All Topics  
Kenzo Tange

 
Kenzo Tange

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Kenzo Tange
 
 
  Topics Kenzo Tange Topic Home

was a Japanese
Japanese people

The are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan....
 architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honor "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture."...
 for architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism
Modern architecture

Modern architecture is a set of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of Ornament ....
, and designed major buildings on five continents.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Kenzo Tange'
Start a new discussion about 'Kenzo Tange'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment Building No1 Tocho 08 7 December 2003
was a Japanese
Japanese people

The are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan....
 architect
Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honor "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture."...
 for architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism
Modern architecture

Modern architecture is a set of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of Ornament ....
, and designed major buildings on five continents. Kenzo Tange was also an influential protagonist of the movement structuralism
Structuralism (architecture)

Structuralism as a movement in architecture and urban planning evolved around the middle of the 20th century. It was a reaction to Congr?s International d'Architecture Moderne , which had led to a lifeless expression of urban planning that ignored the identity of the inhabitants and urban forms....
. He said: "It was, I believe, around 1959 or at the beginning of the sixties that I began to think about what I was later to call structuralism", (cited in Plan 2/1982, Amsterdam).

Biography

Tange was born in Sakai, Osaka
Sakai, Osaka

is a cities of Japan in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of Mihara, Osaka in Minamikawachi District, Osaka, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in Japan, with 833,414 residents as of 2007-0...
 in 1913. He moved to Hankou, then to Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
 and later England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, with his banker father, back to Japan in 1920. Tange was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier

Charles-?douard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also Painting, who is famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called Modern architecture or the International Style....
's books and thought to be an architect in his secondary school days.

In 1935, Tange attended at the Department of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo

The , abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculty with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign....
, where he studied architecture, completed his degree and worked as a professional architect at the studio of Kunio Maekawa
Kunio Maekawa

was a Japanese architect. He entered Hibiya High School in 1918, and then University of Tokyo in 1925.References ...
. Tange worked a few years there and left, backed to the University of Tokyo to study postgraduate course in 1941. Tange became an assistant professor and opened Tange laboratory
Laboratory

A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories....
 in 1946; he was promoted to professor of the Department of Urban Engineering in 1963. As a professor, Tange his students included Sachio Otani
Sachio Otani

Sachio Otani ???? is a noted Japanese architect.Otani was born in Tokyo, and in 1946 graduated from the University of Tokyo. He began his career in Kenzo Tange's studio, where he helped design the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum ....
, Kisho Kurokawa, Arata Isozaki
Arata Isozaki

Arata Isozaki is a Japanese architect from Oita, Oita. He won the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal in 1986. He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and is an apprentice of Kenzo Tange....
, and Fumihiko Maki
Fumihiko Maki

Fumihiko Maki is a Japanese architect. After studying at the University of Tokyo he moved to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then to Harvard Graduate School of Design....
 who have inherited Tange's architectural style and his philosophy.

In 1949, Tange won the architecture competition for design of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

is a large park in the center of Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , which led to the death of as many as 140,000 people by the end of 1945. There are a variety of monuments and buildings in the park, each...
, Hiroshima city
Hiroshima

The Japanese city of is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands....
, following its atomic bombing
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear warfares near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at the executive order of President of the United States Harry S....
 in 1945. His design for Peace Memorial Park owes much to Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier

Charles-?douard Jeanneret-Gris, who chose to be known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and also Painting, who is famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called Modern architecture or the International Style....
 and is often called "the spiritual core of the city." One reason Tange gave for applying for the job was that he had studied in the city as a secondary student.

Tange won international fame for his design for the gymnasium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium

is an arena in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan which is famous for its suspension roof design.It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and diving events in the 1964 Summer Olympics....
 for the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics

The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964....
 held in Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
. His Pritzker Prize citation described it as "among the most beautiful buildings of the 20th century."

He was also known for his "Tokyo Plan" of 1960, which proposed a radical redesign of the city. Although not fully implemented, it influenced architects worldwide. In the 1960s he also designed the new master plan for the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia

The Republic of Macedonia , , often referred to simply as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west....
 Skopje
Skopje

Skopje is the Capital of and List of cities in the Republic of Macedonia by population in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as its political, cultural, economic, and academic centre....
, which was heavily damaged by the 1963 earthquake. This plan was also only partially implemented. Tange received AIA Gold Medal
AIA Gold Medal

The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."...
 in 1966, the Order of Culture
Order of Culture

The Order of Culture is a Japanese Order , established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japanese Literature or Japanese Culture; recipients of the order also receive an Annuity for life....
 in 1980, and the order of the Sacred Treasures
Order of the Sacred Treasures

The is a Japanese Order , established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit ....
 in 1994.

In 2005, his funeral was held in one of his works, Tokyo Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo

St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of Tokyo. It is located in the Sekiguchi neighborhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan....
.

