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Toyo Ito is a world−renowned conceptual architect who is both constantly innovative and globally influential. In 1965 he joined Kiyonori Kikutake Architects and Associates where he had worked part−time while studying architecture at Tokyo University. In 1971 he established his own studio, mainly designing private residential housing. He received the Architecture Institute of Japan Prize for his own house, Silver Hut (1984). His plan "to make a building light and transparent" was a new concept and attracted a lot of attention in the world of architecture. More recently, he has extended his work to commercial and public facilities. The Sendai Mediatheque, a multi−purpose cultural center opened in Sendai in 2001, made a strong impact on the world of architecture and brought him fame. Now with his innovative ideas and practicing ability he is considered to be one of the leading architects in the world. While he challenges architectural common practice by such innovative designs as TOD'S Omotesando Building (2004), he also makes buildings such as ZA−KOENJI PUBLIC THEATRE (2008) that is richly designed to enhance a sense of joy and playfulness. Now 80% of his projects are being constructed outside Japan. His designs show a deep concern for the relationships between architecture, nature and the environment and continue to attract interest around the world. 
 

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  Toyo Ito is a world−renowned conceptual architect who is both constantly innovative and globally influential. His many successes inspire him to reinvent and move on to further success, saying, "I do not want to make a style". He uses his achievements as turning points for his next step and finds a new vision in the process of concreting his ideas, inevitably leading to the next work of art.
He was born in Seoul, Korea, in the year when the Pacific War started. He soon came back to Japan and spent his boyhood near Suwa Lake in Nagano Prefecture, his father’s birthplace. He moved to Tokyo when he was 15 years old and went on to study architecture at the prestigious University of Tokyo. 　 After graduation, he joined Kiyonori Kikutake Architects and Associates where he had worked part−time as a student. Four years later, he became independent and established his own office in 1971, mainly−working on private residential housing.
In 1984 he received the Architecture Institute of Japan award for his own house, The Silver Hut (1984). His idea "to make a building light and transparent" was a new concept and attracted a lot of attention in the world of architecture. He has extended his area of work to commercial and public facilities.
The Sendai Mediatheque, a multi−purpose cultural center opened in Sendai in January 2001, made a strong impact on the world of architecture. The vertical steel tubes penetrate the main façade, integrating spaces, yet without binding them to a particular form or use. The flexibility and transparency of the building has been well received by the Sendai citizens and is admired throughout the world. The success of the Sendai Mediatheque has brought him fame and now, with his innovative ideas and practical ability, he is considered to be one of the leading architects in the world. 　 He challenges architectural common practice with buildings such as TOD'S Omotesando Building (2004), where a wall became a structure in itself and Island City Central Park "Grin Grin" in Fukuoka (2005) where walls and roofs merge seamlessly together. Ito is increasingly designing buildings such as the ZA−KOENJI PUBLIC THEATRE (2008) in a way that allows their rich design to enhance a sense of joy and merriment.
Ito has a strong interest in the relationships between architecture, nature and the environment. He says, "Man should go back to his primitive stage to regain his original vitality and spirit. This is my architectural philosophy"
Currently 80% of his projects are being constructed outside Japan. Two of his projects in Spain, Façade Renovation "Suites Avenue Apartment" (2009) facing the main street of Barcelona and TORRES PORTA FIRA (2010) at the site of the Barcelona International Trade Fair, have especially captured the attention of Spanish people, where some observers have noted a resemblance in architectural style between Ito and the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.