Hi. I am an architect. I am the only architect in the world making buildings out of paper like this cardboard tube, and this exhibition is the first one I did using paper tubes. 1986, much, much longer before people started talking about ecological issues and environmental issues, I just started testing the paper tube in order to use this as a building structure. It's very complicated to test the new material for the building, but this is much stronger than I expected, and also it's very easy to waterproof, and also, because it's industrial material, it's also possible to fireproof.
Pershendetje. Jam nje arkitekt. Jam i vetmi arkitekt ne bote qe ben ndertesa prej letre si ky tubi i kartonit, dhe kjo ekspozite eshte e para qe bera duke perdorur tuba kartoni. Viti 1986, shume kohe para se njerezit te fillonin te flisnin per problemet ekologjike dhe mjedisore, une fillova te testoj tubin prej letre ne menyre qe ta perdorja kete si strukturen e nderteses. Testimi i materialit te ri per ndertesat eshte shume i nderlikuar por ky eshte shume me rezistent nga c'e prisja, dhe shume e thjeshte ta izolosh nga uji, e po ashtu, duke qene material industrial eshte rezistent dhe ndaj zjarrit.
Then I built the temporary structure, 1990. This is the first temporary building made out of paper. There are 330 tubes, diameter 55 [centimeters], there are only 12 tubes with a diameter of 120 centimeters, or four feet, wide. As you see it in the photo, inside is the toilet. In case you're finished with toilet paper, you can tear off the inside of the wall. (Laughter) So it's very useful.
Me pas ne 1990-n ndertova strukturen e perkohshme, Kjo eshte ndertesa e pare e perkohshme e bere prej letre. Ka 330 tuba, me diameter 55 cm, ka vetem 12 tuba me diameter 120 cm. Sic e shikoni ne kete fotografi, brenda eshte tualeti. Ne rast se mbeteni pa leter higjenike, mund te grisni pak nga brendesia e murit. (Te qeshura) Pra eshte shume e dobishme.
Year 2000, there was a big expo in Germany. I was asked to design the building, because the theme of the expo was environmental issues. So I was chosen to build the pavilion out of paper tubes, recyclable paper. My goal of the design is not when it's completed. My goal was when the building was demolished, because each country makes a lot of pavilions but after half a year, we create a lot of industrial waste, so my building has to be reused or recycled. After, the building was recycled. So that was the goal of my design.
Ne vitin 2000, ishte nje ekspozite e madhe ne Gjermani. Me kerkuan te projektoja godinen, sepse tema e ekspozites ishte Problemet mjedisore. U zgjodha per te ndertuar seksionin me tuba kartoni, leter te riciklueshme. Objektivi im i projektimit nuk ishte perfundimi. Objektivi im ishte shembja e godines. Sepse cdo shtet nderton shume seksione, por pas 6 muajsh, krijohen sasi te medha mbetjesh industriale, qe godina ime duhet te riperdoret ose riciklohet. Pas kesaj, godina u riciklua. Pra ky ishte objektivi i projektit tim.
Then I was very lucky to win the competition to build the second Pompidou Center in France in the city of Metz. Because I was so poor, I wanted to rent an office in Paris, but I couldn't afford it, so I decided to bring my students to Paris to build our office on top of the Pompidou Center in Paris by ourselves. So we brought the paper tubes and the wooden joints to complete the 35-meter-long office. We stayed there for six years without paying any rent.
Me pas Isha me shume fat te fitoja dhe kompeticionin per te ndertuar Qendren e dyte Pompidou ne France ne qytetin Metz. Duke qene se isha shume i varfer, dhe doja te merrja me qera nje zyre ne Paris, por nuk mund ta perballoja ate, vendosa te sillja studentet e mi ne Paris, per te ndertuar zyren tone ne maje te qendres Pompidou, te gjithe me forcat tona. Sollem tubat e letres dhe xhuntot e drurit per te realizuar zyren 35 metra te gjate. Qendruam aty per gjashte vjet pa paguar qera.
(Laughter) (Applause)
(Te qeshura) (Duartrokitje)
Thank you. I had one big problem. Because we were part of the exhibition, even if my friend wanted to see me, they had to buy a ticket to see me. That was the problem.
