Tadao Ando’s Drawings Capture Architecture’s Invisible Depth

This post reviews the new Taschen volume Tadao Ando. Sketches, Drawings & Architecture. The book is a compilation of 750 drawings, models, and plans from Ando’s career, spanning the 1970s to the present.

As an architect with decades of practice and a strong interest in design communication, I explore what this book shows about Ando’s process. I focus on his commitment to hand drawing and the lessons it offers architects and engineers today.

What the Taschen volume reveals about Ando’s process

The book is organized chronologically. Each visual work is paired with Ando’s reflections on the project’s “architectural story.”

It traces the journey from early conceptual sketches to detailed studies. Readers see the decisions and iterations behind many of Ando’s landmark works.

For Ando, drawing is the essential language of architecture. It is the medium by which imagination becomes instructive form.

Nine key drawings and what they teach

The book highlights nine drawings that offer insight into Ando’s methods and priorities. These studies show the continuity of his thinking across decades.

Ando’s defense of hand drawing in a digital era

Ando’s message is clear: drawing is the architect’s voice. He believes the emotional impact and clarity of a project depend on how it is drawn.

He distrusts digital media for creative work and continues to draw by hand. For Ando, sketching is an act of freedom that captures the “invisible depth” of architecture in ways digital tools cannot.

Lessons for contemporary practice

There are practical takeaways for architects and engineers who want to retain rigor without losing soul.

Ando’s practice suggests:

 
Here is the source article for this story: Tadao Ando drawings that capture “invisible depth” of architecture