Toyo Ito

Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

Tokyo

Barcelona

Toyo Ito

Honorary Fellowship of AIA

Honorary Fellowship of RIBA

Commissioner of Kumamoto Artpolis

Biography

1941

Born in Seoul Metropolitan City

1965-69

Graduated from The University of Tokyo,

Department of Architecture

Worked at Kiyonori Kikutake Architects and

Associates

1971

Started his own studio, Urban Robot (URBOT)

in Tokyo

1979

Changed its name to Toyo Ito & Associates,

Architects

Awards and Prizes

1986 Architecture Institute of Japan awards for “Silver Hut”

1992 33rd Mainich Art Award for Yatsushiro Municipal Museum

1998 Ministry of Education Award for the Encouragement of Arts for “Dome in Odate”

1999 Japan Art Academy Prize for “Dome in Odate”

2000 Accorded the Title “Academician” from The International Academy of Architecture

2000 The Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture from American Academy of Arts

and Letters

2001 Grand Prize of Good Design Award 2001 from Japan Industrial Design Promotion

Organization (JIDPO) for “Sendai Mediatheque”

2002 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 8th International Architecture Exhibition

NEXT at the Venice Biennale

2003 Architectural Institute of Japan Prize for “Sendai Mediatheque”

2004 XX ADI Compasso d’Oro Award for “Ripples” (furniture design)

2006 Royal Gold Medal from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Public Building

Award for “Sendai Mediatheque”

2008 ADI Compasso d’Oro Award for the Stand Horm

2005 6th Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts

2009 Medalla de Oro from Circulo de Bellas Artes de Madrid

2010 2009 The Asahi Prize The 22nd Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu

TORRES PORTA FIRA

Location Barcelona, Spain

Period Hotel:2004.6 - 2010.4/Office:2006.4 - 2009.5

Structure ｒeinforced concrete

Scale Hotel: 26 stories, 2 basement, 1penthouse

Office: 24 stories, 3 basement, 1penthouse

Site Area Hotel: 5,775.55m2 / Office: 4,801.55m2

Building Area Hotel: 4,801.08m2 / Office: 4,049.73m2

Total Floor

Area

Hotel: 34,688.10m2 / Office: 45,419.59m2

Magazine

Title

Pasages de Arquitectura y Critica 107／MARK #26

Image 1.

(http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/WWW/Project_Descript/2010-/2010-p_01/1-800.jpg)

Belle Vue Residences

Location Oxley walk, Singapore

Period 2006.03-2010.09

Structure ｒeinforced concrete

Scale 5 stories, 1 basement

Site Area 23,003.40m2

Building

Area 8,368.49m2

Total

Floor

Area

32,204.76m2

Magazine

Title

GA Japan 107／GA Japan 95／GA Toyo Ito Recent

Project／

／a+u 467

Image 2.


The Main Stadium for the World Games 2009 in

Kaohsiung

Location Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Period 2006.9~2009.1

Structure steel frame, reinforced concret

Scale 3 stories, 2 basements

Site Area 189,012.00m2

Building

Area

25,553.46m2

Total

Floor

Area

98,759.31m2

Image 3.


Image 4.


MIKIMOTO Ginza2

Location Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Period 2003.8~2005.11

Structur

e

steel freme + concrete, reinforced

concrete

Scale 9 stories , 1 basement

Site

Area

275.74m2

Building

Area

237.69m2

Total

Floor

Area

2,205.02m2

Image 5.


Tower of Winds in Yokohama

Location Nishi-ku, Yokohama,

Kanagawa, Japan

Period 1986.3~1986.11

Structure steel frame

Scale―

Site Area―

Building Area 43.45m2

Total Floor Area―

Picture 1.

(http://www.toyo-

ito.co.jp/WWW/Project_Descript/1980-/1980-

p_08/main%20photo-800.jpg)

There used to be an old water tower and ventilation

ducts in front of the the Yokohama bus station was,

an anonymous, brutalist and made-of-concrete

structure .

An architectural competition was organized with the

idea of improving the first impression of visitors

arriving to this city by bus.

Picture 2.

The Tower of the Winds is located in front of Yokohama Bus

Terminal / googlemaps

()http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDAFuAmUnUI/AAAAAAAAFpo/sMDKcpFjqE4/s1600-

h/torre+vientos+copy.jpg)

Ito's proposal was to cover the tower with acrylic mirrors. A

metallic oval-cylindrical structure, 21 m in height and 9 x 6

section was installed around the tower, lined with a perforated

aluminum coating that reflects the sky during the day.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDADsAmUnRI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/8mC9p8df

rJY/s1600/torre+croqb+.jpg

Picture 3.