Faleminderit. Kisha nje problem te madh. Duke qene se ishim pjese e ekspozites, nese nje mik i imi donte te me takonte, ai duhet te blinte bilete. Ky ishte problemi.
Then I completed the Pompidou Center in Metz. It's a very popular museum now, and I created a big monument for the government.
Me pas perfundova qendren Pompidu ne Metz. Tashme eshte nje muzeum shume i njohur, dhe krijova nje monument te madh per qeverine.
But then I was very disappointed at my profession as an architect, because we are not helping, we are not working for society, but we are working for privileged people, rich people, government, developers. They have money and power. Those are invisible. So they hire us to visualize their power and money by making monumental architecture. That is our profession, even historically it's the same, even now we are doing the same. So I was very disappointed that we are not working for society, even though there are so many people who lost their houses by natural disasters. But I must say they are no longer natural disasters. For example, earthquakes never kill people, but collapse of the buildings kill people. That's the responsibility of architects. Then people need some temporary housing, but there are no architects working there because we are too busy working for privileged people. So I thought, even as architects, we can be involved in the reconstruction of temporary housing. We can make it better. So that is why I started working in disaster areas.
Por me pas isha shume i zhgenjyer me profesionin tim si arkitekt, sepse ne nuk po ndihmojme, nuk po punojme per shoqerine, por po punojme per njerez te privilegjuar, te pasur, qeverine, zhvillues. Ata kane para dhe fuqi. Keto jane te padukshme. Keshtu qe ata na punesojne ne per te nxjerre ne dukje fuqine dhe parate duke krijuar arkitekture monumentale. Ky eshte profesioni yne, edhe historikisht eshte e njejta, edhe tani po bejme te njejten gje. Pra isha shume i zhgenjyer qe nuk po punonim per shoqerine, edhe pse ka shume njerez qe kane humbur shtepite e tyre nga katastrofa natyrale. Por me duhet te them se nuk jane me katastrofat natyrale. Per shembull, termetet nuk vrasin kurre njerez, eshte shembja e ndertesave ajo qe vret njerezit. Kjo eshte pergjegjesia e arkitekteve. Me pas njerezit kane nevoje per strehim te perkohshem, por nuk jane arkitektet qe merren me kete pune sepse ne jemi shume te zene duke punuar per te privilegjuarit. Pra mendova, edhe si arkitekte mund te angazhohemi ne rindertimin e strehimit te perkohshem. Ne mund ta permiresojme ate. Ja pse fillova te punoja ne zonat e shkaterruara.
1994, there was a big disaster in Rwanda, Africa. Two tribes, Hutu and Tutsi, fought each other. Over two million people became refugees. But I was so surprised to see the shelter, refugee camp organized by the U.N. They're so poor, and they are freezing with blankets during the rainy season, In the shelters built by the U.N., they were just providing a plastic sheet, and the refugees had to cut the trees, and just like this. But over two million people cut trees. It just became big, heavy deforestation and an environmental problem. That is why they started providing aluminum pipes, aluminum barracks. Very expensive, they throw them out for money, then cutting trees again. So I proposed my idea to improve the situation using these recycled paper tubes because this is so cheap and also so strong, but my budget is only 50 U.S. dollars per unit. We built 50 units to do that as a monitoring test for the durability and moisture and termites, so on.
Ne 1994, ndodhi nje katastrofe e madhe ne Rwanda, Afrike. Dy fise, Hutu dhe Tutsi, luftonin me njeri tjetrin. Mbi dy milion njerez u kthyen ne refugjate. Por u suprizova shume kur pashe strehimin, kampin e refugjateve te organizuar nga Kombet e Bashkuara. Ata jane shume te varfer dhe po ngrinin se ftohtit me batanije gjate sezonint te shirave, Ne strehat e ndertuara nga Kombet e Bashkuara, i jepnin thjesht nje mushama, dhe refugjateve u duhej te prisnin pemet. Por mendoni mbi dy milion njerez qe presin pemet. U kthye ne nje shpyllezim te madh dhe nje problem ekologjik. Per kete arsye filluan te sigurojne tuba dhe barraka alumini. Gjera shume te shtrenjta, qe njerezit i shesin per te fituar para, dhe fillojne serish te presin pemet. Ne kete pike propozova idene time per te permiresuar gjendjen duke perdorur tubat e kartonit te ricikluar sepse eshte ekonomik dhe rezistent. Buxheti im eshte vetem 50 dollare US per njesi. Ndertuam 50 njesi per ta perdorur si test monitorimi per rezistencen, lageshtine, termitet dhe te tjera.
