Toyo Ito

Olivari Designers

SEOUL, 1941

Although he is born in Korea, Ito is Japanese and graduates in architecture in Tokyo in 1965. After his debut in the Metabolist movement at the head of the Urban Robot studio, he opens the Toyo Ito & Associates firm in 1979.

— Imabari Museum of Architecture, Japan 2011 (Ph. Daichi Ano)
— Toyo Ito

In the mid 1980s, Ito begins to work on a design method that combines physical reality with virtual reality, such as the Tower of Winds in Yokohama (1986) with a lighted sheath that can change color based on the weather.

— Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Japan 2004
— Tama Art University Library (Hachioji campus), Tokyo (J), 2007

In 2002, he was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennial.

— Main Stadium for the World Games, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2009

His Sendai Mediatheque (2001) is one of the most influential buildings on architecture in the 21st century. He teaches at the Japan Women’s University, is professor emeritus at the Northern University of London, and visiting professor at Columbia.