LIST STATEMENT “TADAO ANDO”

1. When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit
together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that
space. 
2. In all my works, light is an important controlling factor.
3. You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around
you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to
interpret what you see.
4. I create enclosed spaces mainly by means of thick walls. The primary reason is to create a place
for the individual, a zone for oneself within the society. When the external factors of a city
environment required the wall to be without openings, the interior must be especially full and
satisfying.
5. In architecture, there is a part that is the result of logical reasoning and a part that is created
through the senses. There is always a point where they clash. I don't think architecture can be
created without that collision.
6. I wanted to make concrete more beautiful than the natural stones.
7. The aim of my design is to impart rich meaning to spaces through natural elements and the many
aspects of daily life
8. I think that architecture must possess from the beginning this spiritual root or background, which
is universal for any kind of culture.
9. “the most suitable material for realizing spaces created by rays of sunlight,”
10. “In my opinion, the darkness creates the opportunity to think and contemplate.” the balance if
dark and light can shift depending on the context.
11. is my independent architectural theory ordered on the basis of a geometry of simple forms, my
own ideas of life, and my emotions as a Japanese."
12. “Only space has the power to intensify our emotions,” Ando writes.
13. When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its
relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature - this
very unique to Japan. -Tadao Ando (Dian Istiana)
14. In the West there has always been the attempt to try make the religious building, whether it's a
Medieval or Renaissance church, an eternal object for the celebration of God. The material
chosen, such as stone, brick, or concrete, is meant to eternally preserve what is inside. - Tadao
Ando.
15. "Architecture not only mirrors the times; it must also offer criticism of the times. It represents an
autonomous system of thought. To think architecturally is not merely to deal with external
conditions or to solve functional problems. I am convinced that architects must train themselves
to ask fundamental questions, to give free rain to their individual architectural imaginations, and
to consider people, life, history, tradition and climate. We must create architectural spaces in
 which man can experience - as he does with poetry or music - surprise, discovery, intellectual
stimulation, peace and joy of life" Tadao Ando
16. Light is the origin of all being. Striking the surface of things, light grants them an outline;
gathering shadows behind things, it gives them depth. Things are articulated around borders of
light and darkness, and obtain their individual form, discovering interrelationships, and become
infinitely linked.” -Tadao Ando
17. "Architecture, which acquires tranquility and balance thanks to geometric order, obtains
dynamism thanks to natural phenomena and human movements."
18. “The building is intended as a center for exhibiting and studying the culture of the Age of Tumuli,
and my proposal was to create an environmental museum that incorporates not only the Tumuli
scattered around the site but the natural environment of the burial mounds.” Tadao Ando
19. “I attempted to generate a dynamic sequence of spaces appropriate to the exhibition’s scale.” “I
decided to integrate the surrounding environment into the architecture, to create a place
appropriate to the history’’
20. "I see it as the creation of a space to inspire visitors and even expand their consciousness. I want
to create a very stimulating place, where works of art are not exhibited merely as specimens but
also speak to us as living things."
21. "but it must be filtered through my own vision and my own experience. I am indebted to Le
Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, but the same way, I take what they did and interpret it
in my own fashion." Tadao Ando says, "has forgotten that space can be a source of inspiration."
22. Tadao Ando's work is known for the creative use of natural light and for architectures that follow
the natural forms of the landscape (rather than disturbing the landscape by making it conform to
the constructed space of a building). (Ali Imran)
23. he is known for making buildings with simple designs that are closely connected to the natural
environment.(Almesa)
24. Ando's architecture is characterised by the use of unfinished reinforced concrete structures,
simple geometric forms, manipulation of light, and engaging nature. (Adelina)
25. The simplicity and purity of form and materials also support what Ando has called the nature—in
particular, light, air, and water—of his architecture. (Alin)
26. Ando connects the interior to the outside by echoing these external design elements: walking,
slope, trees, and water. (Faris)
27. The first impression of his architecture is its materiality. His large and powerfull walls set a limit. A
second impression of his work is the tactility. His hard walls seem soft to touch, admit light, wind
and stillness. Third impression is the emptiness, because only light space surround the visitor in
Tadao Ando 's building.
28. The Clark says, "The selection of Mr. Ando was influenced by his other work in pristine rural
settings, where he has created modernist buildings that complement the natural beauty of their
surroundings."
29. Tadao Ando has thus succeeded in establishing a dialogue between old and new elements,
creating a link between the history of the building, its present and its future.
30. Ando believes the inconvenience and discomfort are not without recompense. His buildings force
an awareness onto their inhabitants of their place in the world. Moreover, the introspective
design of the home insulates its occupants from the sound and sights of the city and offers a
tranquil space which is still open to the sun, wind, and clouds.
31. Ando approaches the concept of the word/idea of the wall with a desire to understand the wall as
a pure object in order to first extract its meaning in our experience and then to apply it with
explicit intention to space.
32. Tadao Ando is that rare architect who combines artistic and intellectual sensitivity in a single
individual capable of producing buildings, large and small, that both serve and inspire. His
powerful inner vision ignores whatever movements, schools or styles that might be current,
creating buildings with form and composition related to the kind of life that will be lived there. 
33. I would say that Tadao Ando's architecture is after recapturing the natural sense of going from
one place to another and feeling certain magnetic or spiritual forces on the way.
