by Katharine Logan

Japanese architect Tadao Ando has been named the 2002 recipient of the AIA Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Institute of Architects. Known for his mastery of sculpting serenity in concrete, Ando is the AIA's 59th gold medalist.

The AIA has also given the 2002 Architecture Firm Award to Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates (TVS), of Atlanta, Georgia, whose work excels in design and commitment to community and sustainability.

Ando's Introspective Legacy

David H. Watkins, FAIA, the Texas regional director who nominated Ando for the award describes Ando as "that rare architect who combines artistic and intellectual sensitivity in a single individual, producing buildings, large and small, that both serve and inspire."

Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1941, Ando educated himself as an architect by reading and traveling extensively. He established his practice in 1970, coming to prominence in 1976 with the Azuma House, a row house that embodied what would evolve as the essential principles of Ando's architecture. Kenneth Frampton describes these principles as "creating introspective microcosms to stand against the urban chaos of the late modern world."   >>>

Tadao Ando has been named the 2002 recipient of the AIA Gold Medal. Photo: Courtesy Tadao Ando Pool at the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum by Tadao Ando. Photo: Courtesy Tadao Ando   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.