An Investigation On Tadao Ando's Phenomenological Reflections
An Investigation On Tadao Ando's Phenomenological Reflections
An Investigation On Tadao Ando's Phenomenological Reflections
ISSN: 2008-5079
ABSTRACT: Although Tadao Ando never refers to phenomenology explicitly, concentrating on his
numerous texts and writings reveals that his way of thinking on architecture implies some essential themes
and concerns, which are fundamentally related to the “phenomenological discourse” in both philosophy
and architecture. Concepts and ideas such as union of subject and object, space, body and movement,
memory, corporeality, multi-sensory perception, etc. are all essential themes in Ando’s reflection
on architecture, which point to the common concerns in phenomenological discourse of architecture.
This essay first discovers Ando’s basic phenomenological concerns based on a thematic analysis of his
writings and words through which his central phenomenological concerns and their similarities and
differences with the ideas and thoughts of other phenomenologists such as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-
Ponty, Norberg-Schultz, Pallasmaa, and Frampton are discovered. At the end, it is concluded that existing
phenomenological reflections in Ando’s architectural thought and work are not the result of his systematic
investigation and reading of theoretical texts about the philosophy of phenomenology, but rather they are
more rooted in his personal state of mind, his way of learning and understanding architecture, his cultural
background and attention to the Eastern-Japanese way of thinking, and to some extent studying the works
of some architectural theoreticians like Norberg-Schulz and Frampton.
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Shirazi M.
TADAO ANDO’S PHENOMENOLOGICAL living of that distance, the surrounding space becomes
CONCERNS, A THEMATIC ANALYSIS manifested as a thing endowed with various meanings
and values. The world that appears to Man’s senses and
In this section, by means of thematic analysis, Ando’s the state of Man’s body become in this way interpreted”
phenomenological reflections will be investigated, (Ando, 1988, p.453).
trying to highlight their similarity or interconnectivity According to Ando, to perceive an object, the distance
with phenomenological reflections of some leading between self and the object must be changed, and this
phenomenologists. In general, Ando’s phenomenological is fulfilled through movement. Shintai moves – in fact,
concerns can be categorized under four main themes of exerts its directionality through de-distancing – and
“Shintai, body, and multi-sensory architecture”, “culture, thus spatiality emerges. “Spatiality is the result, not of a
Critical Regionalism, and tectonics”, “light, darkness, single, absolute direction of vision, but of a multiplicity
and tectonics”, and “place, Enclosed Domain and Genius of directions of vision from a multiplicity of viewpoints
Loci”. made possible by the movement of the shintai” (Ibid.).
Ando calls this process “mutual articulation of the body
Theme 1: Shintai, Body, and Multi-sensory and the world.” The body as shintai, indeed, is the true
Architecture and authentic “self”.
The importance of movement for Ando can be seen in
Ando resists the Newtonian concept of space and
the way one approaches his buildings. Mainly in religious
rejects the separation of subject and object, mind
buildings, Ando avoids direct entry into the interior and
and body, by means of referring to the Japanese term
presents a kind of hierarchical approach by using paths,
“shintai”. He explains that “by shintai I mean a union
pillars, walls, and colonnades (Fig. 1). This idea – like
of spirit and flesh. It acknowledges the world and at the
“perspectival perception” of Merleau-Ponty by which he
same time acknowledges the self” (Ando, 1988, p.453).
acknowledges that perception is originally perspectival
His understanding of the “body” as “shintai”, thus, brings
and there is no perspectiveless position – highlights
him close to those thinkers who reject the Cartesian
the vital role of movement in perceiving the work of
dualism of spirit and body, from Husserl to Merleau-
architecture and presents a “poetics of movement” as
Ponty. He states that “Man is not a dualistic being in
Plummer (2002) calls it.
whom spirit and flesh are essentially district, but a living,
corporeal being active in the world” (Ibid.). This active
body engages with the world as a whole, as a union of
subject and object, mind and flesh.
This understanding from the shintai as the union of
body and mind is a basis for our perception of the world.
According to Ando, man articulates the world through
his body as the reference point and centre of perception.
