tadao ando was born in osaka, japan, in 1941. he was the first born of twin boys.

from ages 10 to 17 ando spent his time mostly making wood models of ships, airplanes, and moulds, learning the craft from a carpenter whose shop was across the street from his home. 19621962-1969, by his early twenties, ando had decided on a self-directed selfcourse of architectural study that took him throughout japan to visit temples, shrines, and tea houses, to europe, africa and to the united states. he was studying architecture by going to see actual buildings, and reading books about works of architects such as le corbusier, ludwig mies van der rohe, alvar aalto, frank lloyd wright, and louis kahn before returning to osaka at the age of 28 to open his own studio, tadao ando architect & associates. tadao ando has been a visiting professor at tokyo university, yale, harvard, and columbia.

some architectural projects: 1976 row house (azuma house) sumiyoshi, osaka 1983 ROCCO housing I, kobe, hyogo 1988 church of the light, osaka 1989 childrens' museum, himeji, hyogo 1991 water temple, awaji island, hyogo 1992 japan pavilion expo '92, seville; naoshima contemporary art museum, kagawa 1991-1993 vitra conference pavilion, weil am rhein; factory building for the company benetton in treviso, italy 1995 meditation space, unesco, paris 1998 toto seminar house, awaji, hyogo; hiroki oda museum, gamo-gun, shiga 1999 rokko housing III, kobe, hyogo 2000 fabrica (benetton research center), treviso, italy; awaji island project, awaji, hyogo 2001 theater for giorgio armani, milan, italy 2002: the modern art museum of fort worth, texas next to construction: museumfondation pinault, paris

Tadao Ando's "Church of the Light" is an excellent test environment for global illumination algorithms. A large cross set in one end of the building admits direct sunlight, and indirect sunlight is reflected into other windows on one side of the church.

CHURCH OF LIGHT

PLAN OF KOSHINO

KOSHINO

As with a number of his houses and several of his museums, Ando's Koshino House makes extensive use of the underground space,with about half of the house underground. Simply comprised of two rectangular volumes of different size arranged in parallel, the two parts are connected by a corridor, and flank a courtyard. On request of the customer, an atelier ( defined by a by a quarter-circle wall ), was later added on. Though the room is primarily underground, light comes in through narrow slits in walls and ceilings, in addition to some large windows in the living room facing the outdoor court. This house is a lovely example of Tadao Ando's masterful skill at displaying both light and space

KOSHINO

CHURCH ON WATER

This Christian church is located at Tomamu, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Sited in a large clearing in a forest of beech trees, the sloping site falls gently towards the nearby river. Ando's simple architecture seems right at home in the tranquil wilderness, bringing a very natural sense of awe to the religious setting. The Church on the Water was designed 1985-1988, and was built in mid1988.

Ando considers Rokko the best expression of his ideas for interweaving grids, geometric forms, solid space, empty space, controlled light, darkness and harmony with the natural environment

ROCCO HOUSING

Rokko Housing was one of Ando's most important housing projects. The project was constructed in two phases: the first having twenty units ( each with a terrace but differing in size and layout ), and the second comprising of 50 units, which was completed in 1993. While the units appear to be uniform on the outside, each one has a unique interior. The apartment complex was built in two stages, 10 years apart. Built of reinforced concrete around a rigid frame, Rokko Housing is framed by forest and hillside. The units are embedded in the side of a sixty degree sloping hillside with a panoramic view of Osaka Bay. Some amenities include a swimming pool and a rooftop plaza. Ando received Japan's Cultural Design Prize in 1983 for this project.

FABRICA TREVISO , ITALY

SUNTORY MUSEUM

DAY-LIGHT MUSEUM

NAOSHIMA CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM,KAGAWA,JAPAN