Kengo Kuma Quiz: V&A Dundee, Wood Slats and Natural Materials

This Kengo Kuma quiz explores the Japanese architect who wants buildings to blend into their surroundings. Play 10 interactive questions on his idea of anti-object architecture, V&A Dundee and its cliff-like concrete panels, the Tokyo National Stadium with wood from every prefecture, slatted timber façades, a Starbucks of woven cedar sticks and his Asakusa tourist center.

Start Kengo Kuma Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Kengo Kuma from?
Dundee
Which museum did he design in Scotland?
Cliffs
What inspired V&A Dundee's façade?
Panels
What are V&A Dundee's horizontal bands made of?
Stadium
Which Olympic stadium did he design?
Wood
Where did timber for the stadium's eaves come from?
Idea
What does Kuma call his approach?
Slats
Which feature appears on many Kuma buildings?
Coffee
Which Starbucks did he design with woven cedar sticks?
Tower
Which Tokyo tourist center stacks house-like floors?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Kengo Kuma from?
Answer: Japan
He was born in 1954.
Q2: Which museum did he design in Scotland?
Answer: V&A Dundee
It opened in 2018.
Q3: What inspired V&A Dundee's façade?
Answer: Scottish sea cliffs
Horizontal panels create shadows.
Q4: What are V&A Dundee's horizontal bands made of?
Answer: Precast concrete
They wrap the building.
Q5: Which Olympic stadium did he design?
Answer: The National Stadium in Tokyo
It was built for Tokyo 2020.
Q6: Where did timber for the stadium's eaves come from?
Answer: All 47 Japanese prefectures
It celebrated the whole country.
Q7: What does Kuma call his approach?
Answer: Anti-object architecture
Buildings should not dominate.
Q8: Which feature appears on many Kuma buildings?
Answer: Wooden slats
They filter light.
Q9: Which Starbucks did he design with woven cedar sticks?
Answer: Dazaifu, near a shrine
Thousands of sticks interlock.
Q10: Which Tokyo tourist center stacks house-like floors?
Answer: Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
It faces Sensoji's gate.

Buildings That Step Back Into Nature

Kengo Kuma, born in Japan in 1954, believes buildings should blend into their surroundings rather than dominate them, an idea he calls anti-object architecture. He often uses natural materials such as wood, stone and bamboo, and wooden slats that filter light.

V&A Dundee in Scotland, opened in 2018, is wrapped in horizontal bands of precast concrete inspired by Scottish sea cliffs, casting deep shadows. For the Tokyo 2020 Olympics he designed the National Stadium, whose eaves use timber from all 47 Japanese prefectures.

His Starbucks in Dazaifu, near a famous shrine, is made of thousands of interlocking cedar sticks. In Tokyo, the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center stacks house-like floors facing the gate of Sensoji temple.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

What Kuma believes
Which materials he uses
What V&A Dundee is like
Which stadium he built
Which smaller works stand out

Did You Know?

His firm has offices worldwide.
Gardens often surround his buildings.
Plants grow on some stadium tiers.
He writes books on architecture.
Paper and fabric also appear in his work.