Japanese architect Toyo Ito has been named the 2013 Pritzker Laureate, architecture's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, moving him into the ranks of "Starchitects" like Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and I.M. Pei. Ito was born in 1941 and grew up dreaming of becoming a baseball player before discovering architecture at Tokyo University. After graduating in 1965 he worked for a prominent firm before opening his own studio in 1971. In the 40 years since, Ito has worked on everything from glorified shacks to giant stadiums, but has no Hadid-esqe hallmark style that unifies his work. Each project represents a creative solution to a difficult problem, but the formal results vary greatly. “Ito really is a complete architect. He has had a long career, and he is always re-inventing himself, says Stanley T. Allen, Dean of Architecture at Princeton University. “I think this is a mark of his restless creativity.” In addition to his built works, Ito is also a prolific educator and gifted mentor — perhaps too gifted. His former apprentices Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa received the Pritzker Prize in 2010 — a master/apprentice reversal not seen since Darth Vader destroyed Obi-Wan Kenobi. The following projects provide a glimpse into the mind and methods of one of the most talented architects working today. Sendai Mediatheque Sendai, Japan — 2001 "The Sendai Mediatheque was the building that cemented Ito's international reputation," says Jessie Turnbull, editor of Toyo Ito: Forces of Nature. "The building is a contemporary interpretation of a library, with an innovative structural system designed in collaboration with the engineer Sasaki. An interior view of the support structure. Photo: Qingyue Li Instead of hiding structural elements, heat ducts, and water pipes behind walls, Ito made them the central feature of the design which allowed him to flood the space with light from exterior windows as well as these interior columns. The inventive structural design is fully documented in this animation. While unconventional, the structural system employed in this building proved that Ito is a gifted designer with a solid sense of structural engineering. Viral videos of the building surviving the 2011 earthquake that rocked Japan helped raise Ito's international profile. Photo: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

U House Tokyo, Japan — 1976 The U House (now demolished) was one of Ito's first major works and was designed as a home for his widowed sister and nieces after her husband died of cancer. "It had an emotional intensity rare in contemporary architecture," says Allen, who rates this building as one of Ito's three masterpieces along with the Sendai Mediatheque and Tama Library. "It suggests that architecture can be both a personal and public artform." Photo: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

Library of Tama Art University Tokyo, Japan — 2007 In addition to his thriving architecture practice, Ito has been a lecturer and professor at universities around the world including Columbia and Harvard. He has also designed an impressive array of educational buildings including this steel and concrete library for an art school located in the suburbs of Tokyo. "The Tama Art Library is a reinvention of the space of the Library for the contemporary digital age; working again with innovative structure, in this case impossibly thin concrete walls, pierced by arched openings," says Allen. "It has the feel of a house of cards; he is able to make concrete, which is usually treated as a heavy, cumbersome material, seem light and delicate. The space of his Tama Art Library suggests that today, media and information can never be captured and locked in, as they were in the old libraries, but exist in a kind of flux, which can be shaped and channeled by architecture but never controlled." Photo: Wikipedia

World Games Stadium Kaohsiung, Taiwan — 2009 This 55,000 seat stadium was designed to mimic the serpentine form of a dragon, but also to avoid the burning of fossil fuels. The roof was clad with enough solar panels to meet all of its energy requirements. Photo: Peellden

Torre Realia BCN and Hotel Porta Fira Barcelona, Spain — 2009 Antoni Gaudí is the undisputed king of architecture in Barcelona, but Ito has left his mark in the shadow of the Spanish master. Ito's contribution to the city's rich architectural heritage takes the form of two towers. The Hotel Porta Fira (left) is a 28-story skyscraper clad in red panels, echoing the city's other avant-garde designs. The Torre Realia BCN (right) is slightly shorter, and more traditional, but still reflects Ito's unique approach. Photo: Wikipedia

Serpentine Gallery Pavillion London, England — 2002 The Serpentine Gallery exhibits works from some of the most popular modern artists; Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst have all exhibited there, but a glorified gazebo on the gallery's grounds is even more interesting. Every year the curators of the gallery commission a high-profile architect to design a temporary structure to house a lecture series, musical performances, and public gatherings. The roster of architects who have designed one reads like a list of Pritzker Laureates — in addition to Ito, Peter Zumthor, Zaha Hadid, and Frank Gehry have been awarded the job. If you want to start prognosticating about the 2018 Pritzker, keep an eye on Chinese architect Ai Weiwei who designed the 2012 pavilion. Photos: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

Za-Koenji Public Theatre Tokyo, Japan — 2008 Movement and light are two of Ito's major themes and this three-story public theater, set in a residential neighborhood, embodies them in inventive ways. The roof is sculpted to resembles waves and the interior of the space is lit with natural and artificial light in the form of organic "portholes" that are placed sporadically throughout the building. Photos: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

Suki Armchair 1988 In addition to his architectural achievements, Ito has also designed flatware, lighting, and furniture. However, these products don't come cheap — this chair costs over $11,000. Photo: 1st Dibs