Born in 1941, Ito grew up in Shimosuwa, Nagano, his father’s hometown. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he worked in the office of Kiyonori Kikutake. In 1971, he founded his own office Urban Robot (URBOT), which was renamed Toyo & Associates, Architects. His representative projects include Sendai Mediatheque, Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2002, Tama Art University Library (Hachioji Campus), ‘Minna no Mori’ Gifu Media Cosmos, National Taichung Theater, etc. He is the recipient of The Royal Gold Medal from The Royal Institute of British Architects, The Pritzker Architecture Prize, The UIA Gold Medal, among others. In 2011, he established a private architectural school, Ito Juku, which focuses on the future of cities and architecture. He has been engaged in a variety of activities to revitalize the island of Omishima in Imabari, Ehime, where the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, Imabari is situated, with Ito Juku members and the local community.