TANGE KENZO

born Sept. 4, 1913, Imabari, Shikoku, Japan one of the foremost Japanese architects in the decades following World War II. He studied at the Tokyo Imperial University (193538), worked in the office of Maekawa Kunio, then returned to the university (194245), where in 1949 he was named professor and in 1974 professor emeritus. His first completed structure was a pavilion at the Kobe Industry and Trade Fair of 1950. His best-known early work was the Peace Centre at Hiroshima (194656). In the years that followed he designed an outstanding series of public buildings, including the Tokyo City Hall (195257), the assembly hall at Shizuoka (195557), town halls at Kurayoshi (195557) and Kurashiki (195860), and the Kagawa prefectural offices, Takamatsu (195558), the latter being considered a particularly fine example of the blending of modern with Japanese architectural traditions. Most of these early structures were conventional rectangular forms using light steel frames. Tange's work during the 1960s took more boldly dramatic forms with the use of reinforced concrete and innovative engineering. For the 1964 Olympic Games he designed the National Gymnasium, which was actually two buildings suspended together to create sweeping curved roofs and an asymmetrical but balanced arrangement that masterfully assimilates traditional techniques. During the same period Tange also designed Saint Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo, a bold cruciform design with stark, soaring roofs made of stainless steel. Tange fulfilled many important overseas commissions during the 1960s and '70s, including embassies and university buildings in Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Iran. During 196670 he designed the master plan for the Japan World Exposition (Expo 70), which was held in Osaka. In his later structures he built up combinations of smaller geometrical forms into an irregular but functionally attentive whole. Tange has also been influential as a writer, teacher, and town planner. Some of his best-known publications translated into English are A Plan for Tokyo (1960), Katsura: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture (1960), Ise: Prototype of Japanese Architecture (1962), and Architecture and Urban Design (1975).