Archinect - News

Seven defining projects by the 2024 Pritzker Prize winner Riken Yamamoto

2024-03-05T17:40:00-05:00

This morning’s announcement of Riken Yamamoto as the 53rd official laureate of the Pritzker Prize has come with praise for the Beijing-born Japanese designer whose community-minded approach to architecture has impacted countless lives. Many outside of Asia were surprised by his selection, which is being received as a win for rational design principles, relational aesthetics, and the democratization of architecture.

He is particularly well-known for placing emphasis on the boundaries and periphery spaces inherent in his designs, as well as for having an equal competency in transfusing landscapes within their natural environments and urban context. To date, completed works include projects in Japan, Switzerland, China, and the Republic of Korea.

“Yamamoto has expanded the toolbox of the profession towards both the past and the future to be able to give each time, in very different modes and at very different scales, the most pertinent response to the challenges of both the built envi...

Riken Yamamoto wins the 2024 Pritzker Prize

2024-03-05T09:00:00-05:00

Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto has been awarded the 2024 Pritzker Prize.

Born in 1945, the architect and social advocate has built a career that establishes kinship between public and private realms, in pursuit of harmonious societies that overcome diverse identities, economies, politics, infrastructures, and housing systems.

Yamakawa Villa, photo courtesy of Tomio Ohashi

“For me, to recognize space, is to recognize an entire community,” Yamamoto notes. “The current architectural approach emphasizes privacy, negating the necessity of societal relationships. However, we can still honor the freedom of each individual while living together in architectural space as a republic, fostering harmony across cultures and phases of life.”

Jian Wai SOHO, photo courtesy of Mitsumasa Fujitsuka

Yamamoto was chosen by the Pritzker jury for his championing of a profession that creates awareness in the community, "questioning the discipline of architecture to calibrate each individual architectural ...

David Chipperfield is the 2023 Pritzker Prize winner

2023-03-07T10:00:00-05:00

British architect Sir David Chipperfield has been awarded the 2023 Pritzker Prize.

The Pritzker jury described Chipperfield as a "prolific architect who is radical in his restraint, demonstrating his reverence for history and culture while honoring the preexisting built and natural environments, as he reimagines functionality and accessibility of new buildings, renovations and restorations through timeless modern design that confronts climate urgencies, transforms social relationships and reinvigorates cities."

The Neues Museum, courtesy of SPK / David Chipperfield Architects, photo Joerg von Bruchhausen

Chipperfield's work spans over four decades with over one hundred projects ranging from civic, cultural, and academic buildings to residences and urban masterplanning throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. When naming Chipperfield as the 2023 Pritzker laureate, the organizers singled out his Neues Museum restoration (Berlin, Germany, 2009) as demonstrating "Chipperfield’s discer...

Francis Kéré named 2022 Pritzker Prize winner

2022-03-15T10:00:00-04:00

Diébédo Francis Kéré has been awarded the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, widely considered one of the industry's highest honors.

"Francis Kéré has found brilliant, inspiring and game-changing ways to answer these questions over the last decades," said the jury citation for the award. "His cultural sensitivity not only delivers social and environmental justice, but guides his entire process, in the awareness that it is the path towards the legitimacy of a building in a community. He knows, from within, that architecture is not about the object but the objective; not the product, but the process."

Born in Gando, Burkina Faso in 1965, Kéré studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. In 2005, while living in Berlin, he set up Kéré Architecture and has since designed a portfolio of notable works, including the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion, installations at Coachella, and a pavilion for the Tip...

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal named 2021 Pritzker Prize Winners

2021-03-16T10:38:00-04:00

French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal of Lacaton & Vassal have been awarded the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, widely considered one of the industry's highest honors.

Transformation of G, H, I Buildings, Grand Parc, 530 Units, Social Housing (with Frédéric Druot and Christophe Hutin), photo courtesy of Philippe Ruault

The prize jury praised the architects' ongoing commitment to sustainability through their reverence for pre-existing structures, "conceiving projects by first taking inventory of what already exists."

53 Units, Low-Rise Apartments, Social Housing, photo courtesy of Philippe Ruault

The 2021 jury citation states, in part: "Not only have they defined an architectural approach that renews the legacy of modernism, but they have also proposed an adjusted definition of the very profession of architecture. The modernist hopes and dreams to improve the lives of many are reinvigorated through their work that responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies...

