Architects have an obligation to protect and enhance
the environment for this and future generations, the AIA's most recent
Gold Medal recipient told a morning gathering May 10 at the AIA national
convention in Charlotte.
"Think carefully before you build something,"
said Tadao Ando, Hon. FAIA. "We have to give back to the environment
when we build. We must take great responsibility to care for the environment."
"Architects have a tremendous responsibility
to cities in particular. Often, we don't take that responsibility too
seriously," he noted.
But
by serving society, Ando said, architects can create confidence in and
respect for the profession. "Architecture is for life, so we have
to make it worth it."
Through his interpreter and a series of slides presenting
his work, Ando explained his emphasis on environmental concerns. Among
his many contributions to the field of environmental responsibility, Ando
urged government officials to purchase a barren land site for an international
garden project, which he then completed. He is also engaged in a crusade
to plant more than 300,000 trees in his hometown. "Trees will bring
communities together," he explained.
In Ft. Worth, Ando's design for an art museum is
nearing completion. He points with satisfaction to new public space and
the many trees that are incorporated in the building's space.
In addition to his emphasis on the environment,
Ando explained how a January 17, 1995, earthquake in Kobe and the surrounding
area made a profound impact on him. "It showed me that architects
also have a responsibility for the safety of others," he said. None
of the Ando-designed buildings in Kobe and in the area close to the fault
zone were damaged.
Life-long learning
Money was tight when Ando was growing up, the self-taught architect said
to explain why he has no architectural degree. He pointed to extensive
reading and study trips in his development as one of the world's most
renowned architects. Ando related how, as a teenager in Osaka, Japan,
he saved enough money to purchase a book about Le Corbusier from a secondhand
bookstore. The exposure from that book along with a trip to Tokyo's Imperial
Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, convinced the young man he wanted
to be an architect. "I studied architecture by going to see actual
buildings and reading books about them," he recalled.
Ando's first commission was for a small residence
for a family of three. Upon completion of the facility, the client couple
announced they were expecting another child. "The child turned out
to be twins. Because I too am a twin and now the house was too small for
a family of five," Ando related, "they asked me to buy it. I
did and it is now my office."
Through incremental changesvertically because
of the tight sitethe office now has two floors below ground and
five above. Each level has a narrow balcony for access to bookshelves.
"I wanted the visitor to feel surrounded by books," Ando said.
He also relayed the story of a young stray dog that
one day wandered into his office. "Sensing that architects have a
duty to protect all living creatures, we kept the dog," he explained.
They couldn't give the dog their first choice for a name, Kenzo Tange,
because that architect was still alive and well, Ando joked. So they named
the new family member Le Corbusier. Among the dog's greatest attributes,
Ando laughed, is her instinct for barking at difficult clients.
Creating connections
Ando considers Rokko Housing, an apartment complex embedded in a hillside
with a view of Osaka Bay, as representing many of ideas. The first-phase
concrete structure was 20 units, each 18'x18'. Ten years later, a second
phase on an adjacent site was constructed with 50 units. Following the
1995 earthquake, his plans for a third phase were quickly approved and
construction began.
Ando related how as the third phase developed he
saw the potential for a fourth phase on adjoining land. "The owner
of the property said, 'No.' But he is 85 years old and we believe it's
just a matter of time," he said to a burst of audience laughter.
He is now on working on construction of the 'fifth' phasea hospital.
He has spent 30 yearsthus faron the Rokko Housing project.
Another of Ando's acclaimed projects is the Buddhist
Water Temple that is entered through a stairway that parts the water of
a lotus-filled pool. The pool is actually the roof of ceremonial rooms.
He explained how Buddhist monks opposed his design until an elderly monk
greatly respected in the community stepped forward to praise the plan.
Ando said he learned a valuable lesson for all architects from this experience.
When the power leaders are with you, everyone else will follow, he said.
Ando's work, primarily in reinforced concrete, has
been said to design 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.
During a concluding question and answer session,
Ando reaffirmed his belief that architects have a responsibility to use
their business practice to both serve the client and protect the environment.
Once asked to define "architecture," Ando's
response was "Chohatsu suru hako," translated as "the box
that provides."
"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 said.
Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects.
All rights reserved.
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