Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect, born in 1941 in Minato ku, Osaka, who is largely self taught and known for his distinctive integration of architecture with landscape and his emphasis on the relationship between nature and built structures. His work is associated with critical regionalism and favors exposed concrete with wood textured formwork, creating a simplicity and use of empty space that has been described as a haiku effect, influenced by Japanese Zen philosophy and minimalism. Notable projects include the Row House in Sumiyoshi of 1976, the Church of the Light in Osaka of 1989, the Water Temple on Awaji Island of 1991, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth of 2002. He received the Pritzker Prize in 1995, the Royal Gold Medal from RIBA in 1997, the AIA Gold Medal in 2002 and the Kyoto Prize in 2002, and donated his Pritzker Prize money to children orphaned by the Kobe earthquake.