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects named 2020 Pritzker Prize winners

2020-03-03T10:07:00-05:00

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects have been awarded the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Dubbed as the "Nobel Prize" of architecture, the prize is considered the industry's highest honor.

Loreto Community School, photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.

In a press statement announcing their selection, the Farrell wrote, “Architecture could be described as one of the most complex and important cultural activities on the planet. To be an architect is an enormous privilege. To win this prize is a wonderful endorsement of our belief in architecture. Thank you for this great honor.”

To which McNamara added, “Within the ethos of a practice such as ours, we have so often struggled to find space for the implementation of such values as humanism, craft, generosity, and cultural connection with each place and context within which we work. It is therefore extremely gratifying that this recognition is bestowed upon us and our practice and upon the body of work we have managed t...

Arata Isozaki named 2019 Pritzker Prize winner

2019-03-05T10:17:00-05:00

Announced Tuesday morning, Arata Isozaki has been awarded the 2019 Pritzker Prize. Dubbed as the "Nobel Prize" of architecture, it is considered the industry's highest honor. Isozaki—whose notable works have included Ōita Medical Hall (1959-60) and Annex (1970-1972), the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles, and the more recent, National Convention Center in Qatar —is the 46th Pritzker Prize laureate and the eighth Japanese architect to be awarded.

On their selection, the 2019 Jury praised the architect for "possessing a profound knowledge of architectural history and theory, and embracing the avant-garde." The Citation further states that Isozaki "never merely replicated the status quo, but his search for meaningful architecture was reflected in his buildings that to this day, defy stylistic categorizations, are constantly evolving, and always fresh in their approach.”

Arata Isozaki will join the Pritzker's honorary list of laureates, which includes Balkrishna Doshi (...

Balkrishna Doshi wins 2018 Pritzker Prize

2018-03-07T10:07:00-05:00

That time of year is here again! Today, Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi was announced as the 2018 Pritzker Prize winner. Dubbed the “Nobel Prize” of architecture, the illustrious $100,000 prize also comes with a formal citation certificate and a bronze medallion based on the designs of iconic architect Louis Sullivan.

Balkrishna Doshi will join the Pritzker's honorary list of laureates, which includes RCR Arquitectes co-founders Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta (who collectively won the 2017 prize), Alejandro Aravena (2016), the late Frei Otto (2015), Shigeru Ban (2014), Toyo Ito (2013), Wang Shu (2012), Eduardo Souto de Moura (2011), SANAA (2010), Peter Zumthor (2009), and Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2006).

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, Ramon Vilalta named 2017 Pritzker Prize Winners

2017-03-01T12:38:00-05:00

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, all three co-founders of RCR Arquitectes, have been named the laureates of the 2017 Pritzker Prize. Dubbed as the "Nobel Prize" of architecture, the illustrious Pritzker isn't only a big deal in terms of prestige. Once the latest laureate is revealed, the debate surrounding the prize is ignited once more — from questioning the prize's significance in the field to discussing which architect should have won.

It's the first time that three architects have been honored with the prize. Originally from Olot in the Catalonian region of Spain, Aranda, Pigem, and Vilalta have worked closely together since founding RCR Arquitectes in 1988. It was this nearly three-decade collaboration — along with their longtime commitment to creative vision and equal sharing of responsibilities — that led the jury to select all three architects to win.

Emphasizing place, narrative, and materiality in their work, their projects “seek connections between the exteri...

Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, director of this year's Venice Biennale, named 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate

2016-01-13T11:39:00-05:00

The Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena has been named Pritzker Prize Laureate for 2016. The 48-year old is known for his socially-minded work at various scales in Chile, produced under two forms of practice – principal of his private firm, Alejandro Aravena Architects, and executive director of the “Do Tank”, ELEMENTAL, both based in Santiago. He is the first Chilean architect to receive the prize, and one of the youngest.

↑ Anacleto Angelini, 2014, San Joaquín Campus, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago

↑ Siamese Towers, 2005, San Joaquín Campus, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago

Although Aravena's most recognizable work might be his multiple projects for Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago – the UC Innovation Center includes Anacleto Angelini (2014), the Siamese Towers (2005), Medical School (2004), School of Architecture (2004), and the Mathematics School (1999) – the most significant note mentioned in the jury's citation is his commitment to social housing, mo...

