Toyo Ito

Throughout his career, Toyo Ito has been able to produce a body of work that combines conceptual innovation with superbly executed buildings. For more than 40 years he has been successfully creating exceptional architecture: libraries, houses, parks, theatres, shops, office buildings and pavilions, always with the aim of expanding the possibilities of architecture. A uniquely talented professional, he is dedicated to the process of discovery that involves seeing the opportunities to be found in every assignment and in every place.

A review of Ito's works reveals not only a variety of functional programmes, but also a spectrum of architectural languages. He has gradually developed and perfected a personal architectural syntax, combining structural and technical ingenuity with formal clarity. His forms do not follow a minimalist or parametric approach. Different circumstances lead to different responses. From the outset, he developed modern works, using standard industrial materials and components for his lightweight structures, such as tubes, expanded mesh, perforated aluminium sheets and permeable fabrics. His later expressive works have been formed using mainly reinforced concrete. He is able to keep structure, space, stage, technology and place on an equal footing in a truly extraordinary way. Although the resulting buildings appear effortlessly balanced, they are the result of his deep understanding of his craft and his ability to deal simultaneously with all aspects of architecture. Despite the complexity of this works, their high degree of synthesis makes them reach a level of serenity that finally allows the inhabitants to freely develop their activities inside them.

The word "innovative" is often used to describe Toyo Ito's works. This can be seen in the temporary pavilion created in Bruges in 2002 and the TOD'S building in Tokyo in 2004, where the skin of the building also serves as a structure. Innovation can also be demonstrated in his use of traditional materials in unconventional ways, such as concrete to create fluid organic forms, as he did in the commercial development of VivoCity in Singapore. In addition, his buildings abound with new technological inventions, as can be seen in the Odate Dome or the Yokohama Wind Tower. This innovation is only possible thanks to Ito's process of carefully and objectively analysing each situation before proposing a solution.

Ito has said that he strives for an architecture that is fluid and not confined by what he sees as the limitations of modern architecture. In the Sendai Mediatheque, 2000, he achieved this by means of structural tubes, which allowed for new interior spatial qualities. In the Taichung Metropolitan Opera, the horizontal and vertical network of spaces creates opportunities for communication and connection. Seeking to free himself from the rigidity of a grid, Ito is interested in the relationships: between rooms, exterior and interior, and between the building and its surroundings. Toyo Ito's work is inspired by the principles of nature, as evidenced by the unity achieved between organic-looking structures, surface and skin.

Toyo Ito's personal creative agenda always goes hand in hand with public responsibility. It is much more complex and risky to innovate when working on buildings that concern the public, but this has not deterred him. He said that architecture should not only respond to physical needs, but also to the senses. Among his many inspiring spaces, the Municipal Funeral Hall in Gifu Prefecture, 2006, the Tama Art University Library in Tokyo, 2007, and the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, 2002, are just three examples that illustrate Ito's deep understanding of the people and activities that take place in his buildings. His work in favour of "Home-for-All" or small community spaces for those affected by the 2011 earthquake in Japan is a direct expression of his sense of social responsibility.

Toyo Ito has always been concerned about the education of future architects. This is evident in his teaching posts and in the recent reconstruction of the Silver Hut as part of the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture in Omishima, which is used for workshops and research. Perhaps a more perfect example is his office, which is like a school where young architects go to work and learn. It is clear that while he innovates and pushes the boundaries of architecture, he does not close the road behind him. He is a pioneer and encourages others to benefit from his discoveries and to move in their own direction. In that sense, he is a true master, producing oxygen rather than merely consuming it.

Toyo Ito is a creator of timeless buildings who, at the same time, boldly breaks new ground. His architecture projects an air of optimism, lightness and joy, and is imbued with a sense of uniqueness as well as universality. For these reasons and for his synthesis of structure, space and form that creates welcoming places, for his sensitivity to the landscape, for imbuing his designs with a spiritual dimension and for the poetics that transcend all his works, the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded to Toyo Ito.