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Tadao Ando. Author Nicole ollin.

Top 10 Astonishing Facts About Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando was born In the year 1941, in Osaka, Japan. When he was two years old, his family decided to separate him from his twin brother. Due to this decision, Tadao lived with his great-grandmother.

His desire to become an architect was influenced by Francesco who was an architectural historian and the winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize.

Let鈥檚 learn the top 10 Astonishing Facts about Tadao Ando.

1. Through Architecture Ando Emphasises the Association Between Nature and Architecture

Apart from speaking of the spirit of architecture, Ando strongly emphasised the collaboration between nature and architecture. Tadao main interest was to make people through architecture understand the spirit and beauty of nature.

 Tadao was a strong believer of architecture is responsible for performing the attitude of the site and which makes it visible.

2. His Work Utilized Natural Resources

Vitra Konferenz Pavillon (Conference Pavilion) at Vitra Design Museum. Architect Tadano Ando, 1992.Author Rory Hyde.A

One of the key skills of Ando鈥檚 work was the creative use of natural light. This was due to structures which followed the natural forms of the landscape where he avoided disturbing the landscape.

His buildings were always characterized by complex three-dimensional circulation paths. The paths were between interior and exterior spaces which were formed inside both large-scale geometric shapes and also in the spaces between them.

3. He Designed Different Churches

Apart from Ando鈥檚 religious architecture in Japan, he designed Christian churches in different parts of the world such as the Church of the Light. He designed in the year 1989 and also the Church in Tarumi in the year 1993.

He treated the churches similar despite displaying distinct characteristics, especially the Japanese and Christian churches. Ando similarly treats them. In one of his interviews, he said that,

鈥淲e do not need to differentiate one from the other. Dwelling in a house is not only a functional issue but also a spiritual one. The house is the locus of heart and the heart is the locus of god. Dwelling in a house is a search for the heart as the locus of god, just as one goes to church to search for god. An important role of the church is to enhance this sense of the spiritual. In a spiritual place, people find peace in their heart as in their homeland.鈥�

4. He Won an Architectural Price in 1995

In the year 1995, Ando鈥檚 work won him the Pritzker Prize for architecture, which was then recognized as the highest distinction in the field. In 1995, He decided to donate the $100,000 prize money he won to the orphans of the Kobe earthquake.

5. The Row House was one of His Famous

Row House. Author alonfloc.

Ando鈥檚 work on the Row House in Sumiyoshi was a two-story which was completed in the year 1976. It was an early work that he started to show his characteristic style in the field of architecture.

The house had three equal rectangular volumes: two of these volumes were enclosed in an interior space which was separated by an open courtyard. This house became famous because of the contrast which is between appearance and spatial organization. The contrast purpose is to allow people to have an experience of the richness of the space which is within the geometry.

6. Ando was a Self Taught Architecture

Meditation space by Tadao Ando, UNESCO, 麻豆APP. Author John Cummings.

He never attended any architecture classes instead he used other students’ notes to teach himself. As a self-taught architect, he always kept his Japanese culture and language while he always travelled around Europe for research.

Also as an architect, Ando believed in the power architecture has in changing society. He always said, “to change the dwelling is to change the city and to reform society.鈥�

Werner Blaser praised his work and said that “Good buildings by Tadao Ando create a memorable identity and therefore publicity, which in turn attracts the public and promotes market penetration.鈥�

7. He Received an Award from the Architectural Institute of Japan in 1979

Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando (pictured centre) at the Kansai Resilience Forum in Kobe, Japan.Author Thaddeus Pope.

 Due to his good work, Ando received his first award which was recognized because of the Azuma House. It was awarded by the Architectural Institute of Japan’s annual award in 1979.

The house was Completed in the year 1976 and is also known as the Rowhouse in Sumiyoshi. This house introduced his best skills in architecture such, as the smooth concrete walls with large expanses of glass. The house also had uncluttered interiors which mainly emphasised the nature of contact with the residents.

8. Ando Lectured in Different Universities

Apart from designing, Ando lectured in different universities where he taught architecture. These universities included the American universities of Yale, Columbia, and Harvard.

He considered Japan boring according to Herbert Muschamp during an interview for the New York Times in the year 1995. Instead, he preferred the United States because Americans were always encouraged to have and pursue their dreams. But In Japan, he said that “people do not let themselves dream.”

9. He Abandoned his Boxing Career for Carpentry

Ando before venturing into architecture specialized in boxing. But later he abandoned his boxing career where he preferred to be a carpenter where he started his career as a builder but not as an architect. All along Ando kept requesting his clients to accept his unconventional design ideas.

10. Ando鈥檚 Work Received the Award of the Most Impressive Work in 1992

His work on a four-story pavilion in Japan was awarded as the best impressive work of architecture during the Expo ’92 which took place in Seville, Spain. It was among the largest wooden buildings in the world.

The measurements of the pavilion were 60 meters wide, 40 meters deep, and 25 meters. He used one of the traditional construction materials in Japan, Unpainted wood.

Ando Tadao the greatest architect in Japan inspired many young people to work on their dreams no matter the challenges in life.

Throughout his work, he emphasised the importance of conserving the environment and proper utilization of natural resources.