There’s something weird about being close to starting a program of study, and then finding people who have done amazing things in the same field without ever attending school for it…

To me, Tadao Ando is one of those guys.

Starting from a passion for building wooden models, he progressed through a series of apprenticeships in carpentry and design to become a master of architectural concrete. No college degree.  His work has changed landscapes, won him a Pritzker Prize, and survived earthquakes.

Check out some of his projects here:

Awaji Yumebutai, Awaji, Japan, 1995

Himeji City Museum of Literature, Himeji, Japan, 1991

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe, Japan, 2001

Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany, 2004

Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum Annex, Naoshima Island, Japan, 1995

Nariwa-Cho Art Museum, Takahashi, Japan, 1994

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, St. Louis, USA, 2001

Rokko Housing II, Kobe, Japan, 1993

Church on the Water, Tomamu, Japan, 1988