Tadao Ando is a Japanese self-taught architect whose approach to architecture and landscape was categorized by architectural historian Francesco Dal Co as "critical regionalism".
One of the most influential and recognized architects in the world, Tadao Ando, will guide us through an intimate journey from his studio in Japan to the construction of Casa Wabi in the Pacific coast of Mexico. While we see his magnificent work coming to be, we will be welcomed into his world and learn his way of appreciating life, the arts, and his passion for architecture.
A film about modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition and its impact on the Nordic building-tradition. Winding its way through visions of the future, traditions, nature, concrete, gardens and high-tech, KOCHUU tells us how contemporary Japanese architects strive to unite the ways of modern man with the old philosophies in astounding constructions. Interviews with, and works by, Japanese architects Tadad Ando, Kisho Kurokawa, Toyo Ito and Kazuo Shinohara and Scandinavian architects Sverre Fehn, Kristian Gullichsen and Juhani Pallasmaa.
From Emptiness to Infinity pays homage to one of the world's most renowned architects, Japanese minimalist master Tadao Ando (born 1941), offering an exclusive glimpse into his work process. Ando is known for his creative implementation of natural light, his deft interweaving of interior and exterior space and for designing structures that elegantly evoke the contours of the landscape in which they are set. Conceptually and aesthetically, his award-winning exposed concrete designs forge a link between traditional Japanese architecture, Zen and contemporary modernism, while also expressing his fundamental belief that "to change the dwelling is to change the city and to reform society." Directed by Mathias Frick and produced by Susann Schimk and Jörg Trentmann, the film introduces viewers to his world-famous buildings and offers an exclusive look into his work process, as Ando shares his sources of personal inspiration and motivation and looks back over his 40-year career.