Since our body is essentially heterogeneous - that is, it
has a top and a bottom, a left and a right, and a front and a
back - “the articulated world in turn naturally becomes a
heterogeneous space” (Ando, 1988, p.453). Accordingly
a “here and now” and subsequently a “there” and “then”
appears. As Merleau-Ponty points out, “Our body and
our perception always summon us to take as the centre
of the world that environment with which they present
us” (Merleau-Ponty, 1962, p.285). Here and there, in
fact, point to our existentiality and spatiality. We feel Fig. 1. Hierarchical approach to the Water Temple (Source:
different directions and positions within our immediate the author)
surroundings. This is indeed due to the directionality of
the body, and the body orients itself towards things. This Body, on the other hand, is a combination of different
directionality, which intends to fill the distances – what senses through which our percept from the world is
Heidegger (1996) calls it de-distancing – makes place obtained. In contrast to vision-oriented architecture
meaningful. Ando says that of the time, Ando states that “Architectural space is a
“Through a perception of that distance, or rather the phenomenon we take in not only visually but through
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Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 5(8), 21-31, Spring Summer 2012
all our senses, that is, through our whole bodies” (Ando, to uniformity and monotony through the elimination of
2005b). For example he points to his experience of differences of various cultures, Ando claims that his task
the interior space of the Pantheon while a procession is “to create places which express regional and cultural
of believers came in and started to sing a hymn. He particularities which bring out Man’s relationship to
remarks that it was the sound of space that affected him nature and other people” (Ando, 1994a, p. 476). In
strongly and gave him an impression that was not merely this sense, regional characters would be able to resist
achievable by visual perception. the standardization and severe universalization. Ando
Thus, similar to Pallasmaa, who condemns the believes that there is a kind of spirituality and ritual
supremacy of vision in the process of perception and background that “is universal for any kind of culture”
proposes an “architecture of senses” (1996a), Ando (Ando, 2002a) and claims that there is a “level of the
employs a multi-sensory attitude towards architecture. He abstract and universal” in his architecture by which
claims that “A space is never about one thing. It is a place he intends to be able to make his works regional and
for many senses: sight, sound, touch, and the uncountable universal simultaneously. As Zaha Hadid remarks “His
things that happen in between” (Ando, 2002e, p. 31). In buildings begin to carry a particular sense of universality.
fact, he pays attention to all the senses from the beginning People from different cultures find it easy to relate to his
of the design process. In the case of selecting materials he work. A Buddhist temple or a Christian church would be
remarks that they judge on materials considering “not just experienced at the level, which suggests a common root
sight, but the other senses such as touch and hearing as of all humans” (Hadid, 2002, p. 77).
well” (Ando, 1997a, p. 13). In the places that are in direct Because of the cultural and regional tendencies in
contact with the human hand or foot, natural materials are Ando’s thoughts and works, Frampton is very interested
used to provoke the senses (Ando, 1991d). For example, in his buildings and uses them as cases for his “Critical
in Japanese Pavilion in Seville he intended to make people Regionalism”. Ando and Frampton have similar opinions
aware of the odour of the wood, to emphasize the haptic concerning culture and civilization. Frampton argues that
qualities in the increasingly digitalized and vision-based “Ever since the beginning of Enlightenment, “civilization”
society. He explains: “I wanted visitors to experience the has been primarily concerned with instrumental reason,
architecture through all their senses - smell, touch, as well while culture has addressed itself to the specifics of
as with the eyes” (Ando, 1997b, p. 140). expression” (Frampton, 2002a, p. 78). In this regard,
Frampton asserts that Ando uses the material condition
Theme 2: Culture, Critical Regionalism, and of modern society, for example reinforced concrete walls,
Tectonics but at the same time he criticizes universal Modernity
from within by introducing new goals and limits for
Ando argues that in a world which is becoming more
Modern architecture. Similarly, Ando acknowledges
and more technological and computer-based, and the
that his architecture is fundamentally based on
human beings are being reduced to “masses”, the extreme
Modernist vocabulary and its technology, but rejects its
tendency towards universality eliminates differentiations
shortcomings and intends to give it “a new direction” by
between various cultures and intends to lead to a kind of
means of presenting an “aesthetic consciousness unique
standardization by which individuality is disappearing.
