VietNamNet Bridge – Tadao Ando, a world-famous architect, met with Vietnamese colleagues and students last night in Hanoi.

Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

The National Convention Hall had no empty seat last night. Young architects and thousands of architecture students took advantage of the opportunity to learn about the experiences of and new trends in modern architecture from Tadao Ando.

On the sideline of the meeting, the Japanese architect talked with the local media.

You never formally studied architecture but you have become a world-famous architect. How did you come to architectural arts?

In 1956, when I was 15 years old, I watched building workers repairing my house and I liked their job very much. So I decided to learn deeply about architecture. Unlike others who plan to pursue architecture, I didn’t attend professional architecture schools but read books about architecture and travelled to see different architectural works.

Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

My grandmother always encouraged me to develop my career freely. At the age of 17 I learnt boxing. The thing I learnt from this sport was about having to struggle hard to achieve our goals. I see this is very similar to the character of Vietnamese people. Everybody has a chance and every chance is in our hearts, in our efforts. That’s the goal of my visit to Hanoi.

Have you travelled to many countries to study their architecture?

From 1962-1969 I travelled alone to the US, Europe and Africa to observe and learn for myself. During this time ideas and thoughts took shape in my mind before I set up the Tadao Ando & Associates Architecture Company in Osaka in 1969.

I presently not only work in Japan but also in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asian countries.

What is the first architectural work that brought you international fame?

Rokko Housing I street in Kobe in 1983. This complex is located on a slope of over 60⁰ on Rokko Mountain. The whole project is a block of concrete houses and white glass which completely contrasts with the green mountain wall behind. All 20 houses of 5.4×4.8m in size have balconies looking to Kobe port. I think an architectural work is interesting when it has two sides: very simple and very complicated.

Himeji Children’s Museum designed by Tadao Ando.

In your opinion, could that style of architecture be applied to Hanoi? What is your suggestion for architecture of Hanoi in the future?

To develop a city, it is necessary to have a clear philosophic viewpoint, theory and direction. Japan has an aged population while the Vietnamese population is very young. Vietnam’s latent ability is abundant. Leaders need to have orientations for the development of cities, and ideas about how they want the cities that they lead to look.

(Source: Dan Tri)