Pritzker Prize 2024 for Riken Yamamoto

This year, the highest international architecture prize goes to 78-year-old Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto. His work emphasizes the necessity of social relationships while still respecting the privacy of the individual.

Riken Yamamoto comes from Yokohama in Japan. Living in a community, a “sense of sharing a space” in which privacy also finds a place, is the aim of his architecture. Under the influence of international late-modern architecture, he builds bridges between culture, history and citizens of several generations. All this with the need to adapt the architecture to future requirements so that life can unfold in many different ways.

With his own house “Gazebo”, he has created a home that uses a transparent design to create a space for everyone. People passing by should feel a sense of belonging, and interaction with neighbors is also encouraged. The boundary between public and private is blurred. This can also be seen in larger residential projects, such as the “Pangyo” residential complex in Seongnam, South Korea. Transparent first floor spaces create a communal space that encourages encounters.

The “Koyasu” elementary school in Yokohama, with its communal terraces and the opportunity to look into the individual classrooms, has fulfilled the aim of promoting social interaction. This is also evident in the art museum in Yokosuka. Circular recesses in the walls, skylights, bridges and wide passageways make the rooms permeable, and visitors catch a glimpse of the landscape and the activities of other museum visitors. Other buildings such as “The Circle” at Zurich Airport, the Future University Hakodate in Japan and the Tianjin Library in China also demonstrate the qualities of his architecture.

This year, the Pritzker Prize was awarded for the 53rd time, and Yamamoto is already the ninth prizewinner from Japan. No country has produced more prize winners than this one. It is the highest international architecture prize, awarded annually to an architect whose work has made a significant contribution to humanity and the built environment.

Last year, David Chipperfield received the prize. Read more about it here.