Tadao Ando
Master of concrete structures, winner of prestigious awards, including the Alvar Aalto Medal and the Pritzker Prize,
and author of numerous projects that have become examples of quality modern architecture
Chichu Art Museum
in Naoshima
2004
Master of concrete structures, winner of prestigious awards, including the Alvar Aalto Medal and the Pritzker Prize, and author of numerous projects that have become examples of quality modern architecture
family family

Family, childhood and his development as an architect

On September 13, 1941, two twin boys, Takao Kitayama and Tadao Ando, were born in Osaka. It was a very difficult time in Japan, and two years later their parents decided to give one of the children to their grandmother.
Не and his grandmother lived in a poor, working-class neighborhood in Osaka. Their home was typical of 1940s Japan — made of wood, with little light inside and walls easily blown in by the wind. Ando has very fond memories of his childhood home, and says it was his cave and he loved it there.
He grew up a naughty and independent child. His grandmother never spoiled him and encouraged him to be independent in every way. In his youth, Ando often fought and was not shy about expressing his emotions.
When Tadao was 12 years old, the house needed repairs and he and his grandmother had carpenters come to visit. Young Ando marveled at how the room had changed after the work, and decided that he too would become a carpenter or an architect.
At that time it was expensive, and the boy saved his money for several weeks. Finally he bought the book and turned the pages so many times that they were almost worn out. At the beginning of his work, he kept asking himself — how would Le Corbusier do it? Later he even named his favorite dog after the great architect.
At the age of 18, Tadao Ando began visiting temples, churches and tea houses in Kyoto and Nara, learning firsthand the principles of traditional Japanese architecture. In the '60s he began traveling to Europe and America to see Western architecture. He continuously recorded his impressions of what he saw.
Ando was strongly influenced by the architecture of France. He was particularly impressed by Corbusier's Housing Unit in Marseille and the Notre Dame du Eau Temple. The minimalism and dynamism of concrete buildings and the skilful play of light fascinated him and became the basis of his own style. That's how he became the master of concrete. That's how he became the master of concrete.
Tadao and Le Corbusier
Archive
At 18, Tatao Ando's real life began
1941, Osaka

He began his career after obtaining his architect's license

After returning to Japan, Tadao Ando took an exam, obtained an architect's license and opened his own studio in 1969. At that time he was 28 years old, and no one wanted to hire a self-taught architect with no experience. But Ando was used to overcoming difficulties and continued to pursue his goals.

At first, he designed small wooden houses, furniture and interiors. His first serious client was a young family with a child who wanted to remodel their old house. But when Ando finished the work, the couple had twins, so the small house was no longer suitable for the family. At the time, Tadao Ando's firm didn't have its own office, so he decided to buy the clients' house and use it for work. Ando subsequently renovated it many times until he demolished the building and built the current office. At first Ando worked on private commissions.
His style did not suit everyone, but now, looking at his old projects, you can unmistakably recognize the architect's handwriting in them. His clients valued his vision of space, and many have lived in the houses he designed for decades. Ando says that a girl who grew up in one of his first houses in Kobe asked him 30 years later to make one just like it, only in Tokyo.
Tomishima House
1971
— One of Ando's clients
1969, beginning of career
At first, he designed small wooden houses, furniture and interiors. His first serious client was a young family with a child who wanted to remodel their old house. But when Ando finished the work, the couple had twins, so the small house was no longer suitable for the family. At the time, Tadao Ando's firm didn't have its own office, so he decided to buy the clients' house and use it for work. Ando subsequently renovated it many times until he demolished the building and built the current office. At first Ando worked on private commissions.
After returning to Japan, Tadao Ando took an exam, obtained an architect's license and opened his own studio in 1969. At that time he was 28 years old, and no one wanted to hire a self-taught architect with no experience. But Ando was used to overcoming difficulties and continued to pursue his goals.

(8) events in the life and career of Tadao Ando

He has a twin brother
(1)
Has no higher education
(2)
A self-taught architect
(3)
A great master at working with concrete
(4)
Akita Prefectural Museum of Art
1967
In 1995 he received the Pritzker Prize
(5)
Became a professor at the University of Tokyo
(6)
Master of "simple houses"
(7)
Donated all money to the victims of the Kobe
(8)
Learned from books and travels
Founded "Tadao Ando Architects & Associates"
$100,000 gave to a donation
Gave thousands of children an education
Сonnects artificial and natural light
About Tadao's life

