Tadao Ando Biography

From EjWiki

Tadao Ando of Osaka, Japan is a man who is at the pinnacle of success in his own nation. That work, primarily in strengthened concrete, specifies spaces in distinct new methods that enable continuously changing patterns of light and wind in all his structures, from homes and apartment or condo complexes to places of worship, public museums and Chichu Art Museum (http://Liino.Blog.Fc2.com/blog-entry-1978.html) commercial shopping.
" In all my works, light is a crucial controlling factor," states Ando. "I produce enclosed spaces mainly by means of thick concrete walls. The main reason is to produce a location for the individual, a zone for oneself within society. When the external factors of a city's environment require the wall to be without openings, the interior must be especially complete and rewarding."
And even more on the topic of walls, Ando writes, "At times walls manifest a power that verges on the violent. They have the power to divide area, transfigure place, and produce brand-new domains. Walls are one of the most basic components of architecture, but they can also be the most enhancing."
Ando continues, "Such things as light and wind only have meaning when they are introduced inside a house in a form cut off from the outdoors world. I produce architectural order on the basis of geometry squares, circles, triangles and rectangular shapes. I attempt to use forces in the location where I am structure, to bring back the unity in between home and nature (light and wind) that was lost in the process of modernizing Japanese homes during the quick growth of the sixties and fifties."
John Morris Dixon of Progressive Architecture wrote in 1990: "The geometry of Ando's interior plans, typically including rectangle-shaped systems cut through by curved or angled walls, can take a look at very first glance abstract and rather approximate. What one discovers in the actual buildings are spaces thoroughly gotten used to human occupancy." Even more, he describes Ando's work as reductivist, but "... the impact is not to deprive us of sensory richness. Far from it. All of his restraint seems targeted at focusing our attention on the relationships of his ample volumes, the play of light on his walls, and the processional series he establishes."
From ages 10 to 17, he also invested time making wood models of moulds, ships, and planes, learning the craft from a carpenter whose store was throughout the street from his house. After a short stint at being a fighter, Ando began his self-education by apprenticing to a number of relevant individuals such as designers and city planners for short durations. When I was about 18, I started to go to temples, shrines, and tea houses in Kyoto and Nara, there's a lot of great conventional architecture in the location.
About that exact same time, Ando relates that he discovered a book about Le Corbusier in a previously owned book shop in Osaka. It took a number of weeks to save sufficient money to buy it. When in his belongings, Ando states, "I traced the illustrations of his early period a lot of times that all the pages turned black. In my mind, I frequently question how Le Corbusier would have thought of this job or that." When he checked out Marseilles, Ando recalls visiting Corbu's Únite d'Habitation, and being captivated by the vibrant use of concrete. Concrete (along with steel and glass) is Ando's favorite product, he has utilized wood in a few rare jobs, consisting of the Japan Pavilion for Expo '92 in Spain.
He describes that the quality of building and construction does not depend on the mix itself, but rather on the type work into which the concrete is cast. Since of the tradition of wooden architecture" in Japan, the craft level of carpentry is very high. Wooden type work, where not a single drop of water will get away from the joints of the forms depends on this.
His type moulds, or wooden shuttering (as it is contacted Japan), are even varnished to attain smooth-as-silk finish to the concrete. The uniformly spaced holes in the concrete, that have become nearly an Ando trademark, are the result of bolts that hold the shuttering together. Ando's concrete is both structure and surface, never ever camouflaged or plastered over.
Although Ando prefers concrete, it is not part of the Japanese structure custom. "Most Japanese homes are developed with wood and paper," he describes, "including my own. I have actually lived there because I was a kid. It resembles my cave, I'm extremely comfortable there." He discussed that he was the firstborn of twin young boys. When he was 2, it was chosen that his maternal grandma would raise him, and he was provided her name, Ando. They first lived near the port of Osaka before moving to where he lives today.



When he visited Marseilles, Ando remembers visiting Corbu's Únite d'Habitation, and being interested by the vibrant use of concrete. Concrete (along with steel and glass) is Ando's preferred product, he has actually used wood in a few uncommon projects, including the Japan Pavilion for Expo '92 in Spain.
The uniformly spaced holes in the concrete, that have ended up being almost an Ando trademark, are the outcome of bolts that hold the shuttering together. Ando's concrete is both structure and surface, never camouflaged or plastered over.
Ando has a preference for concrete, it is not part of the Japanese structure tradition.