In His Element: Tadao Ando on the Emotional Power of Architecture

Pristine concrete surfaces. A lofty atrium flooded with natural light. Huge architectural models mounted on the walls. A single boxing glove. Tadao Ando’s architecture studio reflects the aesthetics and ideologies of its inhabitant more accurately than any other. As featured in the fifth anniversary edition of Port Magazine — and now available to read in full on its website — Ando granted Alyn Griffiths a rare glimpse of his self-designed workspace in Osaka, Japan, revealing a studio that beautifully personifies the Japanese architect’s idiosyncratic creative spirit. Every surface within Ando's studio is covered with creative materials, from sketchbooks and journals to architectural models mounted on the walls. Ando originally designed this building as a private residence for a family, but as it neared completion, the couple discovered they were expecting twins and realized the house would be too small. Instead, Ando adopted it as his studio, and extended it three times before rebuilding completely to accommodate his growing team in the early 1990s. Arranged around a soaring, quadruple-height atrium, various open-plan spaces are populated with desks and tables, piled with Ando’s sketchbooks and models dotted throughout. The studio is full of creative tools and stylish curios, ... , Paul Keskeys, read more http://ift.tt/1T4td4Y