Words Manon Baeza. The White Tree is the name given to the first major project initiated in in France by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
According to the project website , the White Tree, or Arbre Blanc, is the fruit of an encounter between Japan and the Mediterranean. A new contemporary emblem in the heart of the Mediterranean city, the White Tree is a cultural hybrid that blends avant-garde French architecture with Japanese culture and heritage. The project was brought to fruition by Sou Fujimoto, at the height of his artistic powers.
Having graduated from engineering school in Tokyo in , the architect founded his agency, Sou Fujimoto Architects , in He began to make a name for himself in after winning the young architect prize three years on the trot at the Architectural Review Awards , one of the most prestigious international architecture prizes.
In , Sou Fujimoto published Primitive Future , his first manifesto that advocates a philosophy of intuitive and unconstrained architecture and that became a best seller in its year of publication.
It is therefore unsurprising that he was subsequently invited to exhibit at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in , representing the Japanese pavilion.
