Tadao Ando: The Composition of Space and Nature

The place always has its own distinctive force field that affects the human being. The field is language, and yet it is not language. The logic of nature subjectively influences humans and is evident to those who seriously try to perceive it. After all, architecture is a matter of how to respond to the demands that the land imposes. In other words, the logic of architecture must adapt to the logic of nature. The essence of architecture is always to create an environment where the logic of nature and the logic of architecture are in stark conflict yet coexist.
Architecture is not merely a manipulation of shapes. I believe it is also the construction of space and, above all, the construction of "place," which serves as the foundation for that space. My goal is first to engage in the struggle with the place and thus gain a vision of a certain architecture for a given unique site. The interior and exterior of architecture are not separate entities but create the continuity of one place. We should view architecture as a closed, articulated domain that nevertheless maintains its own relationships with its environment.
In order for a person to grasp and express the invisible logic of nature, they must approach it with an opposing logic of architecture. At this point, geometry comes into play. Geometry is a kind of game with axioms and deductive thinking. It is also a symbol—with its autonomy and predetermined harmony—of human reason that transcends nature. Since the time of Vitruvius, the use of the properties of geometric shapes (such as simplicity, regularity, repetition, and symmetry) has meant that architecture is a product of human reason and thus something contrary to nature.
Geometry, despite its non-random nature, or even precisely because of it, serves to concentrate various meanings and gains a distinctive significance in itself. Geometry creates not only the framework of the whole but also the parts of the site. It can simultaneously be both the framework for glimpses into the surroundings and a projection screen. It can be a path that allows people to walk, stop, ascend, or descend. Moreover, it can have a very close relationship to the articulation of light (the work with light?). It can acquire light, concentrate shadows behind objects, determine the distribution, and density of space. When the chosen place undergoes this process, it becomes something that is in opposition to architecture yet coexists with it. I believe that architecture is only oriented when that happens, not only with its parts but as a whole.