34. Tadao effectively uses the smooth material to create "spaces...that allow constantly changing
patterns of light and wind..." He places much importance on light, wind and the walls that either
shield or allow nature into the structure.
35. Ando's architecture as "an assemblage of artistically composed surprises in space and form . . .
that both serve and inspire. . . with never a predictable moment as one moves throughout his
buildings.
36. His works contrast simple masses and planes with the play of light and natural elements,
emphasizing function, strength, and beauty.
37. For Ando, the Church of Light is an architecture of duality – the dual nature of [co]existence –
solid/void, light/dark, stark/serene. 
38. His spaces are composed of the bare essentials, relying heavily upon precision-cast reinforced-
concrete walls, large windows, stone floors, and active natural elements to create a spatial
experience.
23. Tadao Ando is an architect of light, a master of space, and an enigma of the architecture relm.
24. the spaces will change in size and sometimes in shape and the light will change.
25. his simple forms create spaces that interact with the outdoors and change dramatically over the
course of the day as light moves through them.
26. Mr. Ando has the ability to harmonize a building's relationship to the landscape, which will
enhance the experience of art and natural beauty
27. Ando created a geometrical and abstract form of cold concrete that contrasts the soft, warm
feeling of the furniture and the light,
28. Ando's promenades architecturales are always masterly, and in passing through the different
levels the visitor is exposed to different sensations.
29. Ando wants to create buildings that are in harmony with the environment.
30. Tadao Ando combines the influences of Japanese building traditions with the elegance of
modernism.
31. He is known for designing geometric concrete structure and his use of circular holes on the
concrete surface.
32. ando has proposed a building with a bold form: a volume with a rectangular plan from which a
shell-shaped void that suggests a wind-filled sail has been carve out.
33. Ando creates serenely austere, unornamented structures made of silky smooth concrete
punctuated by sheets of plate glass.
34. Ando is known for his subtle modernism, and for his designs that emphasize landscape and
natural context.
35. Combining influences from Japanese tradition with the best of Modernism, Ando has developed
a completely unique building aesthetic that makes use of concrete, wood, water, light, space, and
nature in a way that has never been witnessed in architecture.
36. He prefers the abstract concepts of light and nature to the physical reality of the world outside.
37. Tadao Ando is a master of minimalism, known for his use of simple materials, his light-filled
interiors, and his respect for the natural environment in which he works.
38. Constructing buildings designed by architect, Tadao Ando, is fascinating, exhausting,
challenging, demanding and very rewarding.
39. The Ando building will be a two-story rectangular structure of glass, with an outdoor terrace
overlooking the new reflecting pool, and below grade courtyards. 
40. Ando has taken the oval shape of the pool underground and made it into a sacred enclosure
within which he has organised different spaces, dividing the area in two with the long stairway
and assigning half of it to the sanctuary and the other half to the adjacent rooms.
41. Tadao Ando in his Church creates a “Magic Box” of concrete where with only three main
gestures he preserves dim light in the building and at the same time reveals the different qualities
of light and shadow from non-material to absolute materiality.
42. Yet, Tadao Ando's in-ground buildings are not dark, cave-like structures. The interiors are
illuminated through open atriums and large, deep-drawn areas of glass, thus giving light an
almost palpable form.
43. Therefore, Ando's architecture represents this void as a kind of divine fullness, and the imperfect
finishes reflect the spirit of the Japanese wabi sabi .
44. He works primarily in exposed cast-in-place concrete and is renowned for an exemplary
craftsmanship which invokes a Japanese sense of materiality, junction and spatial narrative
through the pared aesthetics of international modernism.
45. Ando's two buildings share a design part: long bars of interior space that are intersected by walls
in the form of the numeral 7, which also define outdoor space.
46. The architectural design is intended to reflect the desired objectives of hygiene, purity and
perfection.
47. His buildings often utilize natural elements such as light and water, and the buildings are often
created in natural settings, giving life to his solemn architecture and emotionless surfaces. 
48. Beloved and admired for his powerful, meditative spaces and his sensual and yet refined use of
the materials of the modern trade-wood, steel, concrete, glass-Ando's work resonates with
profound intelligence, unpretentious elegance, and an almost palpable sense of harmony.
49. This modern house is conceived as a simple block, design with three floor volume (including the
ground floor) and large opening of glass to fulfill the house with a lot of daylight.
50. Ando's sensitivity to landscape and the contemplative nature of his interior spaces led the
Institute to select him as architect for its upcoming expansion and campus enhancement.
51. Among the bamboo woods, the mountains, the rice paddies and the sea, the temple appears like
a pool of lotus flowers enclosed in a thin oval-shaped skin of concrete and sheltered from view by
smooth wings of cement.
52. Tadao Ando, known as the Architect of Silence, is a master of creating peaceful places in the
midst of bustle and rush.
53. The thought of Tadao Ando is based in the build with simple geometric shapes. The use of light
and materials can create meaningful spaces.
54. He explains that the quality of construction does not depend on the mix itself, but rather on the
form work into which the concrete is cast. Because of the tradition of wooden architecture in
Japan, the craft level of carpentry is very high.
