Arata Isozaki started his professional activity in 1954 as a project architect into Kenzo Tange’s studio, of whom he was also his teaching assistant into Tokyo University from 1954 to 1963. In 1963 he founded Arata Isozaki & Associates Co. Ltd., which is proud of a forty – year career with the construction of more then 300 buildings in various parts of the world.
His first works are in relationship with the researches lead from the Japanese “Metabolism” architects. His architectonical research addresses to different forms of avant – gardiste experimentalism that flow into always different and heterogeneous results, like the Oita Library (1966), the Oita Fujimi country club (1973-74) and the Kitakyushu library (Fukuoka, 1973 – 75).
In the seventies, Isozaki’s works developed complex and critical relations with modern tradition which found expression into the famous Tsukuba Civic Center (1978-83). The Kamioka Town Council (Gifu, 1975-78) ended seventies works cycle while two important buildings, the Los Angeles Contemporary Art Museum and the Saint Jourdì Sport Palace of Barcelona, started the following decade series of works.
Beside great urban importance realizations, such as Mito expositive complex (1986-90), Ueno station project (Tokyo 1988), Shinjuku town council (Tokyo 1985-86), the two towers of Vienna (1993), Isozaki built a small dimension, curious and refined series of works, such as the New York Palladium discoteque (1938-85). He realized a wide complex for offices in Orlando for Walt Disney.(1987– 91) in which he shows a great freedom of composition. The project for the Japanese culture pavilion in Cracovia (1990-94), the science museum in La Coruna (1993-95), the Okayama police station (1993-96), the Nara Concert Hall (1992-1998), the Ohio Museum of Science & Industry (Columbus, 1994-2000) developed the nineties production with multiform results.
Since 2000, Isozaki has been carrying out numerous projects in China and in Middle East, among these the Shinzen cultural center (2000-2006), with a 1200 seats concert hall and a four volumes open shelves library, the ART Hotel in Shangai (2003-2008), the CAFA museum in Beijing (2003-2006), the Qatar national library (Doha 2002-2007), the private residences of Sheik Saud Al-Thani (2000-2006). In Italy Isozaki realized the 2006 winter Olympics ice hockey stadium, the Olympic swimming pool and the Piazza d’ Armi park in Turin, besides the new exit project of the Uffizi Museum in Florence. He’s designing a skyscraper and housing complex in Milano for old Fair redevelopment project (Citylife). In Spain he is carrying out two skyscrapers and two residences in Bilbao, an hotel – thermal center on Pyrenees mountains, buildings for offices in Barcelona.

Andrea Maffei was graduated in architecture in Florence in 1994 with honors and, after some initial experience with the office of Massimo Carmassi in Pisa, in 1997 he moved to Tokyo to work in the study by Arata Isozaki.
Initially he was engaged in the team of the Ceramics Museum in Gifu (Japan) and then as project leader in the competition the new exit of the Uffizi museum, won in March 1999. From 1999 to 2001 he was project leader of the house Wabrah Sheik Al-Thani in Doha, Qatar, and then the expansion project of the museum of history of Qatar in Doha, as well as many competitions in various parts of the world. This allowed him to travel around the world and come into contact with the wider Asian and Middle Eastern cultures.
Head of Italian projects by Arata Isozaki, as project leader directed the design of Palahockey of Turin, a large renovation project for the 2006 Winter Olympics, now so called Palaisozaki, which has always been designed with the aim of beginning an extensive use of post- Olympic and now hosts concerts, conferences and other events. He also directed the project of the Olympic pool and the park of Piazza d'Armi in Torino (2002-2006) and did the artistic supervision of these three construction sites in Turin.
Since January 2005, opens the office “Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associati” in Milan, with Arata Isozaki as partner.
He signed the project of the new exit of the Uffizi museum (2007), the new library in Maranello (2009) under construction, Imprima Buildings office project in Bergamo.
The office Arata Isozaki & Andrea Maffei Associati wins in the meantime various Italians competitions including the new station in Bologna (2008) and the new headquarters of the Province of Bergamo (2009). They participate in the big competition for the extension of the city of Monte Carlo on the sea (2007-2008), along with studio Libeskind and Alexandre Giraldi, to extend the city by the sea in the form of a peninsula with new residences, hotels, offices and museums.
Now is working as co-designer and signer of the Citylife project in Milan for the construction of a large office complex and residential area of the Old Fair. The project comprises a 202m high skyscraper, a central square of the complex with underground station, several residential buildings.
In addition to the professional activities, he writes on various architectural magazines and since 1997 is correspondent for the architecture magazine "Casabella", director Prof.. Francesco Dal Co, in which publishes various projects and texts on contemporary Japanese architecture. He curated a special issue on Japan architecture in march 2000. He curates the monograph "Toyo Ito's works, the texts, the writings" published by Electa, in 2001.
From 2000 to 2002 takes academic activity as a visiting professor of architectural design at Waseda University in Tokyo, in the course of prof. Osamu Ishiyama, as well as various conferences and seminars on architecture.

