The Analysis of the Contemplative Space of Tadao Ando’s Architecture

Abstract

Architecture, without considering locality, seems impossible to contain the consciousness and emotions of humans who live in a place and context. The concept of contemplation can be realized in a spatial dimension, and it expresses the psychological aspect of human beings as a significant element of traditional Japanese architecture. This paper aims to explore the expression characteristics of contemplative space in the architecture of Tadao Ando, a contemporary architect who spatially inherits Japanese traditional architectural concepts. As a methodology, the characteristics of area in traditional Japanese architecture are analyzed, and elements of the area of contemplation are extracted. After examining the relationship between Tadao Ando's space and contemplation, the correlation between traditional Japanese architecture and the length of contemplation in modern architecture and its expressive characteristics are analyzed. The result shows that conventional Japanese architecture thinks in harmony with nature and includes spatial features that can be cultivated and contemplated, created to pursue human sensibility, especially psychological stability. In his architecture, the space of contemplation is extracted from the tradition, reinterpreted, and introduced into the modern area, thus continuing the forgotten tradition. It was proven that the length of contemplation is a frame of visual structure designed for imaginative power rather than simply looking at space for introspection.