55. Ando wanted to create an image of lightness; a lightness not expressed by the actual use of
lightweight materials, but by the way the building was constructed and conceived.
56. the concrete wall was designed and constructed with impressive care and attention to detail.
57. Ando has also created a unique, brand-new building style, half-made of thick concrete, and
simple geometric patterns
58. Ando’s architectural style tranquil and clear, for traditional Japanese architecture design
inspiration bring about epoch-making.
59. His buildings have been described as “land art” and draw influence from both his native Japan
and modernist tradition
50. The entire complex is a masterpiece of lines, a fascinating interplay between the interior and the
exterior, art and nature, massiveness and lightness.
51. The minimalist concrete architecture of Tadao Ando has roots both in Japanese traditions and in
Western architecture.
52. where the "poetic" construction of space and relationships between buildings and landscape,
between the manmade and the natural, in a compositional device typical of Ando's projects
53. designs unlike the usual where-shaped box with the main structure of the steel.
54. The spaces between the glass curtain walls and the concrete volumes provide intermittent
double-height spaces from which the visitor can view the building and its landscape.
55. Ando adapted the architecture to the topography, by burying much of the complex volume below
the ground.
56. the simplicity of his forms and the ways in which his buildings play with light.
57. his buildings "land art" that "struggle to emerge from the earth.
58. Ando has created an elegantly detailed container for art and conservation.

59. The interaction of daylight with fairfaced concrete walls plays an important part in all of the
architect’s work, which has given him the justly earned accolade of architect of light.
60. unique designs unlike the usual where-shaped box with the main structure of the steel. Also on
the altar for the semi-open lecture given message together with nature. The concept is then
brought into the church both in the design of exterior and interior design in it.
61. Ando believed that natural light and architecture was so precious that it shouldn't be vandalized,
so he manipulated the light through the interior and exteriors of buildings. In this day and age,
humans tend to get right down to the construction of tearing down objects that they perceive gets
in their way.
62. “...But from now, we must consider society more, otherwise architecture will lose its credit and its
reason to be,”
63. “...letting the outside air blow into the underground space, creating a natural ventilation system
that is energy saving.”
64. “The Shibuya Station is one of Tokyo’s most important transportation hubs, where several public
and private train and subway lines intersect, so I intended to give special attention to the smooth
circulation of people. “
65. “Since I consider architecture as something that should gently enclose people, providing safety
and peace of mind, I have always tried to create spaces that satisfy people in a spiritual way.
This attitude towards architecture has been consistent since I started my own career as an
architect.”
66. “Architecture has a strong public nature and social responsibility. Therefore, architects, through
their works, should always be concerned about the society and the local community. Architects
should have the ability to recognize and identify social problems and use architecture as a
concrete tool and way of expression to dialogue with society.”
67. "Without this spirit, Modernist architecture cannot fully exist. Since there is often a mismatch
between the logic and the spirit of Modernism, I use architecture to reconcile the two."
68. "Japanese traditional architecture is created based on these conditions. This is the reason you
have a very high degree of connection between the outside and inside in architecture."
69. "But in Japan, there's nothing like that, since the temple is made of wood. The divine spirit inside
the building is eternal, so the enclosure doesn't have to be."
70. Ando says, “I am interested in a dialogue with the architecture of the past but it must be filtered
through my own vision and my own experience. I am indebted to Le Corbusier or to Mies van der
Rohe, but in the same way, I take what they did and interpret it in my own fashion.”
71. "People should have freedom to think freely, not the freedom to do anything they like.
Architecture is the same."
72. I create enclosed spaces mainly by means of thick concrete walls. The primary reason is to
create a place 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 full and
satisfying.” –Tadao Ando
73. In its simple but rich spatial composition, in its expression of enclosure, and in the way light gives character to daily-life spaces, this
house encapsulates an image of my architecture. Tadao Ando
74. “The logic of Modernism, you could say, is born from functionalism as we know it, but that’s only
the beginning of what Modernism is all about. Modernist architecture also has to deal with
people. And people always relate to the spirit of the place, or to the spirit of the time. Without this
spirit, Modernist architecture cannot fully exist. Since there is often a mismatch between the logic
and the spirit of Modernism, I use architecture to reconcile the two.”
75. If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.
76. When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit
together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that
space.
77. When you design and build something, you have to consider what you are taking away from the
earth or the environment in order to make something new.
78. "I am sure there is no sign, don’t laugh, anywhere. An atmosphere of playfulness, not awe or
indoctrination, is the hallmark of this new paradigm of educational facility"(Nitschke, 2006). "It will
help [kids] dream" says Ando (Ehondiary, 2005).
79. …He states, “Concrete can be very rich in color…the gradations of color create a sense of depth”
(Auping 2002, p. 34).
80. Ando, speaking of another project, said “Even if the space is small there can be the potential of
the cosmos. If the space is constructed with a forceful imagination, there is the possibility of
entering the space and leaving it at the same time” (Auping, 2002, p. 22)
81. …The simplicity of color is noted by some reviewers who mention the fact that the Western
notion of child-friendly decor is less stark and angular. In the Picture Book Library the only color
is supplied by the bright patterns of the books themselves. The corridors are kept deliberately
dark, in defiance of a Western preference for evenly light-filled spaces. “You will be able to see
the light because of the darkness,” says Ando.
