Arata Isozaki (磯崎新, ''Isozaki Arata''; 23 July 1931 – 28 December 2022) was a Japanese architect, urban designer, and theorist from Ōita. He was awarded the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

in 1986 and the

Pritzker Architecture Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

in 2019. He taught at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Biography

Isozaki was born in Oita on the island of Kyushu and grew up in the era of

postwar Japan Postwar Japan is the period in Japanese history beginning with the surrender of Japan to the Allies of World War II on 2 September 1945, and lasting at least until the end of the Shōwa era in 1989. Despite the massive devastation it suffered ...

, the eldest of four children of Toji and Tetsu Isozaki. His father was a prominent businessmen. In 1945, he witnessed the destruction of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

on the shore opposite his hometown. When he accepted the

Pritzker Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

in 2019 he stated: "There was no architecture, no buildings, and not even a city. So my first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities." Isozaki completed his schooling at the

Oita Prefecture Oita often refers to: * Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan *Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture Oita or Ōita may also refer to: Places * Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan *Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stadi ...

Oita Uenogaoka High School (erstwhile Oita Junior High School). In 1954, he graduated from the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

majoring in Architecture and Engineering. He completed a doctoral program in architecture from the same university in 1961. Isozaki also worked under Kenzo Tange before establishing his firm in 1963. Isozaki's early projects were influenced by European experiences with a style mixed between "New Brutalism" and "

Metabolist Architecture was a post-war Japanese Biomimetic architecture, biomimetic architectural movement that fused ideas about architectural Megastructure (planning concept), megastructures with those of organic biological growth. It had its first international expo ...

" (Oita Medical Hall, 1959–1960), according to Reyner Banham. His style continued to evolve with buildings such as the Fujimi Country Club (1973–74) and Kitakyushu Central Library (1973–74). Later he developed a more modernistic style with buildings such as the Art Tower of Mito (1986–90) and Domus-Casa del Hombre (1991–1995) in

Galicia, Spain Galicia ( ; or ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain and nationalities and regions of Spain, historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces o ...

. In 1983, he supported an apparently unbuildable entry for a sports club in Hong Kong by the then-unknown architect Zaha Hadid. In 1985 he designed the interior of New York City's Palladium nightclub. The

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai ...

(MOCA) in Los Angeles, completed in 1986, was his second international project and his best known work in the U.S. In 2005, Arata Isozaki founded the Italian branch of his office, Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associates. Two major projects from this office are the

Allianz Tower Allianz Tower (), also known as Isozaki Tower (), is a 50-floor, skyscraper in Milan, Italy. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and Italian architect Andrea Maffei, it serves as the headquarters of the Italian subsidiary Allianz Sp ...

CityLife office tower, a redevelopment project in the former trade fair area in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and the new Town Library in

Maranello Maranello ( Modenese: ) is a city of Italy in the province of Modena, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 17,504 as of 2017. It is known worldwide as the home of Ferrari and the Formula One racing team, ...

, Italy. Despite designing buildings both inside and outside Japan, Isozaki was sometimes described as an architect who refused to be stuck in one architectural style, highlighting "how each of his designs is a specific solution born out of the project’s context." Isozaki won the

in 2019. Isozaki died on 28 December 2022, at the age of 91.

Awards

*Annual Prize,

Architectural Institute of Japan The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture. The institute was founded in 1886 as an institute for architects. It was renamed the Architectural ...

in 1967 and 1975 *Mainichi Art Award in 1983 *

RIBA Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

in 1986 *International Award "Architecture in Stone" in 1987 *Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1988 *Chicago Architecture Award in 1990 *Honor Award, the American Institute of Architects in 1992 *RIBA Honorary Fellow in 1994 *Golden Lion, 6

Venice Biennale of Architecture The Venice Biennale of Architecture ( Italian: ''Mostra di Architettura di Venezia'') is an international exhibition showcasing architectural works from around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. Originally held in even-numbered ...

in 1996 *The European Cultural Centre (ECC) Architecture Award in 2012 *

in 2019

Gallery

Image:Ooita-Ishi.jpg, One of Isozaki's early projects, Oita Medical Hall (1959-1960), "mixed New Brutalism and Metabolist Architecture," according to one critic Image:Arata Isozaki-Maquesta del Palau Sant Jordi.jpg, Model of Isozaki's

Palau Sant Jordi Palau Sant Jordi (, ) is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena and multi-purpose installation that is part of the Anella Olímpica, Olympic Ring complex located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, i ...

