President Ma Ying-jeou met with University of Tokyo Department of Architecture Professor Tadao Ando at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 4. The president expressed a warm welcome to Mr. Ando on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
The president noted that early in his life Mr. Ando was a boxer before he settled on the profession of architecture. He gained his inspiration from travel and reading, along with his own experiences, having never received formal training in the field. Mr. Ando has won a number of major international architectural awards. In particular, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, which is the world's highest distinction in the field of architecture.
President Ma remarked that light is an important factor in Mr. Ando's buildings. He is particularly known for his use of exposed cast-in-place concrete, enabling light and wind to continually change in the context of the space, eliciting a deep emotional response both among viewers and users. Mr. Ando has a very exacting personality, he said. Despite his international reputation, he carefully evaluates projects before selecting the ones he wants. Mr. Ando also has a fondness for his hometown and therefore frequently carries out projects in Osaka, the president noted.
The president furthermore stated that Mr. Ando has served as a visiting professor at Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, and other renowned institutions. His lectures at the University of Tokyo have been compiled into an influential book entitled Tadao Ando Discusses Architecture. Mr. Ando, the president said, has a long association with Taiwan. Forty years ago, he was invited to Taiwan and met with C.Y. Lee, who now is an internationally renowned architect here. Mr. Ando has delivered lectures here on four occasions, and in each instance the event generated a high level of interest. In particular, three years ago he delivered his third address here, at the Taipei Arena, on the theme of cities and the environment. Some 13,000 people came to hear Mr. Ando speak, which was quite impressive, the president said.
President Ma commented that Mr. Ando each year plans an "Ando Tour," hoping that everyone will through their travels understand the true meaning of architecture. In addition, he has established the "Ando Program" for distinguished students throughout Asia majoring in architecture or the arts in an effort to inspire their thinking and expand their horizons.
The president expressed his appreciation to Mr. Ando for his care and guidance of architecture students here as well as young architects. He said that Mr. Ando previously designed three buildings here, two of which are on university campuses (National Chiao Tung University and Asia University) and the other being the cherry cemetery for Lung Yen Life Service. Presently, Mr. Ando is engaged in a project to build an "Earth Chapel" on the northeast coast, and the president said that the public is eagerly awaiting the completion of the structure.
President Ma said that Mr. Ando's structures conform to the philosophies of conserving energy, reducing carbon, and constructing environmentally friendly buildings. Mr. Ando previously has expressed encouragement to Taiwan's architects, saying that buildings such as Taipei 101 and the Taipei Arena exhibit quite a high level of engineering. The next step, according to Mr. Ando, is to consider how buildings can co-exist with the environment. The president said Mr. Ando's thinking provides food for thought and is totally in line with mainstream thinking in today's times.
Mr. Ando expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He praised the vitality and creativity of Taiwan's young architects and students in related fields. He said he hopes that buildings are able to impact the thinking of the younger generation and make a contribution to sustainable development. At the same time, he expressed his hopes that this visit will create an even stronger bridge for interaction between the architectural communities in Taiwan and Japan and bolster friendship between the two countries.
Sitting in on the meeting in the morning between President Ma and Mr. Ando was Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah, Public Construction Commission Minister Liang-Shiow Fan, the Ministry of the Interior's Construction and Planning Agency Director-General Yeh Shih-Wen, and National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.