How did he get his start in the Architecture Industry
Brief biography from childhood to current time
Toyo Ito was born in Seoul, Korea, to a businessman father and a housewife mother. He had 2 older sisters. In 1943 they returned to live in his father’s hometown in Nagano, Japan. His father died when he was 12, and his family made miso paste in a factory for a living. Currently, both his parents and one sister have already passed away.
When he was young, Ito was not interested in architecture, but he was exposed to it. He liked baseball, and only became interested in architecture in university. While studying in university, he won the top prize for reconstructing the Ueno Park.
After university, he joined an architecture company and worked there. After a few years, he left and set up his own company, which exists to today.
In education, Toyo Ito completed an undergraduate diploma in Architecture in the University of Tokyo. He then went on to graduate from Tokyo University’s Department of Architecture in 1965.
After he graduated in 1965, he worked in Kiyonori Kikutake & Associates, an architecture company. In 1971, he created his own studio called Urbot (Urban Robot). In 1979, he renamed it to Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects.
At the start, he used to design homes for people. He became popular after designing a home for his sister called “White U”, which was very modern is the 1970s, and many people became interested in him.
Modernist architecture, in Organic style.
He designed many different kinds of buildings, including homes, art galleries, museums, hotels, malls, office buildings, performance houses, old folks homes, fire stations, universities and stadiums. He also redesigned old buildings, making them more beautiful.
Examples are shown in the picture gallery below. Please click the pictures for more information.
When he was young, his father used to draw architecture plans for his friends’ houses. When he was in high school, early Modernist architect Yoshinobu Ashihara designed his family’s Tokyo home.
After he became popular, he was famous for saying “I think of architecture as a piece of clothing to wrap around human beings.” This means that his buildings are made to look beautiful with people using it, as compared to old architecture where the building is beautiful alone.
He also popularised glass, metal, and concrete buildings which promoted natural open spaces, and used minimalistic, fluid designs that looked like nature.
What types of buildings did he design
Who/What was his major influence on Architecture
Personal Information
Toyo Ito.
Born in Korea to Japanese parents, but grew up in Japan.
June 1, 1941 – present.
by Viki
Toyo Ito
 White U - Japan (1970s) |  White U compared to other houses |  White U blueprints |
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Toyo Ito's groundbreaking project - White U
1986 – Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Silver Hut
1992 – 33rd Mainichi Art Award for Yatsushiro Municipal Museum
1997 – IAA 'interach ‘97' Grand Prix of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria Gold Medal
1998 – Education Minister’s Art Encouragement Prize in Japan
2000 – Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
2001 – Gold prize of the Japanese Good Design Award
2006 – RIBA Royal Gold Medal
2008 – Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts
2009 – Asahi Prize
2010 – Praemium Imperiale
2013 – Pritzker Prize for Architecture
2014 – Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture
Essential skills & work habits that contributes to Toyo Ito's success
Awards / Recognitions received
Toyo Ito is very creative and hardworking, having completed 85 projects in his 50-year career so far.
Toyo Ito also is very caring towards his surroundings. He loves nature and shows it in his architectural style.
He also helps society, making art galleries and performing houses to promote art.
Lastly, he also cares for people, helping to build free houses after the 2011 Japan Tsunami, showing social responsibility.
Toyo Ito & Associates working on Home-for-All
Interesting fact about Toyo Ito:
Toyo Ito is more than just an architect - he is a kind person at heart, and cares for people and nature.
In 2011, after the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster, Ito helped with the Japan Tsunami relief efforts, building temporary homes for the victims. He created the “Home-for-All” residence for survivors – small apartment buildings that gave survivors a ‘home’ feeling again, after their original homes were destroyed by the tsunami.
He built it because he wanted survivors to live in homes that had “a little more humanity, a little more beauty, and a little more comfort”.
Photo with Tsunami survivors and building in progress