(1986) Image:Mito Art Tower.JPG,

Art Tower Mito is an arts complex in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It opened in 1990 as part of the centennial celebrations of the municipality of Mito. There is a concert hall that seats 680, a theater for up to 636, a contemporary art gallery, and a landmark tower, ...

Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 268,036 in 126,055 households and a population density of 1,233 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged ...

(1990) Image:Aerial photo of the Team Disney building.jpg,

Team Disney Orlando Team Disney Orlando is an office building located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on the grounds of Walt Disney World Resort across from Disney Springs. The building is the administrative headquarters of Walt Disney World Resort, and home of the Fi ...

(1992) Image:Isozaki (11-11-08).jpg, Entrance to

CaixaForum Barcelona CaixaForum Barcelona is a cultural center in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located in the Montjuïc area in a former Modernist textile factory designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, it is owned by the not-for-profit banking foundation " la Caixa ...

(2001)

Notable works

* Ōita Prefectural Library, (1962–1966) Ōita, Ōita, Japan *

Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art The is located in Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Designed by Arata Isozaki, it sits on a hill straddling the three wards of Kokura Kita, Tobata, and Yahata Higashi. The museum houses more than 6,000 pieces of art, as well as o ...

(1972–1974) in

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

, Japan * Kitakyushu Central Library (1973–1974) in Fukuoka, Japan * Museum of Modern Art, Gunma (1974) in

Takasaki is a Cities of Japan, city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as th ...

, Japan *

(MOCA), (1981–1986)

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States *

main indoor venue during the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, (1983–1990)

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain *Ochanomizu Square Building – Casals Hall, (1984–1987)

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan * Palladium nightclub building interior (1985) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States *Lake Sagami Country Clubhouse (1987–1989), with stained glass skylights and lantern by

Brian Clarke Sir Brian Clarke (born 2 July 1953) is a British Painting, painter, architectural artist, designer and Printmaking, printmaker, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings, set designs, and collaborations w ...

, Yamanishi, Japan *

, Mito, (1986–1990) Ibaraki, Japan *

, (1987–1990)

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States *

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private university, private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, Queensland, Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its opening on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teachi ...

, – Library, Administration Building, Faculty of Humanities Building (1987–1989) Gold Coast, Australia * KitaKyushu International Conference Center (1987–1990) Fukuoka, Japan * Palafolls Sports Complex Pavilion, (1987–1996) Barcelona, Spain * Centre of Japanese Art and Technology, (1990–1994)

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland * Nagi Museum Of Contemporary Art, (1991–1994)

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

, Japan * Kyoto Concert Hall, (1991–1995)

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, Japan * Nara Centennial Hall, (1992–1998)

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, Japan *

, (1992)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lake Buena Vista ( or ) is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being the mailing address for Walt Disney World, although almost all of the resort facilities, including all four theme parks, are physically loc ...

, United States * Domus: La Casa del Hombre, (1993–1995)

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

, Spain *

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 677,867 in 106,087 households, and a ...

(SPAC), (1993–1998)

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tok ...

, Japan, opened 1999 for the second

Theatre Olympics The Theatre Olympics () is a non-profit organisation that promotes theatrical exchange where dialogue between different theatremakers, irrespective of ideological, culture and language differences is encouraged. The primary output of the organisa ...

COSI Columbus COSI (), officially the Center of Science and Industry, is a science museum and research center in Columbus, Ohio. COSI was opened to the public on 29 March 1964 and remained there for 35 years. In 1999, COSI was moved to a facility, designed ...

, (1994–1999)

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States *Municipal Daycare and Hospital Complex (1997－1998) Tokyo, Japan *

Shenzhen Cultural Center Shenzhen Cultural Center includes Shenzhen Concert Hall and Shenzhen Library and is located in the Futian district of Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China, China. It was designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The Vineyard style ...

, (1998–2007)

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, China ** Includes

Shenzhen Library Shenzhen Library is the municipal public library of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The main library is a part of the Shenzhen Cultural Center in Futian. The main library occupies a building on a plot . History It was previously the Bao'an Coun ...

and

Shenzhen Concert Hall The Shenzhen Concert Hall is a concert hall in Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. History background The city government of Shenzhen funded it. Almost 160,000 people attended performances there in 2017. Arata Isozaki Arata Iso ...

