Mirroring the promise of the individual – Tadao Ando reflects on how architecture can bring people closer to their original values
The architecture of Tadao Ando bears the conceptual mark of mirrors and reflections: a hint of self awareness projected on constructed planes. A mirroring surface provides apprehension and mastery of the physical unity as well as an image in which the aspirations of the individual are reflected, outlined and potentially extended. These boundaries emerge as the source and focus of Tadao Ando’s explorations.
Ando was born in 1941 in Osaka, Japan. Growing up in a city recovering from the war, he spent most of his time outdoors. During his teen years, he worked at a local carpentry shop before adventuring into boxing. Once he decided to become an architect, he eluded traditional education in order to travel the world over several years observing cities, buildings and nature. This unconventional self-training forged a pure and unique conception of architecture, free of academic conceptions. His constant tracing over Le Corbusier’s sketches, in addition to the multiple visits to temples, shrines and tea houses in Kyoto and Nara, nourished his architectural intentions.
“I researched many architects of the past, but I would say it was Le Corbusier who had the biggest impact on me. I found his collection in a second hand bookstore when I was still a teenager at that time and tracing his works was where my self-education began. I was fumbling for a long while about questions like, ‘What is architecture at all?’ But one day I saw a picture of the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut of Le Corbusier. The picture showed a large crowd of people gathering at the chapel, and I started to think that architecture is an act of creating places where people can gather, meet, talk and interact. I continue my work, hoping that one day I will be able to create architecture where the visitors feel the light of hope and promote dialogue between each other.”
Langen Foundation, Neuss – Germany. Images and photographs courtesy of Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
This dialogue begins with self-reflection. Through the creation of balanced spaces in which nature and building share the same hierarchy, Tadao Ando emphasises the relation of the individual and its surroundings. Space and objects are not separated but are elevated in a close connection that encourages synergy: the subject-object dichotomy is dissolved. Since the beginning of his architectural career, the coexistence and juxtaposition of architecture and landscape have denoted respect for every aspect of the human condition. The individual is understood as an interrelated part of an ever-changing progression, called upon to create authentic values in close connection to the environment.
“In the Row House in Sumiyoshi, there is no water or green on the tiny site. By placing a courtyard in the central position of this small building, I attempted to bring elements of the natural environment – such as light or wind – into the everyday life of the residents. Architecture is not a self-independent individuality. In my opinion, it comes to existence only through relation to various elements of the surroundings like water, green, light or wind.”
“When it comes to design, I always carefully study the characteristics of that specific place including its history and the surrounding environment. What is reflected in the projects is my own comprehension.”
Langen Foundation, Neuss – Germany. Interior gallery.
Images and photographs courtesy of Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Through the years, the sequence of his work resembles a process of self-discovery in which concepts and ideas are applied and tested. For Tadao Ando, to think architecturally is not only to deal with function or physical conditions; before any spatiality is thought, composed and revealed, fundamental questions must be posed. Architecture should not only mirror its time but also should offer surprise, discovery and stimulation – a reflecting journey.
Metaphorically, water serves this aim and is a recurrent theme in Tadao Ando’s work. It appears as a reflection capable of creating a virtual picture with different attributes from the original object; however, it cannot be separated from it. Their intertwined duality expresses the tension between “statics and dynamics”, “artificial and natural” as well as “architecture and landscape“ ”. While Ando reflects himself in architecture, the built object duplicates itself in water – similar to a mirror in front of another, the relations of these reflections are endless.
“Water often is present in or around my buildings. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth might be a good example to explain. With the expansive water surface around, a second – reflected – image is created of the museum. This virtual picture has different attributes and it is inseparable from the real one. For me – together with light – water is an important notion to introduce movement and the elapse of time to the architectural composition. Regardless to physical scale, my intention is to create architecture that remains deeply in the heart of the people who have visited and experienced that space.”
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas – USA.
Images and photographs courtesy of Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Ando’s conceptual symbiosis, materialised through the manipulation of platonic geometry, encourages the emergence of detailed settings where time seems pervasive. Light, sequence, experience, stillness and memory naturally derive from his buildings. As a result, the architectural space acts as suggestive frame for interaction. It guides and insinuates – it does not impose.
“Architecture occupies specific places. This might sound commonsense, but I think it is extremely important to think about the implication carefully. The logic that each architectural space has, is respectively independent, however it continuously conflicts with the logic of the place the architecture is occupying. I think this collision is what devises new worlds. The logic of place, that is, the logic of nature including the surrounding environment, and the logic of architectural space is stimulating each other without reaching predetermined harmony. This constant friction is the source of the energy from where new and original things are born.”
“For example, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is situated in Texas, and the climate of the surroundings reminds me of the desert. To evade such strong sunshine, the use of deep eaves was a convenient solution. On the other side, the Langen Foundation is in North Germany, Europe with a completely different climate. Instead of a desert, we find forests here with many cloudy days. The building has a glazed roof in order to introduce more light, but at the same time big efforts were made to provide natural ventilation between the outer skin and the nested concrete volume to reduce the heat gain due to the increased glazed surface. The final forms of these two examples are results of deliberate consideration of aesthetic, functional and environmental aspects.”
Sketch by Tadao Ando for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas – USA.
Images and photographs courtesy of Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
“I am interested in the environment and sustainability and always try to be conscious about these matters when it comes to design. Recently one of my important activities is to plant trees. For example the Sea Forest Project (Umi no Mori) Fundraising Campaign was initiated to rehabilitate a garbage deposit landfill in Tokyo Bay covering 88 hectares. The forest that is under development there is the result of the act of many citizens that donated for the common purpose – continuously rehabilitating our environment.
“This site is often compared to an 18-hole golf course and according to astronauts; it is recognisable from the Moon as well. I think this might be my biggest architecture that I have ever proposed. I am extremely happy that it is moving forward and supported on an international level. I also heard that following this particular example, other similar forests are planned across the planet. I believe that bringing the importance of the environment to the people is the social responsibility of architects.”
Umi-no-mori: The Sea Forest project transforms 8 hectares of a former refuse site into a green area in Tokyo Bay.
Images and photographs courtesy of Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Ando’s architecture brings individuals closer to their original constituent values. In a way, the spatial acknowledgement of their singularity allows each subject to rise above his or her own particular and limited viewpoints, and – by returning to the source – to grasp their relation to a greater whole. In his space, the individual is not subordinated to the forces of history; contrarily, the individual explores ontological capacities, the will to power and the right to direct one’s own life. Consequently, architecture is a means that serves the construction of a future where the progression of the individual depends on the critical understanding of the past and its current effects. The future is not a physical construction but a nostalgic state where intelligence prevails.
“I started my career with designing small houses and shops of a few square metres. I luckily met good clients and had the experience of working on various projects including art galleries, museums and theatres. Now some of my works are large scaled and located all around the world – not only in Europe or America, but also in Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and Korea. From now on I would like to gradually decrease the scale of my buildings, and – I do not know in how many years, but – I would like to design a tiny dwelling like the Row House in Sumiyoshi as my last work before retirement.”
by Christian Parreno
From the Glass Archive – Issue Three – Promise
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