Tadao Ando

I think architecture becomes interesting when it has a double character, that is, when it is as simple as possible but, at the same time as complex as possible

I create enclosed spaces mainly by means of thick concrete walls. The primary reason is to create a place for the individual, a zone for oneself within society. When the external factors of a city's environment require the wall to be without openings, the interior must be especially full and satisfying.

I believe that architecture is fundamentally a public space where people can gather and communicate, think about the history, think about the lives of human beings, or the world.

All architecture has a public nature, I believe, so I would like to make a public space.

I like ruins because what remains is not the total design, but the clarity of thought, the naked structure, the spirit of the thing.

In the West there has always been the attempt to try make the religious building, whether it's a Medieval or Renaissance church, an eternal object for the celebration of God. The material chosen, such as stone, brick, or concrete, is meant to eternally preserve what is inside.

When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature - this very unique to Japan.

Without this spirit, Modernist architecture cannot fully exist. Since there is often a mismatch between the logic and the spirit of Modernism, I use architecture to reconcile the two.

If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.

When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space.

You can't really say what is beautiful about a place, but the image of the place will remain vividly with you.