Frei Otto wins 2015 Pritzker Prize

2015-03-10T17:37:00-04:00

German architect Frei Otto has been named the 2015 Pritzker Prize Laureate. Otto was known for his technologically progressive and sustainable work with lightweight, adaptable structures that accomplished remarkable engineering feats – a noteworthy instance being his canopy for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. In 2006, he won the Praemium Imperiale prize for architecture, and was awarded the Royal Gold Medal for architecture from RIBA in 2005. Otto passed away yesterday in Germany, prompting the Prizker committee to break the news in advance of the scheduled announcement on March 23rd. This is the first time winner has died before the announcement was made.

Otto had already been informed of his win, responding to Pritzker officials, “I’ve never done anything to gain this prize... Prize-winning is not the goal of my life. I try to help poor people, but what shall I say here, I’m very happy.” According to the New York Times, the Pritzker ceremony will precede as scheduled on May 15, ...

Shigeru Ban named as 2014 Pritzker Prize Laureate

2014-03-24T17:14:00-04:00

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has been announced as the 2014 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Established by the Pritzker family of Chicago in 1979, the prestigious award is widely regarded as "the Nobel Prize" in the architecture profession.

Shigeru Ban will be the seventh Japanese architect to become a Pritzker Laureate — following the late Kenzo Tange in 1987, Fumihiko Maki in 1993, Tadao Ando in 1995, the team of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 2010, and Toyo Ito in 2013.

Shigeru Ban will officially accept the prize at a formal ceremony in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on June 13, 2014. This will be the first time the ceremony will be held in The Netherlands.

Past recipients in recent years include Toyo Ito (2013), Wang Shu (2012), Eduardo Souto de Moura (2011), SANAA (2010), and Peter Zumthor (2009). Laureates receive a $100,000 grant, a formal citation certificate, and a bronze medallion based on the designs of famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan.

From the wi...

Toyo Ito announced as recipient for 2013 Pritzker Prize

2013-03-17T16:09:00-04:00

For nearly 40 years, Toyo Ito has pursued excellence. His work has not remained static and has never been predictable. He has been an inspiration and influenced the thinking of younger generations of architects both within his land and abroad.

Contrary to the popular choice of Steven Holl, in this year's Pritzker Bets thread in the Archinect forum, Toyo Ito takes the prestigious award. Credit goes to members jk3hl, miesian and helenakeys for their insightful predictions (or hopes, to be more accurate).

Steven Ward says, "Yep, there's def a grudge against Holl..."

There's no denying, however, that Toyo Ito is deserving of the Pritzker. Perhaps Holl's year is next.

Tower of Winds, 1986, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan
Photo by Tomio Ohashi

The 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize Ceremony Will Be Held in Boston at the John F. Kennedy Library.

Some comments from this year's jurors:

Toyo Ito, his manner, methodology, and generosity of mind and spirit to the younger generation of architects; as well as the brilliance of the constant innovation and execution of his work throughout his long and distinguished career, are qualities that those younger architects would do well to study. Toyo Ito is, quite simply, a ma...

Wang Shu is named first Chinese Pritzker winner

2012-02-27T11:27:00-05:00

Wang Shu, 49, deftly melds tradition and modernity, often by reusing bricks and tiles from demolished buildings in such bold new designs as a history museum in the Chinese city of Ningbo. Wang calls his office the "Amateur Architecture Studio," yet that name is far too modest, the jury that selected him said in its citation. His work "is that of a virtuoso in full command of the instruments of architecture — form, scale, material, space and light," said the jury...

Note: as the.rkitekt points out below in the comments, "Wang is NOT the first Chinese architect to win the Pritzker as so many writers are mentioning. I.M. Pei won in the 80's and while living predominantely in the US, he was born in Guangzhou, China. Wang is the first China based Chinese architect to win the prize."

Portuguese Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura Wins 2011 Pritzker Prize

2011-03-28T13:39:00-04:00

Eduardo Souto de Moura from Porto, Portugal is the 2011 laureate of the Pritzker Prize, the professions highest honor. As a young architect, from 1974 to 1979, the now 58-year-old, worked in Alvaro Siza's office -- Siza having been the Pritzker Prize winner himself in 1992. This makes Moura the second Pritzker laureate to be chosen from Portugal.