*New entrance of the

building, (1999–2002) Barcelona, Spain *

Isozaki Atea The Isozaki Atea () twin towers in Bilbao, Spain are the tallest residential buildings in the city and the Basque Country, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The towers are tall and have 23 floors. The first two floors are used for m ...

, (1999–2009)

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

, Spain *

Torino Palasport Olimpico Palasport Olimpico, officially operating with the sponsored name Inalpi Arena except during events prohibiting sponsorship names when it is usually known as simply PalaOlimpico, or occasionally PalaIsozaki after its architect, is a multi-purpose ...

, (2000–2006)

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy *Museum of the

Central Academy of Fine Arts The Central Academy of Fine Arts or CAFA is an art academy under the direct charge of the Ministry of Education of China. The Manila Bulletin calls the school "China’s most prestigious and renowned art academy." It is considered one of the most ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, (2003–2008) China * New Concert Hall Building, (2003–)

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, Greece, 2010 *Himalayas Center, (2003–) Shanghai, China *Pavilion of Japanese Army in World War II,

Jianchuan Museum Cluster The Jianchuan Museum Cluster ( zh, s=建川博物馆聚落) is located in Anren Town, Dayi County, Sichuan province, China, about one hour's drive from the provincial capital Chengdu. It consists of 26 museums which showcase China's largest priva ...

, (2004–2015)

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

, China *Diamond Island, (2006–)

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

, Vietnam (complete in 2012) *

Coliseum da Coruña Coliseum da Coruña is an indoor arena for concerts and shows used in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The venue holds 11,000 people for concerts. It was designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, built in 1990 and open on August 12, 1991. It is a ...

, Galicia, Spain, 1991 *

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar Weill is an educational institution affiliated with Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American ...

Education City Education City is an educational and research hub located in Al Rayyan, Al Rayyan Municipality in the Doha Metropolitan Area of Qatar. Developed by the Qatar Foundation, it was established by Moza bint Nasser, one of the consorts of Qatar's form ...

, near

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

* Qatar National Convention Center, opened 2011 * New Town Library (2012) in

, Italy (Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei) * D38 Office (2012) in Barcelona, Spain * Allianz Tower (Il Dritto) (2015), in

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

(Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei) *

Harbin Concert Hall The Harbin Concert Hall () is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. The building is designed Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Description The concert hall is situated in Harbin, hosting city of the reno ...

(2015), in

Harbin, China Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban population (after Shenyang, Liaoning prov ...

Last projects

*The

University of Central Asia The University of Central Asia (UCA) ''() i''s a Secularity, secular, Nonprofit organization, non-profit, research university in Central Asia. It was founded by an international charter between the governments of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakh ...

's three

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

es in Tekeli,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

;

Naryn Naryn ( ; ) is the regional administrative center of Naryn Region in central Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its estimated population was 41,178 as of January 2021. The town was established as a fortress on the caravan route in 1868. It is situated ...

, the

Kyrgyz Republic Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to t ...

; and

Khorog Khorog ( ), also Khorugh ( ) or Kharagh ( ), is the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. It is also the capital of the Shughnon District of Gorno-Badakhshan. It has a population of 30,500 (2020 ). Khorog is above sea level in the Pamir Mou ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

* The New exit for the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy – competition winner (Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei) * The renovation of the

Bologna Centrale railway station Bologna Centrale is the main railway station in Bologna, Italy. The station is situated at the northern edge of the city centre. It is located at the southern end of the Milan-Bologna high-speed line, which opened on 13 December 2008, and the ...

, Bologna, Italy – competition winner * Metropolis Thao Dien,

, Vietnam

References

External links

Arata Isozaki & associates
* * Corkill, Edan.

. ''Japan Times,'' 1 June 2008. * Sarah F. Maclaren, "Arata Isozaki e la fine dell’utopia", in "Il senso della fine", ''Ágalma. Rivista di studi culturali e di estetica'', 19, 2009: 61–75. ISSN 1723-0284.
CityLife
Official website of the project * Liddell, Colin.
Arata Isozaki: Solaris
. ''Metropolis,'' 23 January 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isozaki, Arata 1931 births 2022 deaths Japanese architects University of Tokyo alumni People from Ōita (city) Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland * Members of the Japan Art Academy Honorary members of the Royal Academy Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Members of the Polish Academy of Learning Pritzker Architecture Prize winners Columbia University faculty Harvard University faculty Yale University faculty