Toyo Ito

Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect who was born on June 1, 1941. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 1965 with a degree in architecture. He is known for his extremely creative conceptual architecture, in which he seeks to connect the physical world with the virtual world. He is a leading exponent of architecture that addresses issues related to the modern conception of the fictional city. In 1971 he founded his own studio "Urban robot" (Urbo). Eight years later, the studio was renamed Toyo Ito & Associates Architects. During his early work, Toyo Ito produced a number of private house projects.

Toyo Ito is known in Japan for nurturing a talented younger generation of architects. Kazujo Sejima, Klein Dytham and Katsuya Fukushima, among others, have worked for his studio. Toyo is now an honorary professor at the University of North London. His designs are very unusual and innovative, as seen, for example, in the Konoha bench by Sancal.