to Japan.” This implies a Japanized modernism; that is,
He believes that the increasing universalization,
standardization, and generalization may be useful for mingling it firmly “with natural regional features, history,
civilization, but endanger culture. In this situation, what anthropological traits, and aesthetic consciousness”
is vital for architecture is paying attention to culture rather (Ando, 1989, p. 21). In this way, Ando wants to give
than civilization, because architecture is deeply rooted in a regional identity to his architecture and create an
culture. By culture, Ando means “a background of history, architecture, which is “universal and particular at the
tradition, climate and other natural factors” (Ando, 1986, same time” (Ando, 1994a, p. 479). To be universal and
p.450). Obviously, these are all important factors, which particular at the same time is close Frampton’s idea of
give a particular character to architecture and make it “Critical Regionalism” (Frampton, 2002a, 2007).
situational. This culture-based particularity may reject
Theme 3: Light, Darkness, and Tectonics
monotone urban contexts and similar constructions in
cities and give them variety. Ando intends to capture the true character of a thing,
Thus, in a situation in which humanity is replaced to “discover the essence of a thing” (Ando, 1994b, p.
by information and individual creativity by virtual 472). To discover the essence of a thing implies being
intelligence, and in a context which leads more and more open to it, to be able to capture its true nature. He does
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Tadao Ando’s Phenomenological Reflections
this through thinking, not as intellectual reasoning, but as of the ever-changing character of light. Architecture, as
a kind of intuition by means of sketches. “Thinking is for the scene in which phenomena can be revealed, purifies
me a physicalized process, performed through sketches” light and brings it to our consciousness. Architecture helps
(Ibid.). For him sketching is a way of discovering the light to be perceived as “Light”, to show its character and
essence of the things, the very nature of phenomena (Fig. capability.
2). Because of this approach, in his work of architecture
we confront phenomena and “their desire to disclose
themselves” (Co, 1995, p. 22). As Eisenman mentions,
“Like haiku, Ando does not give us spaces which allude
to meaning, he gives us the real/concrete objects which
are meaning” (Eisenman, 1991, p. 7). The wall presents
its wallness through pure concrete, and the space shows
its spatiality through pure volumes and interiors. Werner
Blaser refers to the Greek term ‘techne’ which implies
both art and craftsmanship and states that “Tadao Ando,
the builder of meditative architecture, creates buildings
with “techne” whose beauty and contemporaneity are
compelling” (Blaser, 2001, p. 52).
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Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 5(8), 21-31, Spring Summer 2012
Ando sensitive about technology. He resists abundant He says that “Architecture is not simply the manipulation
technology and states that he intends to go beyond it of forms. I believe it is also the construction of space
to highlight spiritual and poetic aspects of a building. and, above all, the construction of a “place” that serves
As he puts it, “What I always have in mind is not a as the foundation for space” (Ando, 1990a, p. 457).
life of abundance made possible by technology but a This notion is reminiscent of the idea of Heidegger in
life of abundance that transcends technology, a life of “Building Dwelling Thinking” where by presenting an
abundance that allows for heterogeneity” (Ando, 1995, etymological study on “Raum” (space), he states that
p. 170). Going beyond the technological nihilism of “Spaces receive their being from locations and not from
the epoch implies standing “outside the constant threat “space”” (Heidegger, 1993b, p. 356).
of commodification” (Frampton, 1995a) and releasing In this way, Ando stresses the place-making task of
the imagination from mediocrity and the masses. In this architecture and considers it to be the foundation of space.
regard, Pallasmaa points out that Ando’s work represents “My aim is to struggle first with the site and thereby get
the poetry of ascetics, of concentration and reduction, a vision of the architecture as a distinct place” (Ando,
which today is an important counter to the architecture 1990a, p. 457). A distinct place is an established place by
of abundance and irresponsible “freedom” (Pallasmaa, which space is originated.
2005). In this sense, architecture creates an enclosed domain.
