Toyo Ito
India Arch Dialogue 2016
Company Name
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects
Headquarter
Tokyo, Japan
Principal Architect
Toyo Ito
Toyo Ito, graduated from the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture in 1965. In 1971, he established his own office Urban Robot, which was renamed Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects in 1979. He is among the foremost architects working today, and is internationally celebrated for his innovative projects that explore the dynamic relationships and boundaries between buildings and their environment.
AWARDS
- Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale (for Lifetime Achievement, 2002)
- Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (2006)
- Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and Arts (2008)
- Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu (2010)
- Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for the Japan Pavilion (Served as Commissioner, 2012)
KEY PROJECTS
- Tama Art University Library (Hachioji campus) (2007),
- The Main Stadium for the World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung (Taiwan R.O.C., 2009), Torres Porta Fira (Spain, 2010),
- Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, Imabari (2011),
- National Taiwan University, College of Social Sciences (Taiwan R.O.C., 2013), CapitaGreen (Singapore, 2015)
- ‘Minna no Mori’ Gifu Media Cosmos (2015)
- Under development: National Taichung Theater (Taiwan R.O.C.)
ABOUT MODEL
The Model: National Taichung Theater
National Taichung Theater has three sections – the Grand Theater, the Playhouse and the Black Box with over 3000 seats. It also houses the Art Plaza, the Arts & Creative Workshop, restaurants and cafes connected to the Park and Roof Garden. All these are connected together with a 3-Dimentional curved surface structure creating a network of vertical and horizontal tubular voids.
The architect believes that performing arts are inseparable from architectural spaces and should reinforce one another. They wanted to create a place that exuded life as also sought to surprise. Thus, breaking from convention, they created a space where people could experience theatre born from a simple “cave”. To achieve this, an “Emerging Grid” or a non-linear geometrical system, creating an organic and complex space was used.The 3D continuous curved surface was formed by manipulating the multi-layered 2D grids. By manipulating the “Emerging Grid”, functions of the theater were integrated into the “Sound Cave” organically. The Sound Cave was further divided into two zones by a thin membrane- a zone that is far away and yet connected, and a zone that is close by and yet separated by the thin membrane. Computer digital technology allowed the nonlinear system to become a reality.
The architect has aimed to create an extremely realistic spatial experience using construction processes that used primitive materials such as concrete and hand bent steel bars.
The main structure was completed in January, 2014, revealing the full picture of his vision.