Collection by Luke Hopping

Pritzker Worthy: Awe-Inspiring Architecture by Pritzker Laureates

Following yesterday's announcement that the late German architect Frei Otto won the 2015 Pritzker Prize, we decided to revisit some more awe-inspiring architecture by recent laureates.

After a massive earthquake destroyed this New Zealand town’s landmark 19th-century cathedral in 2011, Ban crafted an A-frame out of cardboard tubing and shipping containers, a landmark example of his "emergency architecture." In another nod to resiliency and symbolic rebirth, the stained glass triangle at the front of the church incorporates imagery from the former cathedral’s famous rose window.
After a massive earthquake destroyed this New Zealand town’s landmark 19th-century cathedral in 2011, Ban crafted an A-frame out of cardboard tubing and shipping containers, a landmark example of his "emergency architecture." In another nod to resiliency and symbolic rebirth, the stained glass triangle at the front of the church incorporates imagery from the former cathedral’s famous rose window.
Another facade of the Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion shows another geometric cutout above a small forest of bamboo. Photo by Lu Wenyu courtesy of Amateur Architecture Studio.
Another facade of the Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion shows another geometric cutout above a small forest of bamboo. Photo by Lu Wenyu courtesy of Amateur Architecture Studio.
Torres de Toyo Ito with Hotel Porta Fira. Photo by: Mario Lopez
Torres de Toyo Ito with Hotel Porta Fira. Photo by: Mario Lopez
2005: Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond – Arup

Siza’s scheme, an array of timber joints and solar panels, created a breezy space to relax in the park during the summer, which generated enough power to become a beacon of light in the evening. Appearing as a simple grid pattern from outside, the structure becomes a striking, curved space inside.

Photograph © 2005 James Winspear
2005: Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond – Arup Siza’s scheme, an array of timber joints and solar panels, created a breezy space to relax in the park during the summer, which generated enough power to become a beacon of light in the evening. Appearing as a simple grid pattern from outside, the structure becomes a striking, curved space inside. Photograph © 2005 James Winspear
Otto is well known for the steel and glass canopies that he designed for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
Otto is well known for the steel and glass canopies that he designed for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.