David Chipperfield, a London-based architect known for museums and other civic projects, is this year’s winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the industry’s top international honor.
The award is a recognition of Chipperfield’s understated but significant projects, which have included renovating centuries-old buildings and designing elegant structures alongside existing landmarks, parks and natural environments.
“I take this award as an encouragement to continue to direct my attention not only to the substance of architecture and its meaning but also to the contribution that we can make as architects to address the existential challenges of climate change and societal inequality,” Chipperfield said in a statement. “We know that, as architects, we can have a more prominent and engaged role in creating not only a more beautiful world but a fairer and more sustainable one too. We must rise to this challenge and help inspire the next generation to embrace this responsibility with vision and courage.”
The 2023 laureate’s typically low-rise projects have included restoring the Neues Museum in Berlin, including his James-Simon-Galerie addition alongside it, as well as restoring the centuries-old Procuratie Vecchie, three connected 16th-century buildings along St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy.
He also designed the Amorepacific corporate headquarters in Seoul, South Korea; the BBC Scotland headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland; the One Pancras Square office building in London, England; the America’s Cup Building in Valencia, Spain; and the Museo Jumex art museum in Mexico City, Mexico.
Projects in the United States have included the Des Moines Public Library in Des Moines, Iowa; the St. Louis Art Museum in St. Louis, Missouri; and, in New York, The Bryant residential and hotel tower alongside Bryant Park and the upcoming new Rolex U.S. headquarters.
“In a world where many architects view a commission as an opportunity to add to their own portfolio, he responds to each project with specific tools that he has selected with preciseness and great care,” Jury Chair and 2016 Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena said in the statement. “Sometimes it requires a gesture that is strong and monumental, while other times, it requires him to almost disappear. But his buildings will always stand the test of time because the ultimate goal of his operation is to serve the greater good. The avoidance of what’s fashionable has allowed him to remain permanent.”
The Pritzker Prize was founded in 1979 by the late Jay Pritzker, founder of Hyatt Hotels, and his wife, Cindy. Previous winners of the award sponsored by the Chicago-based Hyatt Foundation have included Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and I.M. Pei.
Chipperfield was knighted in his home country in 2010. In 2021, he was selected by Queen Elizabeth II as a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor for outstanding achievement.
Chipperfield’s architecture firm also has offices in Berlin, Milan, Shanghai and Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
He will formally receive the award in a ceremony in Athens, Greece, in May.
“He is assured without hubris, consistently avoiding trendiness to confront and sustain the connections between tradition and innovation, serving history and humanity,” Hyatt Foundation Chairman Tom Pritzker said in the statement. “While his works are elegantly masterful, he measures the achievements of his designs by social and environmental welfare to enhance the quality of life for all of civilization.”
