Le Corbusier & Tadao Ando “Conscious Inspiration”

Tadao Ando unlike most contemporary architects did not receive any formal architectural schooling. Instead, he trained himself by reading and traveling extensively through Africa, Europe, and the United States.

Tadao Ando was studying architecture by going to see actual buildings, and reading books about them. His first interest in architecture was nourished in tadao’s 15 by buying a book of Le Corbusier sketches. “I traced the drawings of his early period so many times, that all pages turned black,” says Tadao Ando: “in my mind I quite often wonder how Le Corbusier would have thought about this project or that.“

Le Corbusier Architect

 Couvent Sainte-Marie de la Tourette

Eveux-sur-l’Arbresle, France, 1953

Tadao Ando Architect 

 Omotesando Hills, a large shopping and residential development 

  Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, Japan Completion  2006

The “conscious inspiration” Signs: 

1. Both buildings deal with horizontal layers

    (the “multi layered cake effect”)

2. Significant source of inspiration is the inner courtyard 

     building type. 

3. The Upper floors are “dependent on the hillside”. 

4. Various materials and configurations are used to 

    highlight the differences between floors.

A Tadao Ando’s quote that “explains” the intention of “Conscious Inspiration”: 

I would like my architecture to inspire people to use their own resources, to move into the future.