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Tadao
Ando: Complete Works, by Philip Jodidio.
If there's an architect worthy of a gargantuan coffee table
book, slightly smaller than the Phaidon
Atlas, it's Tadao Ando. One of the most consistent architects
in terms of quality of output as well as in his use of materials
and geometry, the large-format photographs and drawings
here are a suitable expression of his buildings, outside
of the possibility of seeing them in person. Ando is known
for his reliance on concrete, a heavy and thick material
that he is able to manipulate in unfathomable ways. As a
bearer of light, the concrete surfaces don't so much call
attention to themselves as the space they contain, an indication
of his skill. These qualities come through beautifully in
the roughly forty projects presented, beginning with a 1970's
row house and finishing with another single-family house
completed less than five years ago. In between are some
of his best projects (Church
of the Light, Water
Temple), some of his biggest (Chikatsu-Asuka
Museum, Awaji-Yumebutai),
and some preliminary designs (Calder Museum, Ground
Zero Proposal) that will never see realization. Jodidio's
concise text is an appropriate companion to the photos,
clearly describing each design alongside the photographs
and drawings.
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