KENZO TANGE

Architect

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1913. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Imperial University in 1938, and joined the office of Mayekawa Kunio, who had studied under Le Corbusier. In 1941, he entered the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo. After graduating, he taught at his alma mater from 1946 to 1974, establishing the Tange Laboratory. There he nurtured many outstanding talents, including Fumihiko Maki, Arata Isozaki, Kisho Kurokawa, and Yoshio Taniguchi, and he also taught at universities around the world, including the Polytechnic University of Milan, Harvard University, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Several of his important early works, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Kagawa Prefectural Office Building, and Yoyogi National Gymnasium, have been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Other major domestic projects include the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo; the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building; and the Fuji Television Headquarters Building. Major international projects include the UOB Plaza (Singapore), the Royal State Palace (Saudi Arabia), the Grand Écran (France), the Central area of the New Federal Capital City of Nigeria, and the American Medical Association Headquarters Building (USA).

Tange received the Pritzker Architecture Prize as well as gold medals from the French Academy of Architecture, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the American Institute of Architects. He won the Pour le Mérite Order (West Germany), the Order of Culture (Japan), and the Legion of Honor (France), and was elected a full member of the Académie Française (France). He passed away in March 2005.

https://www.tangeweb.com/