City's landscape. This approach also links the museum's historic architecture to a more sustainable future.
Using familiar and natural elements empowers a sense of belonging and regional identity. To create an inviting museum for people all ages, we positioned the new education wing and art creation space as the northwest corner of the site, making the new program accessible to all and carrying visitors towards the historic building.
By we being past and present, we hope to embrace overlooked histories, new technologies, and spirit of inclusion. It was important to us that we tackle all corners of the site and introduce new pathways, connecting the edge of the site to each program.
BJ: What trends do you foresee emerging in museum and/or cultural architecture over the next decade?
KK: As museums are moving from closed-off to open, transparent and flexible spaces, rather than isolating art, they're bringing it closer to everyday life, so visitors feel welcome from the moment they arrive. We see more emphasis on porches and covered passages that connect indoors and outdoors. These features bring nature inside while encouraging free-flowing movement and casual gatherings. Museums will increasingly anchor their neighborhoods by offering flexible gatherings for inclusive events and open-access programs. This transforms them into essential public realms, reflecting local voices and needs. Also flexible gathering spaces: coffee and restaurant play an important role in energizing the museum. They offer informal places of gathering, so they encourage conversation, exchange, and community connections. Technology will become more integral into the building itself. Beyond just screens in galleries, digital art and media require new types of exhibition spaces. Integrating and harmonizing these with nature and the garden is the challenge for the museums now.
Transcript has been edited for clarity.
Photo of Kengo Kuma courtesy of J.C.Carbonne and Kengo Kuma & Associates