82. “I would like my architecture to inspire people to use their own resources, to move into the
future.”
83. “It is like the divide between the inner world of the house and the outer world of nature. I realized
that Japan is the only place where this link between exterior and interior spaces was developed
into an important architectural feature.”
84. Along the sky-lit corridor, rhythmic, almost hypnotic, shadows form geometric patterns. “I hope
that as guests enter the house they feel a sense of expectation and excitement,” says Ando.
85. “Nature is a crucial element of my residential designs,” he says. “It’s my intention to always
introduce nature to its fullest extent.”
86. Architect Tadao Ando's new Shibuya Station extension is all about making travel fun again. 'A
station should be a place where visitors think "I was glad to come to this station' or ‘that station
was fascinating",' Ando says, as he examines the three-story atrium of the nearly completed
building.
87. 'Because this station has an atrium from top to bottom, you can easily see where you are... it
gives you a sense of security,' Ando says.
88. Even the steel structure is concealed, although it appears to be revealed. What you see is
actually a carefully detailed, gray-painted sheet-metal shroud that covers the steel, meant to
express the structure behind it.”
89. Tadao Ando: Architecture is not what is perceived by just the eyes, but what is experienced
through the five senses. Therefore, they are important elements in my architecture.
90. “Architecture is not only a substantial matter. Intangible elements such as “light” and “spirit”
deepen architecture. Once buildings are built, they will have stood there for a long time and kept
influencing people when their memories and spirits are formed. I think this depth is quite
important for architectural creation.”
91. “For creating architecture, looking just a future is far from enough. We have to step forward while
looking back to the history and looking over the society. That is why history and tradition has a
big importance on the society.  I admire Japanese architectural traditions but it does not mean
that I would use its form and materials directly in my architecture. Some times I like to integrate
its spirit in my architecture.”
92. “Though each function is different, the difficulties you encounter in dealing with people, and the
challenges of thinking about spirit, are same.”
93. “First, I go to see the site, talk with clients and read the social characteristics and regional
conditions behind the project. My design always starts from having thorough dialog with these
matters.”
94. Concrete, steel and glass are the materials that represent the 20 th century and are available all
over the world. I always seek new architectural possibilities that I can create with these universal
materials. My aim always, is to create warm and rich human spaces, even while using materials
that are usually considered cold or poor.
95. My works might seem alike at first sight. However, on close inspection, they can find various
devices and difficulties in each work. My architecture results from an earnest quest for “what is
living?” and “what is residing?” I would like the young to perceive not only superficial appearance,
but my spirit and philosophy behind it, also.
96. Not a lot. "The essence of minimalism is simplicity, but simplicity without depth is merely cheap. It
is not enough," says Ando, sitting with his interpreter at a plain timber trestle table in a spare
gallery at the RA as workmen rush to get his exhibition ready for opening that same evening.
"You have to think deeply about the materials, the space, and so forth. I hope to achieve
simplicity, but I also hope to achieve depth".
97. "I believe it is important that architecture should be a space where you feel spiritually
empowered. To have particular 'styles' is somehow missing the point. There is a universality to
the human spirit that is constant, that should run through all that."
98. Ando concludes: “With these two buildings that evoke an open door to the sea, built with
materials such as concrete opposites and the wood, my intention is to strengthen the link
between architecture and landscape.”
99. Ando writes, "At times walls manifest a power that borders on the violent. They have the power to
divide space, transfigure place, and create new domains. Walls are the most basic elements of
architecture, but they can also be the most enriching."
100. Ando says, "I have the somewhat arrogant belief that the way people lead lives can be directed,
even if by a little, by means of architecture." He has also said on other occasions, "I do not
believe architecture should speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of
sunlight and wind speak."
101. “I try to relate the fixed form and compositional method to the kind of life that will be lived in the
given space and to local regional society. My mainstay in selecting the solutions to these
problems is my independent architectural theory ordered on the basis of a geometry of simple
forms, my own ideas of life, and my emotions as a Japanese.” Tadao Ando.
102. “…invites introspective reflection and bears the influence of mystical Eastern traditions. However,
the mysticism promoted here is not a historical mysticism in which the worshiper attempts to set
aside all reflection on specific, concrete historical actions in order to contemplate an eternal
nothingness. Rather, this space calls the worshiper to deep, introspective contemplation of the
very historical event of the cross.”
103. “Well, first I think that architecture must possess from the beginning this spiritual root or
background, which is universal for any kind of culture. But because architecture has to be located
in a given position, there are some specific qualities that arise from the place, arise from the
cultural context of the place. So there is a very good equilibrium between the two, between the
universal quality of spirituality within the architecture itself combined with the local specificities of
the place, of the culture. And I think that good architecture should combine these elements.
104. “...So what is very important in this richness is, I think, that you have to understand your own
direction and the purpose of how you make architecture and you are going, which is the way I
make my architecture.”
105. “Well, for me it normally starts from the very beginning, because it’s part of the process. Of
course when you think about a local material, you think about a technique which is available
within that place, or when you think about cost that a building can have, all of these come at the
very beginning of the decisional process, so it is incorporated within the very first moments.”
106. Tadao Ando: Well, first when you talked about ‘landscape’, the world itself sounded almost like a
design, but design for me it’s not landscape, it’s ‘scenery’, or the atmosphere.