Conferences:
Constructa 2008, La stazione T.A.V. di Bologna, Venezia Lido Hotel Excelsior, december 2008

Bibliography:
Collaborates with the magazine CASABELLA, director prof. Francesco Dal Co, since 1998 especially about japanese architecture and in other magazines.

Publications by Andrea Maffei:

• Maffei Andrea (1998), “Huis Ten Bosch, Polo turistico a Omura, Giappone”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 661, November, p. 4
• Maffei Andrea (1998), “Yoshio Taniguchi, Museo municipale d’arte di Toyota, 1993 – 1995”, Casabella , Milano, Electa, n. 661, November, p. 78
• Maffei Andrea (1999), “Arata Isozaki, Una Loggia per gli Uffizi. Progetto per la nuova uscita degli Uffizi Firenze 1998”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 664, February, p. 4
• Maffei Andrea (1999), “Art Village a Akiyoshidai”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 669, July, p.31
• Maffei Andrea (1999), “Del minimalismo politico, tecnologico, materico The Universal Floor”, Casabella , Milano, Electa, n. 669, July, p.34
• Maffei Andrea (2000), “Japan Today una conversazione di Andrea Maffei con Arata Isozaki”, Casabella , Milano, Electa, n. 676, March, p. 74
• Maffei Andrea (2000), “Civic Center, Taisha”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 682, October, p. 40
• Maffei Andrea (2000/2001), “La mediateca di Sendai: un organismo scomposto”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 684/685, December, p. 144
• Maffei Andrea (2001), “Leggerezza e gravità: due musei di Kengo Kuma”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 689, May, p. 63
• Maffei Andrea (2001), “Toyo Ito Progetto della torre per uffici Mahler 4”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 689, maggio, p. 68
• Maffei Andrea (2001/2002), “Toyo Ito. Parco dell’agricoltura (2001) Yamaga, Hayami-gun, Prefettura di Oita, Kyushu, Giappone”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 695/696, December, p. 124
• Maffei Andrea (2002), “Figure sfumate” Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 702, July, p. 22
• Maffei Andrea (2002), “Trasparenza strutturale”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 702, July, p. 30
• Maffei Andrea (2002/2003), “La casa di plastica”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 706/707, December p. 11
• Maffei Andrea (2003), “Kei’ichi Irie + Power Unit Studio Un’abitazione nella periferia Tokyo, Giappone 2001” Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 708, February, p.14
• Maffei Andrea (2005), “Flessibilità curvilinea”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 734, June, p.49
• Maffei Andrea (2006), “The events factory – la fabbrica degli avvenimenti”, TAM TAM, Torino, Associazione Torino Internazionale, n. 2006/S, February, p. 8
• Maffei Andrea (2006) “COR-TEN on the rocks”, Rassegna, Bologna, Editrice Compositori, n. 83, June, p.106
• Maffei Andrea (2007) “Razionalità delle forme organiche”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 752, February, p.38
• Maffei Andrea (2011) “Una ambigua casa delle bambole”, Casabella, Milano, Electa, n. 799, March, p.77

Curator of the following monography for the editor Electa / Mondadori:

• Maffei Andrea (2001), a cura di, “Toyo Ito. Le opere, i progetti, gli scritti”, Milano, Electa, monography dedicated to the whole projects of the Japanese architect pages 361.