SANAA wins 2010 Pritzker Prize

2010-03-28T14:01:00-04:00

I'm happy to report that the Japanese duo of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have taken the 2010 Pritzker Prize.

I'm happy to report that the Japanese duo of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have taken the 2010 Pritzker Prize.

The pair was given the Pritzker Prize by the Hyatt Foundation in Chicago. They will share the $100,000 prize, given annually since 1979 for “significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.” Sejima and Nishizawa will be presented the award in a May 17 ceremony on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Via Bloomberg

Browse some news that we've reported on SANAA over the years after the jump...

Musée Louvre-LENS Breaks Ground in Northern France

SANAA’s 2009 Serpentine Pavilion Opens

SANAA's Rolex Learning Center
Last week I visited the new Rolex Leaning Center at the campus of the EPFL in Lausanne and...
03/01/10 6:13

Learning curve: Sanaa's spectacular floating Lausanne library rockets them into architecture's premier...

and the Pritzker goes to... Peter Zumthor

2009-04-12T10:33:00-04:00

He is not a celebrity architect - not one of the names that show up on short lists for museums and concert hall projects or known outside of architecture circles. He hasn’t designed many buildings; the one he’s best known for is a thermal spa in an Alpine commune. And he has toiled in relative obscurity for the last 30 years in a remote village in the Swiss mountains, out of the limelight and away from the crowd.

But on Monday, the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, was to earn the highest recognition of his profession: the Pritzker Prize. NYT & Bustler

Nouvel Takes the 2008 Pritzker

2008-03-30T15:01:00-04:00

"Jean Nouvel, the bold French architect known for such wildly diverse projects as the muscular Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the exotically louvered Arab World Institute in Paris, has received architectureï¿½s top honor, the Pritzker Prize." His selection is to be announced Monday. - NYT; LAT ; TIME ; Pritzker

Richard Rogers Wins Pritzker Prize 2007

2007-03-28T13:34:00-04:00

Richard Rogers has been chosen as the 2007 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Richard Rogers of the UK

Becomes the 2007

Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

Los Angeles, CA—Richard Rogers, whose firm Richard Rogers Partnership is
headquartered in London, has been chosen as the 2007 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture
Prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as
architecture’s highest honor will be held on June 4 in London. At that time, a $100,000 grant
and a bronze medallion will be bestowed on the 73-year old architect at The Banqueting
House, designed in 1619 by Inigo Jones.

In announcing the jury’s choice, Thomas J. Pritzker, president of The Hyatt
Foundation, quoted from the jury citation, “Born in Florence, Italy, and trained as an
architect in London, at the Architectural Association, and later, in the United States at
Yale University, Rogers has an outlook as urbane and expansive as his upbringing. In
his w...

Paulo gets a Pritzker.

2006-04-09T14:22:00-04:00

The 2006 Pritzker Prize was awarded to Paulo Mendes da Rocha.

more info. in the full post
Mendes da Rocha, Paulo (Archias)

(b VitÃ³ria, Espirito Santo, 25 Oct 1928). Brazilian architect. He graduated in architecture in 1954 from Mackenzie University, SÃ£o Paulo, one of a new generation of professionals from the newly created, autonomous architecture faculties that replaced the specialist courses in engineering schools. He entered private practice in SÃ£o Paulo in 1955, and in 1957 he won a competition for the Paulistano Athletics Club, SÃ£o Paulo. His design incorporated an ingenious structural system and a dramatic trussed roof; it also won a prize at the 1961 Biennale in SÃ£o Paulo.

In 1961 he was invited by JoÃ£o B. Vilanova Artigas, one of the runners-up in the competition for the athletics club, to lecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of SÃ£o Paulo; he was dismissed by the military government in 1969 because of his political views. His architec...

Thom Mayne named 2005 Pritzker Prize Winner

2005-03-20T13:39:00-05:00

The prize winner is now confirmed: Thom Mayne is the 2005 laureate. After a few recent years finally earning and pushing to construction a number of ambitious public commissions, Mr. Mayne has been awarded what is commonly recognized as architecture's highest honor. Although Monday March 21st is supposed to be the date of a media announcement, the Associated Press has the following article: link. | Pritzker | disucssion | morphosis