Known worldwide for his modern minimalist style, Chipperfield was awarded the Pritzker Prize for being, in the judges’ view, “assertive without being arrogant”. The judges also praised the 69-year-old for avoiding “trendy” and for his “understated yet transformative” work.
The judges said, “We don’t see David Chipperfield’s building being instantly recognizable in different cities, but there are different David Chipperfield buildings tailored to each circumstance.”
Chipperfield’s most well-known projects include a renovation Neues Museum in Berlin and restore Procuratie Vecchie in Venice. Both are cited as examples of his careful study of heritage while uplifting the structures and their surroundings using modern technologies.
David Chipperfield: UK Projects
Contemporary Turner (Simon Mings) – Hepworth Wakefield (Iwan Baan) – Royal Academy of Arts (Simon Mings) – River and Rowing Museum (Richard Bryant / Arcade) – Hoxton Press (Simon Mings)
In the UK, Chipperfield is known for its impressive river and rowing museum at Henley-on-Thames (1997), the BBC Scotland headquarters, and Contemporary Turner Art Gallery and Hepworth Wakefield Gallery. However, his controversial plans to build a new Chinese embassy were rejected Councillors and Mayor of London last year.
In 2007 his career won him the RIBA Stirling Prize for its Museum of Modern Literature in Maybach, Germany.
His work in northwest Spain, where Chipperfield has a second home, has been cited as an example of his commitment to solving the challenges of the climate crisis through environmental and landscape expertise.
Commenting on his win, Chipperfield said: ‘I view this award as an encouragement for me to continue to direct my attention not only to the essence and meaning of architecture, but also to the contribution we can make as architects to addressing the existential challenges of climate. change and societal inequality.
We know that, as architects, we can have a more prominent and engaged role in creating not only a more beautiful world but also a fairer and more sustainable one. We must rise to this challenge and help inspire the next generation to take on this responsibility with vision and courage.
Previous Pritzker Laureates include the late Indian architect Balkrishna Vithaldas (BV) Doshi, Berlin-based Frances Kerry (last year’s winner), and the late Richard Rogers.
David Chipperfield Architects It has offices in London, Berlin, Milan, Shanghai and Santiago de Compostela.
David Chipperfield: International Ventures
Headquarters Amorepacific (no she) – James Simon Gallery (Simon Mings) – Americas Cup Building – Inagawa Cemetery (Kiko Sasaoka) – Procurate Vicky (Alessandra Chemolo)
Pritzker Prize winners
2022 Dibedo Francis Kerry (56)
2021 Anne Lacaton (65) and Jean-Philippe Vassal (67), France
2020 Yvonne Farrell (69) and Shelley McNamara (68), Ireland
2019 Arata Isozaki (87), Japan
2018 Balkrishna Vitaldas Doshi (90), India
2017 Rafael Aranda (55), Carme Bejem (54) and Ramon Vilalta (56) from RCR Arquitectes, Spain
2016 Alejandro Aravena (48), Chile
2015 Free Auto (89), Germany
2014 Shigeru Ban (56), Japan
2013 Toyo Ito (71), Japan
2012 Wang Shu (48), China
2011 Eduardo Soto de Moura (58), Portugal
2010 Kazuyo Sejima (54) and Ryui Nishizawa (44), Japan
2009 Peter Zumthor (65), Switzerland
2008 Jean Nouvel (62), France
2007 Richard Rogers (73), UK
2006 Paulo Mendes da Rocha (77), Brazil
2005 Thom Mayne (61), USA
2004 Zaha Hadid (53), UK
2003 Jorn Utzon (84), Denmark
2002 Glenn Murcutt (66), Australia
2001 Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (51), Switzerland
2000 Rem Koolhaas (56), Netherlands
1999 Norman Foster (63), UK
1998 Renzo Piano (60), Italy
1997 Sverre Fehn (72), Norway
1996 Rafael Moneo (58), Spain
1995 Tadao Ando (53), Japan
1994 Christian de Burzembarc (50), France
1993 Fumihiko Maki (65), Japan
1992 Alvaro Siza (57), Portugal
1991 Robert Venturi (65), USA
1990 Aldo Rossi (59), Italy
1989 Frank Gehry (60), USA
= 1988 Oscar Niemeyer (81), Brazil
= 1988 Gordon Bunshaft (79), USA
1987 Kenzo Tang (73), Japan
1986 Gottfried Boehm (66), Germany
1985 Hans Hollen (51), Austria
1984 Richard Meier (49), USA
1983 I. M. Pei (66), China
1982 Kevin Roche (60), USA
1981 James Stirling (55), UK
1980 Luis Barragán (78), Mexico
1979 Philip Johnson (73), USA