Ando, Tadao (1941- )

Japanese architect. His work employs vernacular materials and styles alongside modernist techniques. His design for Azuma House in Osaka, Japan (in 1975), one in a series of private houses, combined an austere, fortress-like facade with a minutely detailed interior. Materials such as timber and concrete were sensitively used, continuing the traditions of Japanese domestic architecture. He was awarded the Pritzker Prize (1995) and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects (2001).

His Japanese Pavilion for Expo '92 in Seville reiterated his concern for the traditional while making a distinctly modern statement with a purely symbolic staircase of monumental proportions and massive, timber-slatted screen walls. Other works include the Modern Art Museum (2002) in Fort Worth, Texas.