And then, year afterward, 1995, in Kobe, Japan, we had a big earthquake. Nearly 7,000 people were killed, and the city like this Nagata district, all the city was burned in a fire after the earthquake. And also I found out there's many Vietnamese refugees suffering and gathering at a Catholic church -- all the building was totally destroyed.
Dhe me pas, vitin e mepasshem, ne 1995, ne Kobe te Japonise, ndodhi nje termet i madh. Pothuajse 7.000 njerez humben jeten, dhe nje qyteti si distrikti i Nagata, u dogj i gjithi ne nje zjarr pas termetit. Zbulova qe kish shume refugjate Vietnameze qe po vuanin e ishin mbledhur ne nje kishe Katolike-- ndertesa e se ciles ishte shkaterruar krejt.
So I went there and also I proposed to the priests, "Why don't we rebuild the church out of paper tubes?"
Shkova atje dhe i propozova prifterinjve, "Perse nuk e ndertojme kishen me tuba kartoni?"
And he said, "Oh God, are you crazy? After a fire, what are you proposing?"
Nje prift tha, "Oh, Zot, mos je i marre? Cfare propozimi eshte ky pas nje zjarri?"
So he never trusted me, but I didn't give up. I started commuting to Kobe, and I met the society of Vietnamese people. They were living like this with very poor plastic sheets in the park. So I proposed to rebuild. I raised -- did fundraising. I made a paper tube shelter for them, and in order to make it easy to be built by students and also easy to demolish, I used beer crates as a foundation. I asked the Kirin beer company to propose, because at that time, the Asahi beer company made their plastic beer crates red, which doesn't go with the color of the paper tubes. The color coordination is very important. And also I still remember, we were expecting to have a beer inside the plastic beer crate, but it came empty. (Laughter) So I remember it was so disappointing. So during the summer with my students, we built over 50 units of the shelters.
Ai nuk pati kurre besim tek une, por une nuk u dorezova. Nisa te shkoj e vij ne Kobe, dhe u takova me komunitetin Vietnamez. Ato po jetonin ne kete menyre me disa mushama shume te lira ne nje park. Keshtu une propozova te rindertoj. Pervesha menget dhe ngrita fonde. Krijova nje strehimore me tuba kartoni per ta, dhe ne menyre qe te ishte e lehte per ta ndertuar nga studentet dhe gjithashtu e lehte per ta prishur, perdora arka birre si themel. I kerkova kompanise se birres Kirin, sepse ne ate kohe, kompania e birres Asahi i kish bere te kuqe arkat e birres, qe nuk shkon me ngjyren e tubave te kartonit. Koordinimi i ngjyrave eshte shume i rendesishem. Dhe mbaj mend qe ne prisnim te kishte nje birre brenda arkes plastike, por ja qe na erdhi bosh. (Te qeshura) Mbaj mend qe ky cast ishte zhgenjyes. Gjate veres me studentet e mi, ne ndertuam rreth 50 strehimore.
Finally the priest, finally he trusted me to rebuild. He said, "As long as you collect money by yourself, bring your students to build, you can do it."
Ne fund, prifti me ne fund na besoi te rindertojme. Ai tha, "Persa kohe qe fondet e nevojshme i ngre vete, dhe sjell studentet e tu per ta ndertuar, mund ta besh."
So we spent five weeks rebuilding the church. It was meant to stay there for three years, but actually it stayed there 10 years because people loved it. Then, in Taiwan, they had a big earthquake, and we proposed to donate this church, so we dismantled them, we sent them over to be built by volunteer people. It stayed there in Taiwan as a permanent church even now. So this building became a permanent building.
Keshtu, shpenzuam pese jave per te rindertuar kishen. Ishte menduar qe te qendronte aty per tre vjet, por ne fakt qendroi aty per 10 vjet, sepse njerezit e pelqenin. Nje tjeter termet i forte ndodhi ne Taivan, dhe propozuam qe ta dhuronim kete kishe, keshtu qe e cmontuam, dhe e derguam atje per ta ndertuar me vullnetare. Kjo kishe eshte edhe sot ne Tajvan, si kishe e perhershme. Kjo ndertese u kthye ne nje ndertese te perhershme.
