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.