Who is he? Tadao Ando, in Hong Kong recently for Business of Design Week, is the maverick architect loved by the likes of Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld. In a 2001 edition of The New York Times, Ando was described as 'the sexiest man alive'. The s-word apparently meant 'hip' rather than irresistible but he is a heart-throb nonetheless thanks to his boxer background and guru aura.
Has he had formal training? No. Born in 1941 in Osaka, Japan, he proved a mediocre student. At 17, emulating his brother, he became a professional boxer. A string of matches took him to Bangkok, where he was dazzled by the lavish Buddhist temples. He embarked on a tour of Japan, Europe and the United States during the 1960s, looking at every notable building he could and reading books about the work of architects such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn. Returning to Osaka, he quit boxing and became a carpenter's apprentice.
How did he begin his career? In the guise of a creative builder who would try to persuade his clients to embrace his offbeat designs. To channel his frustration, he drew on a list of the books architecture students had to read in four years and trained himself within one, discarding the option of an architectural apprenticeship because every time he took one he was sacked - allegedly for obstinacy and tantrums.
So what did he do? At the dawn of the 70s (exact date stated varies), he opened his practice, Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, in Osaka and soon won acclaim for his house commissions. By the end of the 80s he was designing striking public buildings such
as the Church of the Light in Hokkaido (pictured) and Church on the Water in Osaka. Both opened in 1988 and embodied his blend of western thrust and Japanese refinement. He has won the Pritzker Prize and Japan's Premium Imperiale. In 1997, he won Britain's Royal Gold Medal. The judges said: 'His buildings respect surroundings if they are beautiful and protect the observer if they are ugly. They are consistent. An Ando building, whether large or small, is instantly recognisable yet eminently individual.'
What other eminent projects is he responsible for? He may be best known for Yumebutai, which makes Langham Place - the Mongkok revamp by fellow Japanese architect Brian Honda - look almost modest.