Then I wonder, what is a permanent and what is a temporary building? Even a building made in paper can be permanent as long as people love it. Even a concrete building can be very temporary if that is made to make money.
Po mendoja, c'dallim ka midis nje ndertese te perhershme dhe nje te perkoheshme? Edhe nje ndertese e bere me karton mund te jete e perhershme nese njerezit e pelqejne ate. Bile dhe nje ndertese prej betoni mund te jete shume e perkohshme nese ka perfitim nga kjo gje.
In 1999, in Turkey, the big earthquake, I went there to use the local material to build a shelter. 2001, in West India, I built also a shelter. In 2004, in Sri Lanka, after the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, I rebuilt Islamic fishermen's villages.
Ne 1999, ne Turqi ndodhi nje termet i madh, shkova atje per te ndertuar strehimore duke perdorur materiale lokale. Ne 2001, ne Indine Perendimore, ndertova po ashtu nje strehe. Ne 2004, ne Sri Lanka, pas termetit dhe cunamit ne Sumatra, rindertova fshatra te peshkatareve Islamike.
And in 2008, in Chengdu, Sichuan area in China, nearly 70,000 people were killed, and also especially many of the schools were destroyed because of the corruption between the authority and the contractor. I was asked to rebuild the temporary church. I brought my Japanese students to work with the Chinese students. In one month, we completed nine classrooms, over 500 square meters. It's still used, even after the current earthquake in China.
Ne 2008, ne Chengdu, Sichuan te Kines, pothuajse 70.000 njerez humben jeten, dhe vecanerisht shume shkolla u shkaterruan si rrjedhoje e korrupsionit midis autoriteteve dhe kontraktuesve. Mu kerkua te rindertoj nje kishe te perkoheshme. Solla studentet e mi japoneze per te punuar me studentet kineze. Ne nje muaj, perfunduam nente dhoma mesimi, rreth 500 metra katrore. Ende perdoret, edhe pas termetit te fundit ne Kine.
In 2009, in Italy, L'Aquila, also they had a big earthquake. And this is a very interesting photo: former Prime Minister Berlusconi and Japanese former former former former Prime Minister Mr. Aso -- you know, because we have to change the prime minister ever year. And they are very kind, affording my model. I proposed a big rebuilding, a temporary music hall, because L'Aquila is very famous for music and all the concert halls were destroyed, so musicians were moving out.
Ne 2009, ne L'Aquila te Italise ndodhi nje termet i madh. Kjo eshte nje foto mjaft interesante: ish Kryeministri Berlusconi dhe ish ish ish Kryeministri japonez Mr. Aso-- kjo sepse ne na duhet te nderrojme Kryeminister cdo vit. Te dy premtuan qe do te perkrahnin modelin tim. Propozova nje rindertim te madh, nje salle koncertesh te perkohshme, pasi l'Aquilla eshte teper e njohur per muzike dhe te gjitha sallat e koncerteve ishin shkaterruar, dhe muzikantet po largoheshin.
So I proposed to the mayor, I'd like to rebuild the temporary auditorium. He said, "As long as you bring your money, you can do it." And I was very lucky. Mr. Berlusconi brought G8 summit, and our former prime minister came, so they helped us to collect money, and I got half a million euros from the Japanese government to rebuild this temporary auditorium.
I propozova Kryebashkiakut, rindertimin e perkohshem te auditoriumit. Ai tha, "Persa kohe qe e ben me parate e tua, jam dakort." Dhe une isha mjaft me fat. Mr. Berlusconi solli samitin e G8, dhe ish Kryeministri Japonez erdhi, dhe na ndihmuan per te ngritur fondet e nevojshme. Une arrita te marr 500 mije euro nga qeveria Japoneze per te ringritur kete auditor te perkohshem.
Year 2010 in Haiti, there was a big earthquake, but it's impossible to fly over, so I went to Santo Domingo, next-door country, to drive six hours to get to Haiti with the local students in Santo Domingo to build 50 units of shelter out of local paper tubes.
Ne vitin 2010 ne Haiti ndodhi nje tjeter termet i madh, por eshte e pamundur te shkosh me avion atje. Keshtuqe une shkova ne vendin fqinj ne Santo Domingo, dhe mu deshen 6 ore me makine per te arritur ne Haiti. Ne bashkepunim me studentet e Santo Domingos ndertuam 50 strehimore me tuba kartoni te gjetura ne vend.
