"And people began living on the earth rather than within it..." This is how the ancient Yew Tree in A Monster Calls, a novel by Patrick Ness, laments the harmful impact the industrial revolution had on nature and humans' perception of her. People began to forget all about her divinity and nurture. We began valuing the power of machines above all else, the human brain was suddenly a god, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), as René Descartes put it. Nature was viewed only as a commodity, something to be used to gain profit. We disconnected from her, and thus, ourselves. However, Tadao Ando, master Japanese architect, is one of those people who seems to have never lost sight of the intrinsic truth: we only are because mother nature is. He seems to understand the importance of human communion with nature; he savours her beauty and welcomes her into his architecture.

Architecture is a beautiful, complex, and vital art. However, it isn’t always eco-friendly; the structure often takes precedence over nature, as though there’s a battle between the art and the eternal mother. Even when a structure is eco-friendly in how it functions, it is almost never eco-friendly in how it was built.

Tadao Ando’s work, however, achieves both – it’s environmentally friendly in how it’s built and how it works.  This is what makes his art truly unique.

Tadao Ando always puts nature at the forefront. Natural light is often the main attraction in a Tadao Ando building. His designs are innovative, clever, and aesthetically striking, yet they remain minimalist and bare. It is often through this bareness that nature is given the opportunity to shape the space—not only bringing it to life but also enhancing its beauty, serenity, and purpose.

Tadao Ando deliberately relies on nature to make his designs stand out. He humbly places himself beneath her, emphasising her grandeur and elevating her to a position of reverence—much like how people kneel to pray.

The idea of incorporating natural light into his work, rather than simply surrounding his designs with nature, came to Tadao Ando when he visited the Pantheon in Rome. The building has a small dome opening at the top, and when you're inside looking up, you see a bright circle of light coming from above. Tadao believed that this experience gave people "a sense that they're alive with a future." To him light, thus nature, is the key to unlocking human purpose; it has the ability to not only illuminate your surroundings but also your mind. It was that day that he made a promise to always live like the light; to only strive to create architecture that makes people "feel glad about being alive."