Tadao Ando

Background

Tadao Ando (born 13 September 1941 in Osaka) is a Japanese architect. Carl Hansen & Søn says his interest in design began as a ten-year-old apprentice to a local carpenter, and that his interest in architecture began at fifteen, when he bought a book of sketches by Le Corbusier. English Wikipedia adds that he had no formal architectural training, worked as a boxer first and founded Tadao Ando Architects and Associates in Osaka in 1968.

Signature Style

The manufacturer describes a design philosophy that joins Japanese design traditions with modern Western expression, a minimalistic and innovative style focused on functionality, and a strong inspiration from Danish design culture and Scandinavian minimalism. Wikipedia characterises his buildings by the creative use of natural light and a concrete that he shapes with formwork.

Notable Works

• Row House in Sumiyoshi (Azuma House), Osaka, completed in 1976
• Church of the Light (1989) and Church in Tarumi (1993)
• Rokko Housing One (1983) and Two (1993) near Kobe
• The Teatro Armani in Milan, the Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis
• The TA001P Dream Chair, produced with Carl Hansen & Søn

Legacy

Carl Hansen & Søn counts over 150 construction projects in Japan and abroad and lists the Carlsberg Prize in 1992, the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, the Premium Imperiale in 1996 and the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal in 1997. Wikipedia notes that he gave the Pritzker prize money to the orphans of the 1995 Kobe earthquake.