Advisors

Tadao Ando was born in Osaka in 1941. Self-taught in architecture. After traveling around the world, he established Tadao Ando Architect & Associates. Ando’s major works include the Row House in Sumiyoshi, Church of the Light, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Chichu Art Museum, and Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection. He has taught at Yale, Columbia, Harvard Universities, and the University of Tokyo and currently is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo. He has received numerous awards including Architectural Institute of Japan Award, Japan Art Academy Prize, Pritzker Architecture Prize, International Union of Architects (UIA) Gold Medal, Order of Culture (Japan), Grand Officer of the Order of Merit (Italy), and Commander of the Order of Art and Letters (France).

Toyo Ito was born in Seoul in 1941. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo. After working at Kiyonori Kikutake Architect and Associates, he started his own studio, Urban Robot, Which was later renamed to Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects. Ito’s major works include Sendai Mediatheque, Tama Art University Library (Hachioji campus), ‘Minna no Mori’ Gifu Media Cosmos, and National Taichung Theater. He has received numerous awards including Architectural Institute of Japan Award, Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Pritzker Architecture Prize, and International Union of Architects (UIA) Gold Medal.