Date of Birth: June 1, 1941
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Biography
Toyo Ito is a renowned Japanese architect born on June 1, 1941, in Seoul, Korea, during the Japanese occupation. Ito is celebrated for his innovative designs that blend organic forms with contemporary technology and materials. After moving to Japan in 1943, Ito grew up in Nagano Prefecture and later attended the University of Tokyo, where he graduated in 1965 with a degree in architecture. Ito started his professional career at the firm Kiyonori Kikutake & Associates. In 1971, he founded his own studio, Urban Robot (URBOT), which was renamed Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects in 1979. Over the decades, Ito has designed numerous iconic buildings around the world, such as the Sendai Mediatheque, the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, and the TOD’S Omotesando Building in Tokyo. In 2013, Toyo Ito was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, often considered the Nobel Prize of architecture. His work is characterized by a blend of fluidity, transparency, and lightness, often inspired by natural forms and phenomena.
5 Interesting Facts about Toyo Ito
1. Toyo Ito’s design philosophy often emphasizes the relationship between architecture and the natural world.
2. He won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2013, one of the highest honors in the field.
3. The Sendai Mediatheque, one of his most famous projects, is known for its innovative use of tubular columns.
4. Ito has been a visiting professor at several prestigious universities, including Columbia University and the University of Tokyo.
5. In addition to his architectural work, Ito is known for his contributions to urban planning and public space design.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Toyo Ito
1. “Architecture is basically a container of something. I hope they will enjoy not so much the teacup, but the tea.”
2. “I am trying to change people’s lifestyles with architecture.”
3. “My architecture is not about form follows function, but form follows beauty or, even better, form follows feminine.”
4. “I don’t believe architecture has to speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind.”
5. “The invisible is as important as the visible; the immaterial as important as the material.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
Toyo Ito’s highest net worth achieved is estimated to be around $10 million.
Children
Toyo Ito has kept his personal life relatively private, and there is limited public information available about his children.
Relevant Links
1. [Pritzker Architecture Prize: Toyo Ito](https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2013
2. [ArchDaily: Toyo Ito](https://www.archdaily.com/tag/toyo-ito
3. [Designboom: Toyo Ito](https://www.designboom.com/tag/toyo-ito/
4. [Dezeen: Toyo Ito](https://www.dezeen.com/tag/toyo-ito/
5. [Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects](http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/