The oval cylinder geometry of the Tower of the Winds is distinguished

from the other volumes in the surroundings.

Photo courtesy of El Croquis.

Picture 4.

The tower is covered with a perforated

aluminum plate. Photo C. Zeballos (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDADYwmUnLI/AAAAAAAAF

og/cZNmPVKuN2U/s1600/DSCN5195.JPG)

Picture 5.

The same view at night . Photo C. Zeballos. (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDADZA

mUnMI/AAAAAAAAFoo/1bnFUAOTaVU/s1600/DSCN5316.JPG)

The tower became much more attractive at night, when 1300 lamps in

coordination with 12 rings offered a multicolor light show.

An electronic system recognizes the differences in wind speed and the sound

waves in the noise around and translates them into light and color codes. For

this reason, unlike a traditional arrangement of lights, this installation does not

follow a predetermined program or routine, and offers an ever-changing

spectacle of light and color.

For this reason, unlike a traditional arrangement of lights, this installation does not

follow a predetermined program or routine, and offers an ever-changing spectacle of

light and color.

Picture 6.

Light Sequence of the Tower of the Winds. Photos courtesy of El Croquis (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDADrwmUnQI/AAAAAAAAFpI/1YJdHk_t-lk/s1600/secuencia+torre+copy.jpg)

Picture 7. Floor plan of the Tower of the Winds. Image courtesy of El Croquis (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDAHsgmUnVI/AAAAAAAAFpw/hdH_-SwI7fI/s1600/planta+torre.jpg)

Video: http://youtu.be/LN36b61gxc4

The Eggs of Winds (1990)

Ito proposed a kind of "Building of Tomorrow", an "video gallery oudoors." There

are two versions of this, one in Brussels and the other in the Japanese suburb of

River City 21 in Tokyo.

It is a structure of a oval geometry -a recurring form in their designs at the time,

contrasting with right-angled parallelepiped volumes of its surrounding.

Picture 7. Schemes Egg of Winds. Pictures courtesy of The Sketch. (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDADZgmUnPI/AAAAAAAAFpA/V7-UgsFXkHs/s1600/huevo+vientoB.jpg)

This capsule is attached to a wall, suspended from the floor by metal legs, and gives the

impression of floating in the air, especially from a small public space located on the

mezzanine.

Picture 8.

Seen from the upper terrace, the ellipsoid gives the impression of being floating.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDALJgmUnWI/AAAAAAAAFp4/1WGwYM1ljhw/s1600/DSCN5102.JPG)

Picture 9-10. Day and night view of the Egg of Winds. Photo C. Zeballos (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDACJwmUnGI/AAAAAAAAFn4/ids5J7V3LNQ/s1600/_05_x3.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDACKAmUnII/AAAAAAAAFoI/G5PIROcdLnI/s1600/DSCN5093.JPG)

Using a coating similar to that of the Tower of Winds, this 16 x 8 m ellipsoid is covered

with a perforated aluminum plate below which liquid crystal screens displayed pictures

and news.

While in operation, the effect is very interesting: the images appeared as if they

were floating on a curved surface, almost like a hologram, very different from the

effect of the giant screens hung on the facades of buildings.

Picture 11.

Egg of winds. Photo courtesy of Philip Jodidio. (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDACKAmUnHI/AAAAAAAAFoA/DbgGOwzYybk/s1600/bta00452.jpg )

For Toyo Ito the wind and its meaning are very important, not only because his

architecture and especially his urban sculptures are characterized by lightness

and transparency, but because it interacts with the environment and the user,

making him aware of energy that surrounds it.

Picture 12.

Interesting formal contrast with the surrounding volumes. Photo C. Zeballos.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J0XsQeUu1tE/SDACKQmUnJI/AAAAAAAAFoQ/slp2P836lhQ/s1600/DSCN5097.JPG)

References

Sendai mediatheque / Toyo Ito

Matter in the floating world [electronic resource] : conversations with leading

Japanese architects and designers / Blaine Brownell

http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/WWW/index/index_en.html

http://architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.com/2010/06/toyo-ito-tribute-to-winds.html

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/ito.html

http://www.archdaily.com/tag/toyo-ito/

http://www.arcspace.com/architects/ito/tod/tod.html



























Documents

Toyo Ito