Nothingness: Tadao Ando's Christian Sacred Space

Based around an interview with Tadao Ando, this book explores the influence of the Buddhist concept of nothingness on Ando'¬"s Christian architecture, and sheds new light on the cultural significance of the buildings of one of the world'¬"s leading contemporary architects. Specifically, this book situates Ando'¬"s churches, particularly his world-renowned Church of the Light (1989), within the legacy of nothingness expounded by Kitaro Nishida (1870-1945), the father of the Kyoto Philosophical School. Linking Ando'¬"s Christian architecture with a philosophy originating in Mahayana Buddhism illuminates the relationship between the two religious systems, as well as tying Ando'¬"s architecture to the influence of Nishida on post-war Japanese art and culture.