The Pritzker Prize: Architecture's Most Prestigious Award

Riken YamamotoPhoto courtesy of Tom Welsh/The Pritzker Prize In March 2024, Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto became the forty-seventh Laureate of The Pritzker Architecture Prize. The award, often called “the Nobel Prize of architecture,”[1] has been awarded annually since it was founded in 1979 by American entrepreneur Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, American philanthropist Cindy Pritzker. The award is presented to “a living architect or architects 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.”[2]

About the 2024 Laureate, Riken Yamamoto

Riken Yamamoto was born in Beijing, China, to Japanese parents. They had moved to China for Yamamoto’s father’s work but returned to Japan after the Second World War. In 1949, Yamamoto’s father passed away, so he moved with his mother to her hometown, Yokohama. By 1967, Yamamoto had earned a bachelor’s degree from Nihon University; he then went on to complete a master’s degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts.[3]

During his career as an architect, Yamamoto has designed numerous projects. Some of his most notable works include the Rotunda Building (built in 1981) and Ryukoentoshi apartment blocks (1992) in Yokohama, and the Hamlet Building in Shibuya City (built 1998).

To view a complete list of Riken Yamamoto’s projects, click here.

On why Riken Yamamoto was selected as the 2024 Laureate, the jury wrote:

In his long, coherent, rigorous career, Riken Yamamoto has managed to produce architecture both as background and foreground to everyday life, blurring boundaries between its public and private dimensions, and multiplying opportunities for people to meet spontaneously, through precise, rational design strategies. […] For creating awareness in the community in what is the responsibility of the social demand, for questioning the discipline of architecture to calibrate each individual architectural response, and above all for reminding us that in architecture, as in democracy, spaces must be created by the resolve of the people, Riken Yamamoto is named the 2024 Pritzker Prize Laureate.[4]

About the Pritzker Prize Founders

Being from Chicago, home of the first skyscraper and works by notable figures such as Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe, the Pritzker family had a passion for architecture; they founded the prize in the hopes that it would not only inspire creativity in the field, but ignite public interest and appreciation for buildings and architecture.[5] The late Jay A. Pritzker is widely recognized for founding the Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago. After purchasing the first Hyatt Hotel in 1957, Pritzker turned Hyatt into a chain, evolving the business from a single hotel to an international corporation.[6] On the Pritzker Prize site, the couple’s eldest son, Tom Pritzker, explains:

In 1967, we acquired an unfinished building which was to become the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Its soaring atrium was wildly successful and became the signature piece of our hotels around the world. It was immediately apparent that this design had a pronounced effect on the mood of our guests and attitude of our employees. While the architecture of Chicago made us cognizant of the art of architecture, our work with designing and building hotels made us aware of the impact architecture could have on human behavior. So in 1978, when we were approached with the idea of honoring living architects, we were responsive.[7]

The First Laureate: Philip Johnson 

Once the award was established in 1979, Philip Johnson became the first laureate. His 2005 obituary in The New York Times described him as, “the dean of American architects,” and his work as being, “widely considered among the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century."[8] His most notable works are the Glass House in New Canaan in Connecticut, 550 Madison Avenue in NYC, and the Sculpture Garden in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art.

On why Johnson was selected as the first winner, the 1979 jury said:

The first award is being given to Philip Johnson, whose work demonstrates a combination of the qualities of talent, vision and commitment that has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the environment. As a critic and historian, he championed the cause of modern architecture and then went on to design some of his greatest buildings. Philip Johnson is being honored for 50 years of imagination and vitality embodied in a myriad of museums, theaters, libraries, houses, gardens and corporate structures.[9]

The Selection Process

Individual architects (not architectural firms) can be nominated for the prize by anyone with a great understanding of and interest in architecture. Nominees can be from anywhere across the globe but must have a portfolio of completed buildings. Following the November 1^st deadline each year, a panel of judges (jury) deliberate before the winner is announced in March of the following year. The jury is comprised of five to nine esteemed architects, scholars, and critics. View the current jury and read about them here.

The prize has always championed innovation. Over the years, however, the award has evolved to reflect contemporary issues within the architectural sphere, including sustainability, social equity, and the role of technology. Recent laureates have been selected not only for their creating visually striking buildings but also addressing global challenges. For instance, Balkrishna Doshi, the 2018 laureate from India, was recognized for his work in affordable housing and urban planning, emphasizing community and human well-being.[10]

Awards Ceremony and Grant

Each year, an official ceremony is held to honor that year’s laureate. The ceremony is held at a different significant architectural site every year in order to pay homage to both architectural eras and the work of the award’s previous winners. Though it is a private event, videos of the ceremony have been available since 2020 to cater to a larger, international audience. You can view them under the ‘Ceremony Videos’ section, here.

Upon winning the award, each laureate receives a grant of $100,000, a citation certificate, and bronze medallion. The medallion is inspired by the work of Louis Sullivan, the “father of the skyscraper”[11] from Chicago, as well as the Roman architect Vitruvius. Vitruvius’ fundamental principles of architecture, “firmness, commodity, and delight” appear on the back of the medallion,[12] which is presented at the Awards Ceremony by Tom Pritzker.

Conclusion

The enduring legacy of the Pritzker Prize lies in its celebration of excellent architectural achievement and its role in inspiring future generations of architects to innovate and contribute meaningfully to the world’s current issues. With an increasing focus on contributions to sustainability and social equity, the Pritzker Prize will continue to evolve, reflecting the changing dynamics and challenges of contemporary architecture.

To find out more about The Pritzker Architecture Prize, click here.

To find out more about the 2024 Laureate, visit /an-award-for-architecture-that-unifies.