ADESPRN: 3 Architects to emulate: Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando, was born on September 13, 1941 at Osaka, Japan, fresh and recovering from the recent world war at that time. Ando grew up with her grand mother. Having a chance of getting out doors, Ando got interested on Geometric figures and models. At the age of 10 to 17, he helped then work into a local carpentry shop where his interests were broaden and awaken. Ando never het the chance to be educated formally at school but what he did was study by himself. Usually, he spent his time visiting temples and other structures that caught his eye in Japan. And then he read books about the structure that he visited. At the age of 15, he bought a book of Le Corbusier, a swiss-french architect, famous in the early 1920’s. he drew and traced sketches on the book. On 1969, he established a small firm of design and architecture that lead him to where he is now. He designed structures locally then hit it globally with decades.

His works were purely materialistic and practical, specifically when in comes into lightings and structural geometry. Simplicity by thinking of the past and having a clear vision of the future was everything for him.

“I think architecture becomes interesting when it has a double character, that is, when it is as simple as possible but, at the same time as complex as possible" – Tadao Ando

I describe his work as empty full.


The following are some of his awards:
1979- Annual prize from the architectural institute of Japan

1989- Gold medal, French academy of architecture

1992- Carlsberg architectural prize, Denmark

1995- Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres, France

1995- Pritzker architecture prize

1997- Royal gold medal, royal institute of British architects




Some of his works are:

1991-1993- factory building for the company Benetton, Treviso, Italy

1995 Meditation space, UNESCO, Paris, France

1998 Toto seminar house, Awaji, Hyogo, Japan

1999- Rokko housing III, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

2000- ‘Fabrica’ (Benetton research center), Treviso, Italy;
Awaji island project, Awaji, Hyogo, Japan

2001- Theater for Giorgio Armani, Milan, Italy

2002- The modern art museum of Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.