ABSTRACT
Tadao Ando’s architectural journey began without the formal training of a traditional archi-
tectural education or an apprenticeship. Instead, Ando began his professional life as a boxer.
Boxing instilled in Ando an understanding of the relationship between a person’s body and
his or her soul.1 He also studied with a Japanese carpenter and spent his free time scrutiniz-
ing the architecture of Osaka (his hometown) and the surrounding areas to fully understand
the qualities of Japanese design and construction. At 18, he received his first architectural
commission. At 24, Ando left boxing and his work behind to travel the world, closely examin-
ing the architecture of the great masters of Asia, Europe, and the Americas firsthand. Four
years later, Ando returned to Osaka and formally opened his own practice. The firm contin-
ues to create the masterpieces that have won him countless awards including the Pritzker
Architecture Prize in 1995.