Taking all the above-mentioned statements into The enclosed domain is actually a parallel action to the
account, one can say that as Taki remarks, Ando is a construction of place. To construct a place, it is necessary
builder rather than an architect. “I think of Tadao Ando to delineate a distinct domain, an enclosure that denotes
as a builder rather than an architect…. At a moment an interiority while preserving its links to the exterior.
when “architects” are increasingly devoting themselves “Architecture ought to be seen as a closed, articulated
to superficial decoration, the appellation “builder” may domain that nevertheless maintains a distinct relationship
be read as a term of praise” (Taki, 1984, p. 11). Thus, with its surroundings” (Ando, 1990a, p. 457). Domains,
Ando’s architecture appears highly related to tectonics. as Norberg-Schulz (1979) shows, denote existential space
According to Frampton who has written on the difference and play an important role in “the language of architecture”.
between tectonics and scenography, tectonics intends to Moreover, as Frampton argues, in the current ubiquitous
show the poetics of construction, the ontological aspects placelessness of the modern environment, a “bounded
of building. In this regard, Frampton believes that Ando’s domain” could propose a resistance against that dilemma,
architecture is rooted in a “tectonic transformation of so that “the condition of ‘dwelling’ and hence ultimately
our being through space and time” (Frampton, 1991, p. of ‘being’ can only take place in a domain that is clearly
21) and understands his works against the scenographic bounded” (Frampton, 2002a, p. 85). This bounded domain
revetment of any kind. This character is essentially based prepares a true place, weakens general placelessness, and
on Ando’s personality as an independent architect, and leads to critical regionalism.
also on his attempt to discover and present the essence of
things, their thingness.
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Shirazi M.
To create enclosed domains, Ando uses thick concrete not a passive entity, but an active one. It proposes and
walls. By means of these walls, he is able to create an introduces. It talks to us, tells stories, and invites us to be
enclosure that gives the individual a private realm in the a good listener. A good listener is someone who tries to
dullness of the environment. “The primary significance perceive the voices of the land by being open and ready
of enclosure is the creation of a place for oneself, an to perceive. In this way, the true task of an architect is
individual zone, within society” (Ando, 1977a, p. 444). “discovering the architecture which the site itself is
This individual zone, which is separated from the cruel seeking” (Ando, 1991c, p. 461).
urban surroundings, must possess a satisfying interior. Obviously, Ando’s attention to the demand of the land
Phillip Drew interprets Ando’s house as a cosmos against is rooted in his attention to the place as an a priori. He
the chaos. He says that “The house resembles our own gives priority to place, rather than space, and the given
world, a cosmos, outside of which is chaos. This notion site which is a text with intrinsic and latent powers and
is fundamental to Ando’s architecture. The Japanese city potentialities that must be read and considered by the
is a disorderly territory; it represents chaos, in contrast architecture. Therefore, an architect “must begin with a
to the house which signifies a centred cosmic world…. careful reading of the character of the given place, and
Ando’s houses found the world by their geometry, by an accurate interpretation of the relationships woven
being cantered, and by the use of light. The thick concrete between the many forces there” (Ando, 1993d, p. 51). In
walls keep out the chaos of the city…. In essence what this connection, Ando pays attention to the capabilities
Ando is saying through the medium of his architecture is intrinsic to each site, and “reads all of these elements with
that humans cannot live in chaos; architecture therefore the utmost care- configurations of the project area, context
has a responsibility to create an ordered world… To create within the surroundings, cultural tradition of each locale,
a centre is to build a world. In doing so we establish the climatic conditions and natural features- then interprets
necessary pre-conditions for dwelling” (Drew, 1999). his perceptions of those capabilities into abstract forms”
As a true domain, we can allude to the courtyard in (Kobayashi, 1991, p. 135).
Ando’s works as a device for the “internalization of the One of the examples to which Ando refers as a true
exterior” (Taki, 1984, p. 12). They provide an authentic response to the appeal of the site is the Abbey Church at
interiority, a microcosm, in which all the natural Senanque made by Cistersian monks. He explains that it
phenomena participate. A courtyard brings the outside was their special belief that made them search for a proper
into the inside. It lets the natural phenomena come into the site for their monastery. According to him, that land was
interior and thus awakens man to the changing character so suited for a sacred architecture that “one even wonders
of nature. A courtyard may seem to be a void, but it is “a if it were not the desire of the land for the building of a
void in which all things are inherent” (Takeyama, 1995, monastery that brought them there” (Ando, 1993b, p.24).
p. 487). In other words, it was the land itself that desired that kind
As Ando puts it, “The courtyard is an important of building and they just responded to the demand of the
place where seasonal changes can be directly perceived land by means of being open to it and listening to the
through the senses. The expression of nature changes voice of the site.
