Kaohsiung Statium via bestourism.com

Porta Fira Hotel by Dorma world

The Seoul-born mastermind relocated with his family to Tokyo at age two, and after the death of his father at age 12, worked within his family business making misco until enrolling at the University of Tokyo. While being a student, his love and life was increasingly steered towards architecture. Toyo worked for Kiyonori Kikutake Architect and Associates from 1965 to 1969, and in 1971 he started his own studio in Tokyo named Urbot, but changed to Toyo Ito & Associates in 1979. Since then he has expanded his works to the world and has grown in favour and stature.

Modern library by Baan-Photography

Throughout most of his career he has been an acclaimed and recognized architect, of which the evidence is his ten-years-in-a-row nomination for the Pritzker prize before, finally, being granted the honour of winning this year. The prize was designed in order to honour a living architect whose work demonstrates an arrangement of qualities: talent, vision, and commitment. And more importantly, it aims to reward work produced that has a consistent and significant contribution to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

“Creator of timeless buildings,”

is just one of the many praises sung for him by the Pritzker Jury, who feel that his work has always allowed for expression and dimension. Ito has described architecture to be the ‘clothing’ for urban inhabitants and has identified that, with every work completed, he feels more and more inadequate and therefore moves his energy towards new projects.

image for Domus

“I will never fix my architectural style and never be satisfied with my works.”

Sendai image by Nacasa & Partners

Post by Jared Ethan Blake

Images via toyo-ito.co.jp, domusweb.it, dorma.es, bestourism.com, nacasa.co.jp, iwan.com