Selected projects

  • 2005: Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School
    Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School

    Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School is a boarding school in Singapore.The boarding school began its operations in 2002, and was officially opened in 2003 by then deputy prime minister Mr....
    , Singapore
    Singapore

    Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
  • 2003: The Linear - Private Apartments, Singapore
  • 2000: Tokyo Dome
    Tokyo Dome

    Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat stadium located in Bunkyo, Tokyo of Tokyo, Japan. It is the home field of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, and has also hosted basketball, American football and football games, as well as Professional wrestling in Japan matches, Mixed Martial Arts events, K-1, monster truck races, and music concerts....
     Hotel
  • 2000: Kagawa Prefectural Government Building the main offices, Takamatsu, Kagawa
    Takamatsu, Kagawa

    is located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government....
  • 1998: WKC Centre For Health Development, Kobe
    Kobe

    is the List of Japanese cities by population in Japan and as the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture and a prominent port city in Japan with a population of about 1.5 million....
    , Hyogo
    Hyogo Prefecture

    is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo....
  • 1998: University of Bahrain
    University of Bahrain

    The University of Bahrain was founded in 1986. The roots of the University go back to the late 1960s when the Higher Institutes for male and female teachers were established....
    , Sakhir
    Sakhir

    Sakhir is a desert area located in the Kingdom of Bahrain, near Zallaq. In the past few years, it has seen many changes such as the creation of the University of Bahrain main campus, al-Areen Wildlife Park, and Bahrain International Circuit....
    , Bahrain
    Bahrain

    The Kingdom of Bahrain, in , , literally Kingdom of the Two Seas).Bahrain is an Arabic island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa regime....
  • 1996: Fuji Television
    Fuji Television

    is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX. It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
     Building, Odaiba
    Odaiba

    is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1800s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area....
    , Tokyo
  • 1991: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
    Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

    The , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tocho for short, houses the headquarters of the Politics of Tokyo; this comprises not only the 23 special wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
    , Shinjuku
    Shinjuku, Tokyo

    is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world , and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo....
  • 1987: American Medical Association Headquarters Building, Chicago
    Chicago

    Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
    , Illinois
    Illinois

    The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
    , USA
  • 1986: Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Technological University

    Nanyang Technological University is a major research university in Singapore. The university's main 200-hectare garden campus, known as the Yunnan Garden campus, is in the south-western part of the island....
    , Singapore
  • 1982: Central Area New Federal Capital City of Nigeria
    Abuja

    Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria . Abuja is a planned city, as it was mainly built in the 1980s and officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing the role of the previous capital Lagos....
    , Nigeria
    Nigeria

    Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federation constitutional republic comprising States of Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria....
  • 1979: Hanae Mori
    Hanae Mori

    Hanae Mori is one of the most prominent and respected fashion designers in Japan. She is the only Japanese woman to have presented her collections on the runways of Paris and New York, and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official haute couture design house by the f?d?ration fran?aise de la couture in France....
     Building Aoyama, Tokyo
    Aoyama, Tokyo

    Aoyama is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato, Tokyo. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences....
  • 1977: [Sogetsu Kaikan] Aoyama, Tokyo
  • 1970: Site of Expo '70
    Expo '70

    Expo '70 was a World's Fair held in Suita, Osaka, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." This was the first World's Fair held in Japan....
    , Suita, Osaka
    Suita, Osaka

    is a cities of Japan located in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 354,600 and the population density of 9,820 persons per square kilometer....
  • 1966: Master plan for rebuilding of Skopje
    Skopje

    Skopje is the Capital of and List of cities in the Republic of Macedonia by population in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as its political, cultural, economic, and academic centre....
    , Republic of Macedonia
    Republic of Macedonia

    The Republic of Macedonia , , often referred to simply as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west....
    , then part of Yugoslavia
    Yugoslavia

    File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
     after the 1963 earthquake
  • 1964: Yoyogi National Gymnasium
    Yoyogi National Gymnasium

    is an arena in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan which is famous for its suspension roof design.It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and diving events in the 1964 Summer Olympics....
     for the 1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo
  • 1960: Kurashiki City Hall, Kurashiki, Okayama
  • 1958: Kagawa Prefectural Government Building the east offices, Takamatsu, Kagawa
  • 1957: (Former) Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
    Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

    The , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tocho for short, houses the headquarters of the Politics of Tokyo; this comprises not only the 23 special wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
    , Yurakucho
    Yurakucho

    is a neighborhood of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan situated in between the Ginza and Hibiya Park, near the neighborhood of Shinbashi. Unlike its tonier neighbor the Ginza, Yurakucho provides a glimpse of Japanese life from the early postwar period, with its many izakaya and outdoor yakitori restaurants , many of which are located under the train tracks...
  • 1955: St. Mary's Cathedral (Tokyo Cathedral)
    St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo

    St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of Tokyo. It is located in the Sekiguchi neighborhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan....
     (Roman Catholic), Tokyo
  • 1955: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
    Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

    Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in central Hiroshima, Japan.It was established in August 1955 with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall ....
    , Hiroshima





External links