107. Tadao Ando: Well I think that no matter how society changes, people will still live in a society,
people will still have their lifestyle, so I think that the concept of place of course may somehow…
may be changed, because of the technology, because of the cultural planet, but there are so
many things that will stay unchanged.
108. “This building has floated on the water since the fifteenth century, and it is my intention to make it
float on the water toward the future,” explained Tadao Ando at the presentation of the plans in
 2007. “It is a very old building, and it was very difficult to study its history so as to preserve its
original structure and innovate toward the future. I will use a 20th century material, reinforced
concrete, inserting it into this setting with its 15th century structures”
109. 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 outside world. I create architectural order on the basis of
geometry squares, circles, triangles and rectangles. I try to use forces in the area where I am
building, to restore the unity between house and nature (light and wind) that was lost in the
process of modernizing Japanese houses during the rapid growth of the fifties and sixties."
110. In the words of architect Tadao Ando, “Spatial experiences in childhood exert an enormous
influences on one’s later life. For that reason, we ought to create buildings that are not only safe
and functional but endowed with aesthetic individuality so that they leave an imprint on human
memory”
111. “Since the 1970s, architecture had become mediocre and everywhere the same. When I created
the Row-house in Sumiyoshi in 1975, I wanted to proclaim in some way my intention toward
society, that is, my intention with respect to expression, and the fact that I had chosen to live in
freedom”
112. “The union or mixture of technology and nature is the most important characteristics of Ando’s
works. He doesn’t reject technology and uses it as only parts in his works. He wrote that now it is
needed to have dialogue between people and history, between the new and the old, between
nature and technology and, people and people . . . , not meritocracy or functionalism”
113. “The space is defined by an exposed concrete wall that is 6 meters in both diameter and height.
Natural light enters from above. That’s all there is to the space. Stones exposed to the atomic
bomb in Hiroshima are used for the floor and the stepped bottom of the pond. Water flows
around the space, suggesting a clear stream. The water is also intended to appease the souls of
the dead”
114. “I felt that the clash between the expressive potential of the slope and the expressive potential of
architecture might yield some new discovery with respect to context or regional character”
115. “Sitting housing on a sloping site seemed to me the best way to express richness and variety”
116. “Maintaining an attitude of resistance toward existing social conditions requires tremendous
physical and spiritual energy. However, I want to continue to take such a stance”
117. “Dhows float over the voids of the interior space and help create an intense visual experience by
relating objects to one another and to the museum architecture as a whole,” explained Ando.
“Below ground, there is a second space – a reception hall with an enormous aquarium. A
traditional dhow floats over the aquarium and is seen from different perspectives.
118. “In order to emphasise the simple, but powerful, shape of the building, the surrounding landscape
is organised in grid form. Rows of trees line the forecourt of the site, creating an oasis-like border
that allows visitors to transition gradually between the dynamic city and the more serene and
contemplative space of the museum.”
119. “As I was working as an architect, I started to think what I could do for society, because I was
gaining influence. Mother Earth is very sick, so architects should speak out more.”
120. “Working collaboratively with such uncompromising artists was incredibly demanding. However,
the numerous changes and modifications made with each visit to the construction site have given
the works a vitality and reality unique to this place. For me, the exciting collaboration with these
artists has provided a rare and stimulating opportunity to reconsider the architecture and to
rethink what it means to create.”
121. Ando continues, "Later my interest gradually concentrated on architecture, which makes possible
the consideration of intimate relations between material and form, and between volume and
human life. The aim of my design is, while embodying my own architectural theories, to impart
rich meaning to spaces through natural elements and the many aspects of daily life. In other
words, I try to relate the fixed form and compositional method to the kind of life that will be lived
in the given space and to local regional society. My mainstay in selecting the solutions to these
 problems, is my independent architectural theory ordered on the basis of a geometry of simple
forms, my own ideas of life, and my emotions as a Japanese.
122. In his own words, "This small house was the point of origin for my subsequent work. It is a
memorable building for me, one of which I am very fond. This house replaced the middle portion
of three row houses in an older section of central Osaka. My intention was to insert a concrete
box in this center section and to create a microcosm within it, a simple composition with diverse
spaces and dramatized by light. The house completely closes itself from the street. An
indentation on the front wall serves as entry. A courtyard is the center of the space, flanked on
one side on the first floor by the living room on one side, and on the other: the kitchen, dining
room and bath. The second floor is a master bedroom on one side, and the children's on the
other."
123. Ando explains, "The industrial revolution made possible the production of standardized building
materials, including concrete, steel and glass, and techniques for using these materials are found
in architecture worldwide, thus transcending nationality to produce a Modernism that is
international, an open principle. I am applying this vocabulary in an enclosed realm of life styles
and regional differences. Many attempts have been made before to link this open vocabulary to
the indigenous Japanese tradition of aesthetics and forms. For a number of reasons, including
the vastly different life styles of the past to today, most of these attempts failed. My effort is to
preserve Japanese residential architecture's intimate connection with nature and the openness to
the natural world, what I call enclosed Modern Architecture, a restoration of the unity between
house and nature."
