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Japanese architect Shigeru Ban won the 2014 Pritzker Prize
2019-12-18
The Pritzker Prize announced the 2014 laureate, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, at 5 a.m. Beijing time today. The award ceremony will be held on June 13 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The Pritzker Prize announced the 2014 laureate, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, at 5 a.m. Beijing time today. The award ceremony will be held on June 13 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Since its establishment thirty-five years ago, the Pritzker Architecture Prize has always aimed to recognize outstanding architectural works by contemporary living architects and their significant and lasting contributions to humanity.
Shigeru Ban, the 2014 laureate, fully embodies the spirit of this architecture prize. As an outstanding architect, for twenty years he has continuously innovated, responding to extreme conditions caused by destructive natural disasters with creative and high-quality designs. His buildings serve as shelters, community centers, and spiritual havens for those who have suffered great losses and displacement. Whenever disasters occur, he often remains steadfast from beginning to end, such as in Rwanda, Turkey, India, China, Italy, Haiti, and his own country, Japan.
His creative mindset and innovative design concepts are not only his benevolent intentions but are also reflected throughout all his works, especially in building materials and structures. Shigeru Ban's entire body of work not only presents his kind intentions but also embodies creative thinking and innovative design concepts, particularly in materials and structures. Through outstanding design to meet difficult challenges, Shigeru Ban has expanded the profession of architecture; he enables architects to participate in dialogues among governments, public institutions, philanthropists, and disaster-affected communities. His strong social responsibility, proactive actions to meet social needs with high-quality design, and unique approach to humanitarian challenges make this Pritzker Prize winner a model master architect.
The laureate's career is very broad. After establishing his first studio in Tokyo in 1985, Shigeru Ban's practice expanded successively to New York and Paris. His completed projects range from very small residences, experimental homes, and communities to museums, exhibition halls, conference centers, concert halls, and office buildings.
Most of Shigeru Ban's works have an experimental character. He has broadened the architectural field not only in facing problems and challenges but also in architectural tools and techniques. He is adept at discovering new uses for standard components and ordinary materials such as paper tubes, packaging materials, and containers. Even more commendable is his innovation in structures and use of non-traditional materials such as bamboo, fabric, cardboard, recycled paper fibers, and composite plastics.
In his work "Naked House," Shigeru Ban questions the traditional concept of rooms and family life in a house, creating a semi-transparent, almost magical atmosphere. The "Naked House" is inexpensive: the exterior walls are enclosed with transparent corrugated plastic panels, while the interior walls are white acrylic stretched over wooden frames. This clever combination of ordinary materials is both natural and effective, creating a comfortable, environmentally friendly environment with excellent lighting.
Shigeru Ban's own studio is located on the terrace atop the Pompidou Center in Paris. He spent six years designing the Pompidou Metz Center project there. The studio's construction used paper tube materials and fiber membranes to form an arched roof. Shigeru Ban also used containers as ready-made elements for building museums. His works demonstrate his ability to add architectural value through design. His research into new concepts and structures is also reflected in other works such as "PC Pile House," "Double Roof House," "Furniture House," "Wall-less House," and "Nine-grid House."
Another theme throughout his works is the continuity between interior and exterior spaces. In the "Curtain Wall House," he uses tent-like movable curtains to easily connect the inside and outside, while providing privacy when needed. The fourteen-story Nicholas Hayek Center in Tokyo features front and rear exterior walls made of fully openable glass shutters.
For Shigeru Ban, sustainability is not an afterthought but one of the core considerations of architecture. His buildings seek to adapt to the surrounding environment and specific regions, using renewable or locally sourced materials whenever possible. A striking example is the recently completed Tamedia media company office building in Zurich, Switzerland, which uses a locked wooden structural system that completely avoids the use of metal fittings and glue.
His mature and clear architecture owes to his rich structural knowledge and his study of masters such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frei Otto. His architecture is direct and sincere but not ordinary. Each work has a fresh inspiration. The elegance, simplicity, and ease of his works are built on his love for architecture and many years of experience. Crucially, he respects the people who inhabit his buildings, whether they are victims of natural disasters, private clients, or the public. This respect is reflected in his attentive working methods, rational layouts, careful material selection, and rich spatial experience.
Shigeru Ban is a tireless architect whose works exude an optimistic spirit. Challenges that seem insurmountable to others are seen by him as motivation to move forward. Roads full of unknowns are seen by him as opportunities for innovation. As a dedicated architecture teacher, he is not only a role model for the younger generation but also their banner.
For the above reasons, Shigeru Ban became the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate.
Shigeru Ban's Acceptance Speech
For me, this is a great honor. I still don't quite understand what has happened. The timing of the award is too early for me because, as an architect, I have not yet truly reached a certain level. So I will take the award as encouragement to continue dedicating myself to architecture, to continue working hard in disaster areas, and to continue my educational work, which is an important part of my architectural career. Even now, I cannot describe the meaning of the award; all I can say is—I do not want to be changed, I just want to continue doing what I have always been doing.
As usual, the Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony is held each year at a site of historical and cultural significance. This year's ceremony will be held on June 13, 2014, at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Weather permitting, the ceremony will be held outdoors and open to the public free of charge.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is one of the world's most popular and famous art museums, housing a large collection of world-renowned art treasures, including masterpieces by Dutch masters Rembrandt and Vermeer. These works are housed in an equally exquisite building designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers in 1885, featuring Neo-Gothic design elements and reflecting the then-popular Dutch Neo-Renaissance style.
In 2013, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam reopened after a decade-long renovation. The restored museum revived its past glory and brought it into the 21st century, with Spanish architects Cruz and Ortiz leading the restoration design work.
The Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremonies have been held at famous architectural sites such as the Palace of Versailles and the Grand Trianon in France, Todai-ji Temple in Japan, Prague Castle in the Czech Republic, the White House in Washington D.C., USA, and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Several of the most beautiful museums in the United States have also hosted the award events, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.
