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When Balazs Bognar moved to Tokyo from Urbana, Ill., at age 17, he had no idea he'd end up living there for the rest of his life.
"He would take me and my mom and my brothers to cities around the country around his research and work on buildings," the 45-year-old architect tells the News-Gazette.
"I'm definitely the apple that didn't fall far from the tree."
Bognar went on to earn a master's degree in architecture from Harvard in 2000 and a bachelor's in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1996.
Now a partner at Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo, Bognar has designed buildings in more than 30 countries, including the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo, and the Portland Japanese Garden cultural village in Oregon, among others.
"I was surprised by the impact, of the cornfields and grain silos, and the beauty of the land," he tells the News-Gazette.
"It is nostalgic for me, but also the overlap with minimalist Japanese aesthetics."
Bognar's father, Botond Bognar, is the Edgar A.afel chair in architecture at the University of Illinois.
His brother, Aman Bali
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
Foundation: Community Foundation of Abilene
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The book was just one of four major voluntary commitments which will be officially registered in the UN Voluntary Ocean Commitments Database to encourage global participation.The UN Side Event...more
In South Africa, the hard-won progress of a youth-led HIV education program is threatened by international funding cuts."It provides a safe environment for us," says one youth volunteer of the...more
Galina Trush was born in 1990 in central Ukraine.The outbreak of war in Eastern Ukraine, combined with professional and financial limitations, forced Trush to make another life-changing decision:...more
Penn State's Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum.Penn State's youth food lab attends UN science, technology, innovation forum at UN in New York.The forum is part of the...more
The Sam Yates Community Foundation screened 38 students at Vashon High School this month.The Foundation plans to offer cardiac screenings to all freshman and junior students on a rotating two-year...more
'Safety, compassion, innovation': Beaufort Memorial honors top staff at Bemmy Awards.The Quality Services department took home the award for Department of the Year at BeaufortMemorial Hospital's...more
This ranking recognizes the leading children's hospitals in the U.S., featuring the top 50 hospitals.Cleveland Clinic Children's placed in all eight pediatric subspecialities: Cardiology and Cardiac...more
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Community Foundation of Sarasota County
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Delaware Community Foundation
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Key Biscayne Community Foundation
American Savings Foundation
Huron County Community Foundation
Becton, Dickinson and Company
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When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.