124. Ando says of the Church on the Water, "By placing a cross in a body of flowing water, I wanted to
express the idea of God as existing in one's heart and mind. I also wanted to create a space
where one can sit and meditate."
125. “Restaurants are different from more ‘serious,’ architecture,” he explains. “I recognize them as
places for entertainment.”
126. Ando himself says of the Azuma House: "In its simple but rich spatial composition, in its
expression of enclosure, and in the way light
127. Tadao Ando: The wind from the ground floor can be combined with the wind generated by train.
So it is not necessary to have a ventilation system. There is no other train stations in the world
where you get natural air at 30 meters below the ground. With this structure, you can see the
train even from the upper stairs.
128. I am sure that the construction company thought it was difficult. But they made an effort and did
it. This is a modern station but at the same time it is Japanese. Old Japanese houses are
meticulously built. You can see that here. Also, the techniques of the construction workers are
impressive. We need to respect them more since they are the ones who built Japan after the
destruction of the world war.
129. “I think that architecture should seek for something more interesting. If we think “this station is
interesting”, then we have a conversation with the station. If you think that it is “your station”, then
you will keep it clean as well.”
130. Ando creates spaces of enclosure rather than openness. He uses walls to establish a human
zone and to counter the monotony of commercial architecture. On the exterior, the wall deflects
the surrounding urban chaos, while on the interior it encloses a private space.
131. Ando developed a radically new architecture characterized by the use of unfinished reinforced
concrete structures. Using a geometric simplicity which reveals a subtlety and richness in spatial
articulation, Ando has generated an architecture that shares the serenity and clarity that
characterize traditional Japanese architecture.
132. Architecture Week has called his buildings "a continuous play of light on concrete" and he is
noted for his attention for materiality, particularly concrete.
133. This negativity, Frampton says, is represented in Ando’s designs by “the monotonality of his
architecture” and a “sense of nihilistic muteness” reminiscent of Adolf Loos. In Ando’s
architecture the muteness is also achieved by the relation between walls and pillars as well as
 the play between translucence and opacity; creating spaces which are penetrated through a
ceremonial route (the labyrinth) marked by sequential elements and a play with natural light.
134. ...Ando seems to have paid lots of attention to the identity of the place and in this sense provides
an exploratory journey for the user. He provides a boundary with the position of the semi-circular
wall and with the gateway creates the perception of being inside or outside. Also, with the thin
and transparent glass envelope he sets a slight boundary between inside and outside, between
man and nature, integrating them more than separating them.
135. ...It seems that the use of Ando’s precedents grew out a concern toward the local cultural
potential (identity of the place and of the users) and became part of his worldview (the identity of
the architect).
136. The main construction materials in the architecture of Tadao Ando are steel, glass, wood.
137. Ando limited the architecture only to an underground structure and refused to have an exterior
design rising out of the ground.
138. The Church of the Light embraces Ando’s philosophical framework between nature and
architecture through the way in which light can define and create new spatial perceptions equally,
if not more so, as that of his concrete structures.
139. The concrete construction is a reinforcement of Ando’s principal focus on simplicity and
minimalist aesthetic.
140. ...Rejecting the traditional Japanese method of openness, Ando instead creates enclosed spaces
whilst employing a creative use of natural light that exist together in splendid contradiction.
141. The approach towards the design is towards a more journey process in the temple. The strategy
of gradual disclosure and surprise begins to unfold in the long approach to the temple.
142. …Buddhism permits multiple belief systems and still, Ando is more disposed to Shintoism and its
worship of nature than to Buddhism. He has said he wants to invest his buildings with emotion by
bringing nature into them.
143. The temple concept was not easily accepted. One monk said Ando's two Christian chapels were
"sacred," but the forms were "humanist," and the religious symbols were "applied." The temple
would never have been realized without a powerful congregation member who championed it.
144. Critics say "a tension-rich rhythm develops out brightly and darkly, from open and closed zones"
(Hofmeister, 2008, p. 41). "Like so many of his greatest buildings, it pulls off a remarkable
illusion: the walls may be built from blocks of concrete, but, from the inside at least, the building
feels as if its primary materials were light and air" (Secher, 2006).
145. Ando's style is called critical regionalism by some, though “concrete regionalism” was the tongue-
in-cheek term suggested by suggested by Catherine Slessor (Wu, 2006, p.1). It could probably
also be called Vernacular Modernism (Wu, p.1). The style is modern, simple, and creates a
sense of space and intimacy. Ando's Japanese aesthetic is not regional in the sense that he uses
shoji screens or tatami mats, but rather that he uses techniques like dark narrow corridors
opening into light-filled space as would be seen in traditional Japanese farmhouses. He also
uses free-standing concrete walls to reflect light, which, in effect, become walls of light.
146. …The environmental benefits of Ando’s new building don’t stop at getting people to leave their
motors at home. The design allows fresh air and light to circulate via the atrium and a ventilation
shaft, and the glass-fibre reinforced concrete skin of the ‘spaceship’ incorporates a water-cooling
system.

147. Both buildings deal with horizontal layers (the “multi layered cake effect”)
148. Significant source of inspiration is the inner courtyard building type.
149. The Upper floors are “dependent on the hillside”.
150. Various materials and configurations are used to highlight the differences between floors.
151. In the West there has always been the attempt to try make the religious building, whether it’s a
Medieval or Renaissance church, an eternal object for the celebration of God. The material
chosen, such as stone, brick, or concrete, is meant to eternally preserve what is inside.