This is what happened in Japan two years ago, in northern Japan. After the earthquake and tsunami, people had to be evacuated in a big room like a gymnasium. But look at this. There's no privacy. People suffer mentally and physically. So we went there to build partitions with all the student volunteers with paper tubes, just a very simple shelter out of the tube frame and the curtain. However, some of the facility authority doesn't want us to do it, because, they said, simply, it's become more difficult to control them. But it's really necessary to do it.
Kjo ishte ajo qe ndodhi ne veriun e Japonise para dy vjetesh. Pas termetit dhe cunamit, njerezit u evakuuan ne nje palester te madhe. Por shiheni kete. Ketu nuk ka fare privatesi. Njerezit vuajne menderisht dhe fizikisht. Ne vajtem atje per te ndertuar panele ndarese me tuba kartoni me punen vullnetare te studenteve. Nje strehimoreze shume e thjeshte e krijuar me tuba kartoni dhe perde. Megjithate, disa nga autoritetet e qendres nuk deshen qe ne te benim dicka te tille. Sipas tyre do te ishte shume e veshtire per ti kontrolluar njerezit. Por ishte me te vertete e nevojshme ta beje nje gje te tille.
They don't have enough flat area to build standard government single-story housing like this one. Look at this. Even civil government is doing such poor construction of the temporary housing, so dense and so messy because there is no storage, nothing, water is leaking, so I thought, we have to make multi-story building because there's no land and also it's not very comfortable.
Atje nuk kishte hapesire te mjaftueshme per te ndertuar shtepi standarte nje kateshe si kjo ketu. Shiheni kete. Ndertimet qe po ben qeveria ne shtepite e perkohshme, jane kaq te dobta, kaq te dendura dhe te rremujshme sepse ska hapsire fare dhe qe u pikon uje. Mendova qe na duhet te bejme nje ndertese shume kateshe pasi kerkon me pak toke dhe eshte me komode.
So I proposed to the mayor while I was making partitions. Finally I met a very nice mayor in Onagawa village in Miyagi. He asked me to build three-story housing on baseball [fields]. I used the shipping container and also the students helped us to make all the building furniture to make them comfortable, within the budget of the government but also the area of the house is exactly the same, but much more comfortable. Many of the people want to stay here forever. I was very happy to hear that.
Keshtuqe i propozova kryebashkiakut ne kohen kur po beja panelet ndares. Me ne fund takova nje Kryebashkiak te sjellshem ne fshatin e Onagawa ne Miyagi. Ai me kerkoi qe te ndertonim shtepi 3 kateshe ne fushat e bejzbollit. Perdora kontejneret e transportit dhe gjithashtu studentet me ndihmuan te ndertonim mobiljet per ti bere banesat te rehatshme, dhe ne buxhetin e qeverise, duke e mbajtur siperfaqen e shtepive te njejta por shume me teper te rehatshme. Shume prej atyre njerezve vendosen te jetojne aty perhere. Isha shume i lumtur ta degjoja kete gje.
Now I am working in New Zealand, Christchurch. About 20 days before the Japanese earthquake happened, also they had a big earthquake, and many Japanese students were also killed, and the most important cathedral of the city, the symbol of Christchurch, was totally destroyed. And I was asked to come to rebuild the temporary cathedral.
Tani jam duke punuar ne Zelanden e Re, ne Christchurch. Rreth 20 dite me pare se te ndodhte termeti ne Japoni, edhe ata paten nje termet te madh, ku humben jeten shume studente japoneze, dhe katedralja me e madhe e qytetit, simboli i Christchursh, ishte plotesisht e shkaterruar. Mua mu kerkua te rindertoja katedralen e perkoheshme.
So this is under construction. And I'd like to keep building monuments that are beloved by people.
Keshtu duket ne ndertm e siper. Dhe do te me pelqente te vazhdoja te ndertoja monumente qe jane te dashura per njerezit,
Thank you very much.
Falemnderit shume.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
Thank you. (Applause)
Faleminderit. (Duartrokitje)
Thank you very much. (Applause)
Faleminderit Shume. (Duartrokitje)