(8) events in the life and career of Tadao

Tadao Ando's style differs from that of other architects

Tadao Ando's style differs from that of other architects

Simple geometric shapes. Using regular geometric shapes (circle, square, rectangle, etc.) and a limited set of materials, his style is immediately recognizable. With its economy and simplicity, Ando is part of a certain Japanese tradition, but also draws inspiration from the Western styles of Le Corbusier, Bauhaus and the American architect Louis Kahn.
Smooth Concrete. Ando has a predilection for concrete, the appearance of which changes over time and catches the light. With his attention to detail, he has taken his quest for perfection to the extreme by developing his specific formula . Although the concrete remains untreated, it is smooth and delicate, reminiscent of brushed or stained concrete.
Integration of natural elements. Ando uses natural elements as independent architectural elements. In his Church of Light, built in 1989 in Ibaraki, where the sun enters the building through a cross-shaped opening, it is the light that materializes the sacred quality of the place. A wonderful example of the harmony of the natural element and concrete architecture.
Architecture as a refuge. Tadao Ando's buildings are designed as shelters of tranquility behind closed doors from the urban chaos. The built environment is a refuge architecture, isolating itself from the urban public space . This is why many of his dwellings are organized around an inner courtyard, allowing light to enter and creating a protective cocoon.
Benesse House
"The Oval"
1995
The main features of the style
About Tadao's style
Chichu Art Museum
in Naoshima
2004
Tadao Ando began working on the small island of Naoshima in Japan’s Inland Sea in 1990 when he completed the Benesse House Museum and Hotel. Since then, he has built repeatedly on the island for the same client.
Located on a hillside just opposite Benesse House, the Chichu Museum, which opened to the public in July 2004, was created for a small group of art works by James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Claude Monet.

Tadao Ando's incredible world famous projects

One of Tadao Ando's first projects was the Adzuma private house in the Sumiyoshi neighborhood. In those years, most houses were wooden, but Ando built a minimalist concrete building with a box-like facade. From the outside, the house was protective of its residents: it had no windows facing the street.

But inside the architect confronted the occupants with the outside environment: right in the middle of the house he placed an open inner courtyard. If it rained, the owners used an umbrella to get from the living room to the bathroom. In 1979 the house received an award from the Architectural Institute of Japan, and Ando became a national celebrity.
House of Azuma
1976
Osaka,
Japan
About the projects
One of Tadao Ando's first projects was the Adzuma private house in the Sumiyoshi neighborhood. In those years, most houses were wooden, but Ando built a minimalist concrete building with a box-like facade. From the outside, the house was protective of its residents: it had no windows facing the street.
But inside the architect confronted the occupants with the outside environment: right in the middle of the house he placed an open inner courtyard. If it rained, the owners used an umbrella to get from the living room to the bathroom. In 1979 the house received an award from the Architectural Institute of Japan, and Ando became a national celebrity.

Tadao Ando's incredible world famous projects

Osaka, Japan
House Koshino Asia
1980–1984
Another famous project by Tadao Ando was the house for Hiroko Koshino. The architect designed it as an extension of the mountainside, placing some parts of the building underground. In this way, he preserved the natural slope of the site and made the house an extension of nature.
The house consists of two parallel buildings connected by an underground passage. All the walls are made of the architect's favorite material — concrete. Large glass windows let in light and offer a picturesque view of the garden and the hills.
— The owner of this house
Ashiya, Hyogo
The Church on the Water was built on the island of Hokkaido in 1988. At the core of the composition are two square volumes connected to each other. The upper one is a transparent cube with four closed crosses inside. The lower one is the premise of the church, the east wall of which is made entirely of glass.
The church has no familiar altar. In its place is an eloquent symbol that reminds us that the Creator is nature itself. The huge cross is located directly on the water surface of the pool.
The construction gets its name from the fact that the water, in the opinion of the author, becomes an organic part of the temple's architecture. The cross and water — the main symbols of the Christian religion — are united in the artistic image of this temple.
Shimukappu, Japan
At the same time, Ando never denied the Japanese architectural tradition. The theme of connecting a place of worship with water was used quite often in Japan. One may recall the famous Shinto shrine of Itsukushima (16th century), located in the bay of the Inner Sea of Japan.
Church on the Water
1988
The architecture of the iconic structure influences the emotions and feelings of the visitors. In this work we can also see Ando's love for contrasts: artificial and natural, closed and open, emptiness and infinity.
The contrast of the crude raw concrete with the fragile glass only enhances the emotional expressiveness of the temple. Like Ando's other works, the temple Church on the Water is devoid of any ornamentation whatsoever.
The architect does not recognize decorations at all, considering them unnecessary adornment. The Church on the Water is mainly made of concrete. Rare glass surfaces are used by the author as a means of more vivid artistic expression.
Tadao Ando was able to carry out the church project thanks to donations from parishioners. At first, the architect assumed that there would not be enough money to build a roof.

