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 writings, through his role as advisor to policy making groups, as well as his large-scale
planning work, Rogers is a champion of urban life and believes in the potential of the city
to be a catalyst for social change.”


In Rogers’ own words, his vision is that cities of the future “will no longer be zoned
as today in isolated one-activity ghettos; rather they will resemble the more richly layered
cities of the past. Living, work, shopping, learning, and leisure will overlap and be housed
in continuous, varied and changing structures.”


Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo elaborated with more of the
citation: “Throughout his distinguished career of more than forty years, Richard Rogers
has consistently pursued the highest goals for architecture. Key Rogers projects already
represent defining moments in the history of contemporary architecture. The Centre Georges
Pompidou in Paris (1971-1977), designed in partnership with Renzo Piano, revolutionized
museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social
and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city. Lloyd’s of London in the City of
London (1978-1986), another landmark of late 20th century design, established Richard
Rogers’ reputation as a master not only of the large urban building, but also of his own
brand of architectural expressionism. As these buildings and other subsequent projects, such
as the recently completed and acclaimed Terminal 4, Barajas Airport in Madrid (1997-
2005) demonstrate, a unique interpretation of the Modern Movement’s fascination with the
building as machine, an interest in architectural clarity and transparency, the integration
of public and private spaces, and a commitment to flexible floor plans that respond to the
ever-changing demands of users, are recurring themes in his work.” Terminal 4, Barajas
Airport won the 2006 Stirling Prize.


Rogers is the fourth laureate to be chosen from the United Kingdom, the first three
being the late James Stirling in 1981, The Lord Foster (Norman Foster) in 1999, and Zaha
Hadid in 2004. He is the 31st laureate since the prize was founded in 1979. Rogers was appointed a Labour life peer in 1996 taking the title, The Lord Rogers of Riverside.


In addition to London, Richard Rogers Partnership (which will be renamed
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in the UK next month) has offices in Barcelona, Madrid
and Tokyo. Some of the major projects that span the globe include: in New York, the
design for a 71-story tower for the World Trade Center site at 175 Greenwich Street; in
Washington, D.C., an office building under construction at 300 New Jersey Avenue; in
UK, mentioning just a few works — the Leadenhall Building; the Millennium Experience;
and an early project, Wimbledon House, a home for Rogers’ parents in the late 1960s;
the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff; the Nippon Television Headquarters in
Tokyo, as well as several other projects there and in South Korea.


The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize is to honor annually a living
architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent,
vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to
humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.


The distinguished jury that selected Rogers as the 2007 Laureate consists of its
chairman, Lord Palumbo, internationally known architectural patron of London, chairman
of the trustees, Serpentine Gallery, former chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain,
former chairman of the Tate Gallery Foundation, and former trustee of the Mies van
der Rohe Archive at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and alphabetically: Shigeru
Ban, architect and professor at Keio University, Tokyo, Japan; Balkrishna Vithaldas
Doshi, architect, planner and professor of architecture of Ahmedabad, India; Rolf
Fehlbaum, chairman of the board, Vitra in Basel, Switzerland; Carlos Jimenez, professor,
Rice University School of Architecture, principal, Carlos Jimenez Studio in Houston,
Texas; Victoria Newhouse architectural historian and author, founder and director of
the Architectural History Foundation, New York, New York; Renzo Piano, architect and
Pritzker Laureate, of Paris, France and Genoa, Italy; and Karen Stein, editorial director
of Phaidon Press in New York. Martha Thorne, formerly a curator of architecture at
the Art Institute of Chicago, is executive director.


The prize presentation ceremony moves to different locations around the world
each year, paying homage to historic and contemporary architecture. Last year, the
ceremony was held in Istanbul, Turkey at the Dolmabahçe Palace. The year before,
Chicago’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by 1989 Pritzker Laureate Frank Gehry, was
the venue in that city’s new Millennium Park. The State Hermitage Museum in St.
Petersburg, Russia was the site in 2004. Over the years ceremonies have been at the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid, Spain; Michelangelo’s Campidoglio in
Rome, Italy; Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia; the Jerusalem
Archaeological Park, and The White House in Washington, D.C.


The list of venues goes on to include not only a great many of the great museums
in the United States, but also many other countries including France, England, the Czech
Republic, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Japan.


“It was a fortuitous decision to go to London this year,” explains Hyatt Foundation
President, Thomas Pritzker, “but it was a decision made long before the jury selected
Rogers as this year’s honoree. The location for the ceremony is always planned before
the laureate is chosen by the jury.”


The late Philip Johnson was the first Pritzker Laureate in 1979. The late Luis Barragán of Mexico was named in 1980. The late James Stirling of the United Kingdom
was elected in 1981, Kevin Roche in 1982, Ieoh Ming Pei in 1983, and Richard Meier
in 1984. Hans Hollein of Austria was the 1985 Laureate. Gottfried Böhm of Germany
received the prize in 1986. The late Kenzo Tange was the first Japanese architect to receive
the prize in 1987; Fumihiko Maki was the second from Japan in 1993; and Tadao Ando
the third in 1995. Robert Venturi received the honor in 1991, and Alvaro Siza of Portugal
in 1992. Christian de Portzamparc of France was elected Pritzker Laureate in 1994. The
late Gordon Bunshaft of the United States and Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil, were named in
1988. Frank Gehry of the United States was the recipient in 1989, the late Aldo Rossi of
Italy in 1990. In 1996, Rafael Moneo of Spain was the Laureate; in 1997 Sverre Fehn of
Norway; in 1998 Renzo Piano of Italy, in 1999 Sir Norman Foster of the UK, and in 2000,
Rem Koolhaas of the Netherlands. In 2001, two architects from Switzerland received the
honor: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Australian Glenn Murcutt received the
prize in 2002. Jørn Utzon of Denmark was honored in 2003; Zaha Hadid of the UK in
2004; and Thom Mayne of the United States in 2005. Last year, Paulo Mendes da Rocha
of Brazil was the Laureate.


The field of architecture was chosen by the Pritzker family because of their keen
interest in building due to their involvement with developing the Hyatt Hotels around the
world; also because architecture was a creative endeavor not included in the Nobel Prizes.
The procedures were modeled after the Nobels, with the final selection being made by the
international jury with all deliberations and voting in secret. Nominations are continuous
from year to year with hundreds of nominees from countries all around the world being
considered each year.



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