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 environment and of collective living,” the official jury citation states for 2024.

Yamamoto follows Arata Isozaki (2019), Shigeru Ban (2014), Toyo Ito (2013), Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (2010), Tadao Ando (1995), Fumihiko Maki (1991), and Kenzō Tange (1987) as the ninth Japanese architect to win the Pritzker.

Jury chair and 2016 Laureate Alejandro Aravena said, “He is a reassuring architect who brings dignity to everyday life.”

Below, you will find our selection of seven iconic Yamamoto designs that best encapsulate his dictum: “To recognize space, is to recognize an entire community.”

Hotakubo Housing, Kumamoto, Japan (1991)

Saitama Prefectural University, Koshigaya, Japan (1999)

Future University Hakodate, Hakodate, Japan (2000)

Hiroshima Nishi Fire Station, Hiroshima, Japan (2000)

Pangyo Housing, Seongnam, Republic of Korea (2010)

Tianjin Library, Tianjin, China (2012)

THE CIRCLE at Zürich Airport, Zürich, Switzerland (2020)