So in the first phase he conceived of building an open-air chapel, with the walls framing the sky, and the roof could be added four or five years later, depending on further funding. The staggered construction could have been a very entertaining process. In fact, the building was completed thanks to the enthusiasm of the parishioners. The box building is penetrated on the side at an angle of 15 degrees by a self-supporting wall; it divides the space of the church into two parts: the main room and the narthex.
A cross-shaped slit made in the opposite end wall of the church captures the light of the morning sun, forming a light cross.
The theme of the project was light, and the architect needed to create a dark heart in which the rays of light would look most effective. Nature is used in this case in the most abstract way. It is confined to the light, which seems to clear the architectural space.
Church of Light 1989
Ibaraki Kasugaoka, Japan
Church of Light
1989
Tadao Ando was able to carry out the church project thanks to donations from parishioners. At first, the architect assumed that there would not be enough money to build a roof.
1989
Church of Light
So in the first phase he conceived of building an open-air chapel, with the walls framing the sky, and the roof could be added four or five years later, depending on further funding. The staggered construction could have been a very entertaining process. In fact, the building was completed thanks to the enthusiasm of the parishioners. The box building is penetrated on the side at an angle of 15 degrees by a self-supporting wall; it divides the space of the church into two parts: the main room and the narthex.

See and learn more of the architect's work in the gallery below

A cross-shaped slit made in the opposite end wall of the church captures the light of the morning sun, forming a light cross.
The theme of the project was light, and the architect needed to create a dark heart in which the rays of light would look most effective. Nature is used in this case in the most abstract way. It is confined to the light, which seems to clear the architectural space.

The architect's intention was to create a vivid spatial sequence to heighten the anticipation of the statue, invisible from outside. As visitors enter the hall, they look up and see the Buddha's head surrounded by a heavenly halo.
Hill of the
Buddha
2016
Hill of the
Buddha
Simple geometry, the use of the natural environment, and very minimalist materials — Tadao Ando's recognizable style brings a bit of Japan to everything the architect undertakes. Five long pavilions with flat roofs seem to float on top of a reflecting pond.

The minimalistic style of the huge building is achieved through the use of simple materials: concrete, steel, aluminum, glass and granite. Lots of light and reflection in the water surface of the pond together cause a feeling of weightlessness, and the environment of the museum is in no way inferior to the beauty of the works of art inside.
Fort Worth Museum of Contemporary Art
1997–2003
4x4 house
The 4×4 house is a uniquely thought over design. Though a very simplistic approach to the façade. The 4×4 house is a private residential house located on the shores of the Inland Sea in Hyogo, Japan. A contemporary modern architecture design with accurate geometry of four meters long, four meters wide, and four-story-high dimensions.

The serene view of the still seawater is a sight to behold. Widely known, Ando was a problem-solving enthusiast. This site was a playground for him with an ample amount of obstacles and difficulties.
4x4 house
2003–2005
More projects

See and learn more of the architect's work in the gallery below

More projects
A cross-shaped slit made in the opposite end wall of the church captures the light of the morning sun, forming a light cross.
The theme of the project was light, and the architect needed to create a dark heart in which the rays of light would look most effective. Nature is used in this case in the most abstract way. It is confined to the light, which seems to clear the architectural space.

The architect's intention was to create a vivid spatial sequence to heighten the anticipation of the statue, invisible from outside. As visitors enter the hall, they look up and see the Buddha's head surrounded by a heavenly halo.
Hill of the
Buddha
2016
Hill of the
Buddha
Simple geometry, the use of the natural environment, and very minimalist materials — Tadao Ando's recognizable style brings a bit of Japan to everything the architect undertakes. Five long pavilions with flat roofs seem to float on top of a reflecting pond.

The minimalistic style of the huge building is achieved through the use of simple materials: concrete, steel, aluminum, glass and granite. Lots of light and reflection in the water surface of the pond together cause a feeling of weightlessness, and the environment of the museum is in no way inferior to the beauty of the works of art inside.
1997–2003
4x4 house
The 4×4 house is a uniquely thought over design. Though a very simplistic approach to the façade. The 4×4 house is a private residential house located on the shores of the Inland Sea in Hyogo, Japan. A contemporary modern architecture design with accurate geometry of four meters long, four meters wide, and four-story-high dimensions.

The serene view of the still seawater is a sight to behold. Widely known, Ando was a problem-solving enthusiast. This site was a playground for him with an ample amount of obstacles and difficulties.
4x4 house
2003–2005
Fort Worth Museum of Contemporary Art
It seems like anyone can do my job. But they can't no one can replicate my architecture
— Tadao Ando
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