152. Tadao established in his work relationships between three main elements: order, people, and
emotive force. He does this very well by using natural elements such as light, which is an
important factor in all his projects, the sky and the wind.
153. Tadao Ando’s design embodies the pure, unadorned elements of a modern work of art. Massive
planar walls of architectural concrete boldly express the building’s basic structure while
protecting the collection within.
154. It is Ando’s choice of simple materiality-the sparse sleekness of steel, his primary use of
concrete, the use of glass to utilize natural light and the unique attention paid to the surrounding
environs combined with his superior craftsmanship that make his spaces compelling.
155. Tadao Ando. His architecture speaks volumes so quietly.
156. The museum almost resembles a gate into the water from the island, an intentional move Ando
was attempting to achieve by "defining a space of encounter between two important landscape
elements of Abu Dhabi’s culture."
157. By using simple geometric shapes to form his buildings, Ando has created a mix of modern
architecture and traditional Japanese architecture.
158. Most of Tadao Ando’s architecture, particularly in the early period, is built in concrete which is
very rare used as the “final product”, because it is “ugly” compared with other refined
construction material. However, at least in my eyes, it is very typical Japanese aesthetics. In
Japanese traditional aesthetics system (wabi-sabi), the feel of rustic, austere, or sort of “stark
beauty” is the best representative. Besides, it also signifies the spirit of Zen, namely, the
tranquility. For people whose eyes have been used to enjoy the gorgeous and splendid aspect of
any building or shape, such Japanese style might be a little bit dull, it just has to invite your soul
to joining such appreciation more than let your eyes lingering lonely around those facades or
walls.
159. The structure of Tadao Ando’s building could be categorized into contemporary architecture, it
actually also speaks for the ancient Greek’s spirit. Look at those columns, when they are
integrated into Tadao Ando’s building, we can say it’s traditional but it’s modern as well. It’s
eastern but it’s western undoubtedly. Perhaps the secret of design just relies on the skill how to
put different elements in an interesting and new way, also keep another level of harmony even
you are trying to build the leaning roof which you think it could be cutting-edge design.
160. It goes without saying, the structure is inspired by western, plus some part of structure comes
from ancient China, but the whole “atmosphere” is exactly rooted from ancient Japanese
aesthetics, or say, philosophy.
161. The new Ando is turning increasingly to glass to open up his buildings more to the outside world.
He likens his use of transparent envelopes around his solid buildings to the traditional Japanese
veranda or engawa: a space that mediates between indoors and outdoors. This may have the
effect of making his austere architecture more palatable to conservative western nations such as
ours: but Ando gives the impression of being in no hurry. If he ever builds in Britain, he says, he
would like a city location resonant with tradition: that is why he liked Bankside, and part-icularly
Shakespeare's Globe theatre alongside.
162. Tadao Ando's in-ground buildings are not dark, cave-like structures. The interiors are illuminated
through open atriums and large, deep-drawn areas of glass, thus giving light an almost palpable
form. Stillness and contemplativeness rank among the qualities of this architecture,
corresponding herein to Far Eastern spirit. In the face of increasing environmental damage and
urban housing problems, architectural strategies have to be developed that respect nature and
do not put extra pressure on urban surroundings. With his sunken structures, Tadao Ando
succeeds in building in accordance with nature, at the same time connecting tradition and
present - thus making the cultural history of building relevant for the present.
163. Tadao Ando, I find his use of concrete, glass and light remarkable.
164. “I have the hypothesis that the things being artificial should be put in the environment being full of
nature. Ando should personify this contrast” (Fukutake).
165. John Morris Dixon of Progressive Architecture wrote in 1990: "The geometry of Ando's interior
plans, typically involving rectangular systems cut through by curved or angled walls, can look at
 first glance rather arbitrary and abstract. What one finds in the actual buildings are spaces
carefully adjusted to human occupancy." Further, he describes Ando's work as reductivist, but
"...the effect is not to deprive us of sensory richness. Far from it. All of his restraint seems aimed
at focusing our attention on the relationships of his ample volumes, the play of light on his walls,
and the processional sequences he develops."
166. Ando's Azuma residence saying, "The value of (this house) as architecture does not necessary
come from some stylistic method or abstract concept aimed at making Architecture out of a
commission for a house in Osaka; it comes instead from a fundamental way of thinking about
building a house for an inhabitant. Ando's approach is to connect the art of building to the art of
living." Most of Ando's peers and architectural critics agreed, as evidenced by the Japanese
Architectural Institute's annual award for the house.
167. Tadao Ando known for his ascetic palette of concrete and nature, Ando’s creation of place event
is done with the forms and geometries of built surfaces and their interaction with water, plantings,
sky and light that make clear and complimentary interactions between the built and unbuilt
environments. 
168. Ando’s architecture is unique and world renown because it demonstrates an essence of
architecture devoid of decoration and ostentation that acts not as a shelter from the world but
rather a temple to it.
169. There is little doubt that anyone in the world of architecture will not be aware of his work. That
work, primarily in reinforced concrete, defines spaces in unique new ways that allow constantly
changing patterns of light and wind in all his structures, from homes and apartment complexes to
places of worship, public museums and commercial shopping centers.