constantly. Sunlight, wind and rain affect the senses and This approach to place and land is incorporated into
give variety to life. Architecture in this way becomes a the concept of “genius loci”, what Ando understands
medium by which man comes into contact with nature” it as a streaming power, which gives resounding voice
(Ando, 1995, p. 449). Thus, a courtyard brings natural to a place.1 He remarks that “genius loci” is an ever-
phenomena close to us, makes direct contact possible, changing entity: “Genius loci never remains still. It is
creates interconnections between inside and outside, and ever changing its whereabouts. It alters its course. The
establishes a microcosm in which natural and man-made manner of its movement, then, informs a place and gives
phenomena are manifested and revealed forever. it character. It transforms and renews a place” (Ando,
To establish an enclosed domain and thus disclose the 1992d, p. 100). To fix the moving genius loci in a land,
essence of place, an architect has to listen to the demand we need to make architecture. Architecture gives form to
of the given land. To catch the distinct fields of forces the genius loci and concretizes it by raising stone pillars,
within the site, it is necessary to be open to them, to erecting shrines, and constructing sacred buildings. In
attempt to perceive them. Ando finds the very question this way, the genius loci is manifested and embodied.
of architecture to be how to respond to the demands of According to Ando, Modernist architecture neglected
the land (1990a). In other words, the land, imbued with the genius loci and escaped from the land. However, he
its hidden and implicit forces, demands something. It is mentions that regaining what has been lost is not merely
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Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development, 5(8), 21-31, Spring Summer 2012
Table 1. Relationship between Ando’s phenomenological concerns and phenomneologists (Source: the author)
As can be seen in the table, similarities are This statement shows that Ando has realized the
recognizable. However, the origin of these similarities importance of Heidegger in contemporary architectural
has to be investigated and explored. In the following discourse, but it is not clear whether he has read his
discussion the possible reasons behind these similarities, books or not. On the other hand, he states that he has read
the origin of Ando’s phenomenological thinking, and his Norberg-Schulz and has found him similar to Heidegger.
sources of inspiration are investigated. Kate Nesbitt has a similar opinion and mentions that
1. Ando rarely refers to any philosopher, theoretician “While Ando’s vocabulary draws upon phenomenological
or scholar in his texts. In a conversation with Michael notions, he does not often refer specifically to this
Auping in 1998, he states that philosophical tradition. One can surmise that he is familiar
“What I have been thinking about lately is that many with Christian Norberg-Schulz and Kenneth Frampton’s
of the best architectural concepts could relate closely to writings on Heidegger and architecture” (Nesbitt, 1996,
the ideas of Martin Heidegger. I was reading a Norwegian p.456). In brief, although one cannot say for sure that
architecture critic recently, Christian Norberg-Schulz, Ando has read Heidegger directly, it is obvious that he is
and he seems to think the same thing. Heidegger suggests familiar with his ideas through Norberg-Schulz, who is
that what architecture is about is creating a living space; fundamentally influenced by Heidegger.
a space that opens the imagination of who is in it” (Ando, Referring to Ando’s phenomenological thought,
2002b, p.39).2 presented in his texts and works prior to 1990s, denotes
27
Tadao Ando’s Phenomenological Reflections
that the origin of Ando’s phenomenological concerns 3. Ando is influenced strongly by Eastern/Japanese
is not limited to reading the phenomenological texts of culture, and his architecture appears deeply Japanese.
Heidegger and Norberg-Schulz. The case of Frampton is This “Japaneseness” implies that he is essentially rooted
more helpful in this direction. Frampton has written about in Japanese tradition and culture. Japaneseness draws
Ando’s architecture extensively (Frampton, 1984, 1989, Ando’s thinking on architecture near to phenomenological
1991, 1995a, 2002b, 2002c, 2003). At the time he was discourse through two issues: nature and architecture.
advancing his concept of “Critical Regionalism” in the The Japanese way of understanding and perceiving
1980s, he concentrated on Ando’s writings and buildings nature is based on “letting it be as itself.” As Rudolf
and understood his architecture as a good example for his (1995) explains, the Japanese word for nature, “Shizen”,
theory. He invited Ando to teach in the design studio at does not allow any instrumental intervention and cannot
Yale University and had a close relationship with him. be perceived as the source of raw materials. “Shi” means
It is safe to say that Frampton played a very important itself and “Zen” means to be so. Therefore, Schizen
role in introducing Ando and his architecture to the means “to be as it is from itself” (Heidegger, 1996, p.35).
