Tadao Ando

When people talk about their favourite architectural style, the usually go with something elaborate; such as the endlessly sweeping lines of Gaudi to the grandiose majesty of the Taj Mahal. Mine, however, lies in the exact opposite direction, in the sublime simplicity and starkness of ultramodern minimalism.

In this rather specific niche of a genre there lies my favourite architect, a Japanese man by the name of Tadao Ando.

Tadao Ando, born in the 1940s, is a self trained architecht who has produced over 139 different works in in the past 30 odd years. His signature building materials: bare concrete, water, and light.

A truly inspiring artist, he has also won a variety of awards for his work, even garning praise from a New York architectural critic who said "Ando is right in the Japanese tradition: spareness has always been a part of Japanese architecture."(1)

For more pictures of some of Ando's more famous work, check out Sanghyun Lee's website.