Minimalist Architect Tadao Ando
The legendary architect is a master of space and light.
Cover photo: Posing with Tadao Ando’s “Green Apple” and exhibition signage for Youth outside VS. in Osaka, Japan (2025).
Intro
I cannot name many architects, but if I were to choose a favorite it would likely be Tadao Ando (安藤 忠雄). Celebrated for his airy, concrete designs, he was one of many influences that sparked my interest in Japan.
Growing up in Dallas, I spent countless hours admiring his local masterpiece, the Fort Worth Modern. Meeting artist Takashi Murakami (村上 隆) here remains one of my favorite memories. Coupled with the serene reflecting pond, the building resembles a floating temple. Rendered in bare concrete and glass, it seems primordial, as if emerging from the landscape. In my view, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is one of the greatest buildings of the 21st century.
VS.
Since moving to Japan, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many more of Ando’s buildings. Recently, I attended Youth, a retrospective of his career held in his native Osaka, where he still works today. “Without the freedom and generosity of Osaka’s spirit,” Ando reflects. “I would never have become the architect I am today.”
Held at VS., a new venue Ando himself designed, the exhibition spans major projects and private commissions closed to the general public, offering a rare glimpse into the breadth of his vision. It was a not only a chance to revisit his iconic buildings, but to better understand Ando’s philosophy.
Philosophy
Ando often cites Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp Chapel (La Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut) as his greatest influence. “I was moved by the fact that architecture can bring together so many people,” he explains. “That’s when I became aware of the public nature of architecture. Architecture is not just about creating buildings, it can also change people’s lives and consciousness.”
“I use concrete because there is no decoration. Humans play the role of decoration,” Ando says. He describes his practice as an “aesthetics of subtraction.” Ando rarely speaks in terms of of minimalism, brutalism, or Zen, instead evoking ideas of emptiness, geometry, and light.
Light
“When I was 14 years old, a second story was added to our one-story home,” Ando writes in the accompanying exhibition book. “When the roof was dismantled, a gaping hole opened overhead. I was fascinated by this special moment at which a familiar house was completely transformed,” he continues.
“When you look at light, there’s a feeling that touches the heart,” says Ando. His Church of Light (Ibaraki Kasugaoka Church) in Osaka is often hailed as one of his greatest works. The humble chapel features a cross rendered in void — an absence through which natural light enters. He believes, “To master light, that alone is enough to create architecture.”
Youth
Ando’s first career was boxing, which he pursued as a teenager. He had no formal training in architecture. Now aged 83, he has survived multiple surgeries and the removal of five organs due to cancer. He has adopted a green apple as a symbol of his persistence.
I am continually surprised and inspired by the number of active seniors in Japan. I think the ultimate secret to longevity is passion.
“Everyone can live young,” Ando says, “But in order to do that, you need intelligence and stamina. It’s important to always search for novelty and find hope in everything. That’s why I wanted to create architecture that sends messages of hope, and it ended up being this green apple.”
Highlights
The show is impressive in scope. It was my first time learning of Ando’s Row House, one of his first projects. The structure is centered around an open courtyard, encouraging communion with nature. According to the audio guide, when the client complained about the floorplan, Ando simply told him to wear more jackets in winter.
As an American, I was especially struck by Ando’s proposal for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York. His design featured a spherical protrusion representing a “unified planet” — reminiscent of a Japanese burial mound. Unfortunately, Israeli-American Michael Arad’s mournful “Reflecting Absence” was ultimately chosen over Tadao’s hopeful design. Instead, Ando is better known as the architect for Hollywood stars.
Many of my favorite buildings are represented, including 21_21 Design Sight, the Hill of the Buddha, and even the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. I was surprised to learn Ando had conceived the Fort Worth Modern in dialogue with Louis Kahn’s nearby Kimbell Art Museum. In hindsight, the similarities of their rhythmic designs are obvious.
Ando’s unrealized plan for the Nakanoshima Public Hall is also on display. He had proposed inserting an egg-shaped concrete hall for the renovation. Though rejected, he revisited this idea for the Punta dell Dogana in Venice and Bourse de Commerce in Paris — both commissioned by French billionaire François Pinault. I’ve yet to visit the latter, opened in 2021, but I did visit Punta della Dogana on my last trip to Italy. The tension between the historic façade and Ando’s monastic interior is electric. The building seems to vibrate with life.
Ando is also the principal architect for Naoshima, a project lead by businessman Soichiro Fukutake (福武 總一郎) to transform the island into an arts mecca. Since the 1980s, Ando has designed ten buildings for the site, including the Naoshima New Museum of Art, which opened this past spring. I visited in 2023. It’s a truly fantastic place; the combination of nature, art, and architecture is sublime.
Inspired by Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Ando has increasingly focused on philanthropy, notably children’s libraries. “Reading nourishes the soul,” he says. He has designed and donated “Children’s Book Forests” to the cities of Osaka, Kobe, Tono, and Kumamoto, with upcoming sites in Matsuyama and Sapporo, as well as Bangladesh and Taiwan.
Conclusion
Sadly, I missed the chance to meet Tadao Ando in person, but I did purchase a signed copy of the exhibition book. I also visited the Ando-designed Ichion Contemporary nearby, opened earlier this year, a free compact gallery hosting exhibitions of avant-garde art. I hope Ando’s vessels of light continue to illuminate and inspire generations to come.
Access
Ando Tadao: Youth is open through July 21st. Adult tickets cost 1,800 yen (about 13 USD). The exhibition offers excellent English language support, including an audio guide for an additional fee. More info here.
