Favorite in the polls, the British David Chipperfield won
the 2023 Pritzker Prize,
considered the Nobel Prize for Architecture.
The jury especially valued his "discreet but transformative" work.
The 69-year-old architect, urban planner and sustainability activist was recognized for his
"timeless modern design
that confronts climatic emergencies, transforms social relations and revitalizes cities", according to a statement from the
Hyatt Foundation
, which since 1979 award these prizes.
The judges found that Sir David Chipperfield's work shows his "commitment" to "unobtrusive yet transformative architecture of civic presence" "with sustainability as its relevance" and "structures capable of enduring, physically
and culturally".
The Neues Museum in Berlin, one of the most famous works of David Chipperfield.
Photo EFE/Maurizio Gambarini
"I take this award as an encouragement to continue directing my attention not only to the essence 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 social inequality", he reacted in a statement from the British architect, who lives in London, and is the 52nd winner of this prestigious award.
Guardian of memory and heritage
Chipperfield is known for
renovating and rebuilding old buildings
, adapting them to modern needs, while respecting their history and culture.
Among them the
Neues Museum in Berlin
, the James-Simon-Galerie and the master plan for the Royal Academy of Arts.
"As an architect, I am in a way the
guardian of meaning, memory and heritage
," says Chipperfield.
"Cities are historical records."
BBC headquarters in Scotland.
Photo EFE.
"Cities are dynamic, they don't stay there, they evolve. And in that evolution we remove buildings and replace them with others. We choose ourselves, and
the concept of protecting only the best is not enough
."
For the British, it is also about
protecting the character and qualities that reflect the richness of a city's evolution
.
Chipperfield has offices in Berlin, Milan, Shanghai and Santiago de Compostela.
The brand new Pritzker believes that architects have a responsibility not only to "
create a more beautiful world, but one that is fairer and more sustainable"
, for which he considers it necessary to "inspire the next generation to assume that responsibility with vision and courage".
tradition and innovation
For the Chilean Alejandro Aravena, winner of the Pritzker in 2016 and president of the jury, the Chipperfield buildings "
will always stand the test of time
because the ultimate goal of their activity is to serve the common good." allowed to remain," he adds.
Interior visit of the Neues Museum in Berlin, intervened by Chipperfield
In the same line, the president of the Hyatt Foundation, Tom Pritzker, manifests himself for whom Chipperfield has "a
security without arrogance
, constantly avoiding fashions to confront and maintain the connections between tradition and innovation, at the service of history and the humanity".
Some of his most famous works are, in addition to those mentioned, the St. Louis Museum of Art, in Missouri, and the
Hepworth Wakefield Museum, in England.
Also noteworthy are the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany, and the Des Moines Public Library, in Iowa.
The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in Athens, the Greek capital, in May.
BGM
look also
Balkrishna Doshi, the Pritzker who gave identity to Indian architecture
Pritzker: awards for social commitment and sustainable architecture