My first encounter with Tadao Ando was in University but the true revelation came when I visited a few of his buildings on Naoshima recently, as I wrote earlier on this blog. Even though the buildings were mostly made of bare concrete, they felt very welcoming, which seemed a little contradictory at the time. This sparked in me a desire to know more about Ando’s way of designing and his philosophy. The first main thing that emerged from the books and interviews I read was the idea of locality. Buildings are designed with the surrounding environment in mind, so that there is a continuity between the inside and outside, the nature and architecture. This is particularly apparent in the Church of Light project: without the light flooding the building, it would be nothing but a bare concrete box. This attention to the environment was noted by Kenneth Frampton when he visited the Koshino House in Hyogo. Frampton felt that this building exemplified his theory of Cultural Regionalism in which he states that architecture should be both modern and rooted in its environment. Tadao Ando argues that using simple geometrical forms allows him to give priority to natural elements such as the wind or the light. Furthermore, it makes us reflect on our place in this environment: | |
“On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space... If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.”
Tadao Ando [1]
This leads me to what seems to be the second main element in his design process: the experience one has entering and being into a building. He writes: “Also of importance are the personal experiences one takes away from the architecture, as well as the impressions and memories that elements such as the surrounding nature impart on the visitor” [2].
This aspect of his work was influenced by the architect Carlo Scarpa who designed “with an exceptionally thorough consideration for humanity and the way people would feel in the spaces he created” [3].
The link with the environment is one side of these impressions, as stated earlier, the other one is about passing on the traditions of that place. This was striking at the Ando Museum on Naoshima: the traditional Japanese building was kept intact, while inside the space was divided by concrete walls. The contrast was stunning but still, both coexisted in perfect harmony, thanks to the light circulating and the use of unadorned materials (natural wood and concrete).
I recommend reading the Conversations with Students to know more about Tadao Ando’s work, but no picture or essay will ever surpass the experience of visiting one of his buildings.
1. Ivy, Robert. "The Spirit of Modernism" Architectural Record, May 2002, from ArchDaily
2, 3. Ando, Tadao; Hunter Matthew. Conversation with students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781616890704
This aspect of his work was influenced by the architect Carlo Scarpa who designed “with an exceptionally thorough consideration for humanity and the way people would feel in the spaces he created” [3].
The link with the environment is one side of these impressions, as stated earlier, the other one is about passing on the traditions of that place. This was striking at the Ando Museum on Naoshima: the traditional Japanese building was kept intact, while inside the space was divided by concrete walls. The contrast was stunning but still, both coexisted in perfect harmony, thanks to the light circulating and the use of unadorned materials (natural wood and concrete).
I recommend reading the Conversations with Students to know more about Tadao Ando’s work, but no picture or essay will ever surpass the experience of visiting one of his buildings.
1. Ivy, Robert. "The Spirit of Modernism" Architectural Record, May 2002, from ArchDaily
2, 3. Ando, Tadao; Hunter Matthew. Conversation with students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781616890704