world. On the other hand, Ando has also acknowledged This understanding of nature which necessitates empathy
studying Frampton’s writings (Ando, 2002a). Thus, it with natural elements appears very close to the term
becomes obvious that Ando has been in direct contact “phenomenology” “to let what shows itself be seen from
with Frampton since the 1980s, and has been affected by itself, just as it shows itself from itself” (Heidegger, 1996,
him as a source of motivation and support. p.35). Nature is understood phenomenologically and
However, there is evidence to Ando’s attention to appears essentially “phenomenal.” Thus, the Japanese
phenomenologists before Heidegger, Norberg-Schulz, understanding of nature stands against the Western
and Frampton. In an earlier essay entitled “A Wedge in Modern understanding of nature as the source of energy
Circumstances” (originally published in 1977) he refers and raw material, and denotes to the similarity between
to Gaston Bachelard indirectly and states that “It may be Japanese thought and the phenomenological approach.
true – as Gaston Bachelard says – that all architecture Obviously, Ando’s attention to natural elements such as
has a basically poetic structure and that the fundamental water, wind, earth, light, etc. implies a phenomenological
structure of spaces cannot be given a physical attitude towards nature, and introducing them into the
manifestation” (Ando, 1977, p.444). This remark implies body of a building is one of his primary goals.3
that Ando has presumably been familiar with Bachelard, On the other hand, Ando’s deep attention to
a phenomenologist whose ideas on space and house have traditional Japanese architecture – which as he stresses
influenced architectural discourse. But it is not clear is alive in his mind unconsciously (Ando, 1984) – and
whether Ando has read him deeply or has read about experiencing it directly manifests itself in his deep
him somewhere else. In brief, it can be said that Ando attention to fundamental architectural elements such as
has been somehow familiar with the “phenomenological walls, posts, stairs, and openings. He thinks about these
discourse,” but this is not the main or the only reason for elements profoundly and presents them in his architecture
his phenomenological concerns. in a poetic and tectonic rather than a scenographic way.
2. Another reason that enters Ando into the Therefore, Ando’s concern about nature and natural
“phenomenological discourse” is his “phenomenological elements, and his interest in architectural elements and
manner”. By “phenomenological manner” I mean tectonics, which necessitates poetical construction, both
Ando’s character, personality, and method in dealing denote Ando’s phenomenological approach to nature and
with his surrounding and architectural issues. As we architecture.
know, Ando is a self-educated architect who has learned
architecture through the direct and physical experiencing
CONCLUSION
of buildings. His teachers were buildings and his device
of education was his “body” and “physicality.” Direct and A thematic analysis of Tadao Ando’s architectural
immediate experience of the works of architecture, being reflections shows that the way he formulates his approach
open to the environment, and establishing an intuitive to nature and the built environment has considerable
relationship with things are in fact fundamental matters similarities and commonalities with the way philosophical
in the phenomenological approach to things. Therefore, and architectural phenomenologists perceive the
Ando’s method of life, growth and education has granted world. In other words, there exists recognizable
him a “phenomenological manner” concerning reading, “phenomenological concerns” in his reflections, which
perceiving, and interpreting things. make him a potential phenomenologist. However, there
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ENDNOTES
1. Since “Genius Loci” is an old Western term employed
and elaborated by Norberg-Schulz, one may say that
Ando is directly influenced by him through reading his
books. In fact, Ando’s explanation on Genius Loci is
deeply similar to Norberg-Schulz’s understanding of this
concept.
2. It is hard to attribute this statement to Heidegger,
because he does not talk explicitly about the “living
space” and “imagination” in this sense. It is likely Ando’s
understanding of him if he has read Heidegger directly,
or more likely his understanding of Heidegger through
Norberg-Schulz.
3. Although Ando does not believe in “nature-as-is,”
but in changed architecturalized nature; this “change”
does not mean reducing nature or natural elements to
mere instruments. By means of an architecturalization of
nature he intends to prepare a condition in which “nature”
or “natural elements” can be perceived as “phenomena.”
In other words, he lets them be seen as they are to show
their true essence and thingness.
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