The Stories of Architecture

What is it that architecture is capable of? What even is architecture, for that matter? I believe that architecture’s function, in its purest sense, is to serve as an “intermediary” between various phenomena present in our society – mediating the polarities between the artificial and the natural, the individual and society, and the present and the past. At their core, these dichotomies arise out of the conflict between the abstract and the concrete; as an “intermediary” of these elements, architecture does not prefer one over the other. Rather, it pursues a point of overlap – or seeks a way for these concepts to coexist in their state of opposition with one another. A theme symbolizing this discourse is the contrast between architecture as a concept and as a “place,” – an accumulation of material objects.

Within every place, there always lies a character that is distinct only to that space. In the process of architecture, one trains their eyes to such essences and newly constructs them into a tangible form. When I say, “character of a space,” I refer to a variety of elements: the land’s history and landscape, its vegetation, the extant structures there, as well as the sights that can be seen there. At the same time, there is no single answer as to how one should draw on such facets; one can pursue a harmony between the artificial and the natural, or conversely, seek to further emphasize the contrast between the two. Regardless of approach, however, the pursuit always remains the same – to aspire for architecture perfectly attuned to its surroundings.

The photographs I have selected show five works of architecture built outside of Japan. Each of them was built in consideration of different conditions and challenges – and therefore have come to fruition by way of divergent processes. These 11 photographs serve as a record of those “Stories of Architecture” – stories engraved so deeply within me.

Tadao Ando