170. Ando employs light in the way of Le Corbusier's treatment of the Notre Dame Du Haute in
Ronchamp. He, in a deliberate manner, eat out optically and consume the seams of concrete
walls, deforming the visual impression of stable volumes, and making it seem that light is pouring
through the opened cracks.
171. It wasn't easy for the architect to persuade the authorities of the feasibility of his idea of creating
a plaza with steps leading down to the sea that would be a meeting place, a place for concerts
and events, making familiarity with the water a part of everyday life.
172. One of the earliest works of the self-taught architect Tadao Ando is the Azuma House in
Sumiyoshi, where the house is split into a spaces devoted to daily life (composed of an austere
geometry) by the insertion of an abstract space for the games of wind and light. His goal, he
says, was to introduce a question on the inertia that has invaded human dwellings.
173. Jay A. Pritzker, president of The Hyatt Foundation, which established the award in 1979, quoted
from the jury's citation which describes Ando's architecture as "an assemblage of artistically
composed surprises in space and form . . . that both serve and inspire. . . with never a
predictable moment as one moves throughout his buildings.
174. Pritzker affirmed the jury's choice, saying, "Ando conceives his projects as places of habitation
not as abstract designs in a landscape. It is not surprising that he is often referred to by his
professional peers and critics as being as much a builder as an architect. That emphasizes how
important he considers craftsmanship in accomplishing his designs. He requires absolute
precision in the making and casting of his concrete forms to achieve the smooth, clean and
perfect concrete for his structures."
175. Bill Lacy, executive director for the international panel of jurors that elects the Laureate each
year, quoted further from the formal citation from the jury which states, "Ando has accomplished
an extraordinary body of work. His powerful inner vision ignores whatever movements, schools
or styles that might be current, creating buildings with form and composition related to the kind of
life that will be lived there.
176. "A key part of Ando's architectural philosophy is the creation of boundaries within which he can
create introspective domains, encapsulating space where people can interrelate to light and
shadow, wind and water, away from the surrounding urban chaos.
177. The body of work of Tadao Ando has been notorious for the imaginative and constructive
utilization of natural light. Following the natural forms of the landscape , he is also known for this
architectural conceptualizations. Materiality is the initial impression of Tadao Ando's architecture.
The powerful and large walls of his works set a boundary. Tactility is the second impression of
Ando 's works. Admitting light , soft to touch , expressing stillness , these are what his walls
seems to impose on a person who sees or experiences his works . Emptiness is the third
impression for the visitors of his buildings due to the light space of the building 's surroundings.
178. Tadao Ando demonstrates sincere affection to the light, stone, wood and water, which are
generally considered to be the basic elements of his architectural works. This mutual
understanding between the natural elements makes the works of Tadao Ando so attractive and
essential. Austere and pure lines, alongside with conceptualism in usage of the concrete
environmental elements (including the sky) as the natural components of the architectural
ensemble, have created absolutely new collaborative practice between the architect and the
nature.
179. A concrete cylinder of forty meters in diameter houses the exhibition space and surrounds one of
the cubes, its interior perimeter lined with a ramp that that gently winds its way up to the second
floor. Exterior spaces of this building provide direct views to Himeji Castle in the near distance. In
this visual construction and topographical relationship Ando sets up an intentional dialogue
between the old and the new.
180. Ando preserved the elegant 17th-century facade of the building while using skylights to flood the
interior with light, accentuating the wood trusses of the skeleton, almost all of them original, and
the simple brick walls alternating with polished concrete panels. A mezzanine looks down over
room-sized installations on the ground floor while offering views of the lagoon through arched
windows.
181. TADAO ANDO... A truly inspiring artist, he has also won a variety of awards for his work, even
garning praise from a New York architectural critic who said "Ando is right in the Japanese
tradition: spareness has always been a part of Japanese architecture."(1)
182. As homework we given five different architects to research. Tadao Ando stood out to me. I
enjoyed his unique use of light and other natural elements through out his work. For the most
part his architecture follows the natural forms of landscape, rather than disturbing it by making it
conform to the constructed space of the building. He used water in couple of his works adding a
very tranquil setting while playing off both the reflection in the water and natural form of the
landscape. Circles and other rigorous geometrical forms are the basic forms found through out
his work.
183. The composition is based on two overlapping grids, one aligned north and the other rotated 22.5
degrees. Using these two directions, the architect composes a choreography of paths, ramps
and porches that allow a diverse set of visuals in a rather small area.
184. There is a common square: a set of ramps and bridges transforms circulation in a 3D experience,
finding an always different perception from any angle from which the space is observed.
185. Aside of the paintings the Garden lacks ornamentation. Its bare walls reflect the simplicity
typically used by the architect. Its volumetric composition, its mathematically moduled and
dynamic space, are a delight for the senses and spirit.
186. “But [Ando says] of course this is a new era, isn’t it? We wanted to try a new style.”
187. Ando's Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is comprised of five pavilions that seem to float on a
pool of water. Inside, diffuse and reflected natural light bathe the interior and the art in an even
glow.
"bahan yang paling cocok untuk mewujudkan ruang yang diciptakan oleh sinar sinar matahari,"