Tadao Ando

I visited Naoshima recently and stayed in one of the buildings designed by Tadao Ando. What a great experience. This little book focuses on the architectural works of Tado Ando in Naoshima. I remember asking one of the guides; "How was it that all these buildings were designed by the one architect?" And the response was that the financier behind all these projects liked his work. It certainly gives a sense of unity about the art-led rejuvenation of the Island of Naoshima. Although the book show more is small it is beautifully illustrated with photographs and some drawings and also gives enough of the history of the projects and works to give some understanding. The version that I have is in English and French. Personally, I would liked to have slightly more technical information about how Ando is able to get such a high finish to his concrete work. But the emphasis is much more about the design and the integration of the designs with the landscape. In the case of the main museum...most of it is underground. This is a great little book about Ando's works on Naoshima but it is not the definitive work on Ando the man or Ando the architect. Definitely recommend it. show less

The most recent installment in the series features six lectures by Tadao Ando at the University of Tokyo in 1998, a time when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Quake hit Kobe. This English-language publication comes a year after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, a fact that Ando makes explicit in the preface. In response to both events the architect has planted trees to "create an opportunity for ... spiritual recovery." The last of the six lectures deals with this response to the earthquake that show more hit Kobe, but the other five give a glimpse into Ando's thinking when he was taking his architecture beyond the confines of Japan. Some of the most valuable passages recall his early days and projects, and how his studio is an example of "living architecture." show less

This book is as much about the photography than the architecture. Richard Pare is a UK photographer with a deep insight into Ando's work. His photograph's pick up on Ando's penchant for the abstract and turn minimalist concrete structures into images of beauty.

Monograph Library - shelved at: B11:CORBUSIER