Omonatopoeia Architecture as a Place-Making Tool for Sustainable Smart Cities- Learning from Kengo Kuma’s Projects

This paper examines some architectural projects of Kengo Kuma in Japan and his idea about Omonatopeoia architecture as a tool for sustainable place-making. Kengo Kuma uses Onomatopoeia architecture term as a design approach, which refuses to accept architecture as the subject of operations by higher-ranking actors (architects), but postulates architecture and humans on the same level. Architects are not at the head of architecture, but walk around the architecture with users, thus creating sustainable resilient environment as a vital component of smart place-making. There are several projects in Japan which illustrates his approach as beneficial for sustainable development and environmental conservation by buildings – Kitakami Canal Museum, Bato Hiroshige Museum, the Great Bamboo Wall and others will be examined to argue for the relevance of this approach to be applied beyond Japanese context.