The 83-year-old Breyer has served on the Pritzker Prize jury since 2011. He reportedly became interested in the discipline after having first-hand involvement in the selection of architects for the then-new Moakley Courthouse in Boston as part of his responsibilities as Chief Judge of the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Breyer’s architectural activities may be limited to the Pritzker jury, which he chaired for the 2019 and 2020 competitions, but his tastes and opinions in areas of public design are rather well known. His reputation as a philosopher has extended over into his Pritzker-judging activities as well, according to Yale SoA Dean Deborah Berke, who said she and the prize’s seven other jury members deeply value his astute and original observations. 

“He has a very, very keen eye, not only for buildings but also for their context, their community, and within the building itself its composition and materiality. He sees works of architecture holistically,” the recent Topaz medalist told FastCompany. “He’s an extremely well-informed layperson.”