Architecture
Japan’s Riken Yamamoto Wins the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
The architect is known for creating indoor-outdoor homes and buildings that foster a strong sense of community
Architect and social advocate Riken Yamamoto of Yokohama, Japan, has won the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The annual prize is considered the field’s top honor.
Yamamoto is known for designs that blur the lines between private and public spaces to foster a strong sense of community. He rejects “long-standing conditions that have reduced housing into a commodity without relation to neighbors,” the prize’s jury said in its announcement. Yamamoto draws on various cultures, histories and multigenerational age groups to create spaces that are meant to support the future needs of a community.
“For me, to recognize space is to recognize an entire community,” Yamamoto said in the announcement. “The current architectural approach emphasizes privacy, negating the necessity of societal relationships. However, we can still honor the freedom of each individual while living together in architectural space as a republic, fostering harmony across cultures and phases of life.”
Yamamoto is known for designs that blur the lines between private and public spaces to foster a strong sense of community. He rejects “long-standing conditions that have reduced housing into a commodity without relation to neighbors,” the prize’s jury said in its announcement. Yamamoto draws on various cultures, histories and multigenerational age groups to create spaces that are meant to support the future needs of a community.
“For me, to recognize space is to recognize an entire community,” Yamamoto said in the announcement. “The current architectural approach emphasizes privacy, negating the necessity of societal relationships. However, we can still honor the freedom of each individual while living together in architectural space as a republic, fostering harmony across cultures and phases of life.”
Ishii House in Kawasaki, Japan (1978). Photo courtesy of Shinkenchiku Sha
Yamamoto built Ishii House in Kawasaki, Japan, in 1978 for two artists. A pavilion-like room with a wide staircase for seating faces a stage that’s used for hosting performances. A wall of windows entices neighbors to visit the performances and frames nature views. The living quarters sit beneath the pavilion.
Yamamoto built Ishii House in Kawasaki, Japan, in 1978 for two artists. A pavilion-like room with a wide staircase for seating faces a stage that’s used for hosting performances. A wall of windows entices neighbors to visit the performances and frames nature views. The living quarters sit beneath the pavilion.
Pangyo Housing in Seongnam, South Korea (2010). Photo courtesy of Kouichi Satake
Even Yamamoto’s larger housing projects ensure residents don’t feel isolated. Built in 2010, Pangyo Housing, shown here, in Seongnam, South Korea, features a complex of nine low-rise housing blocks with transparent ground-floor volumes that create interconnectedness among neighbors.
Even Yamamoto’s larger housing projects ensure residents don’t feel isolated. Built in 2010, Pangyo Housing, shown here, in Seongnam, South Korea, features a complex of nine low-rise housing blocks with transparent ground-floor volumes that create interconnectedness among neighbors.
Pangyo Housing. Photo courtesy of Nam Goongsun
A communal deck across the second floor of Pangyo Housing encourages interaction, with gathering spaces, playgrounds, gardens and bridges that connect one housing block to another.
“One of the things we need most in the future of cities is to create conditions through architecture that multiply the opportunities for people to come together and interact,” says Alejandro Aravena, jury chair and 2016 Pritzker Prize laureate. “By carefully blurring the boundary between public and private, Yamamoto contributes positively beyond the brief to enable community. He is a reassuring architect who brings dignity to everyday life. Normality becomes extraordinary. Calmness leads to splendor.”
A communal deck across the second floor of Pangyo Housing encourages interaction, with gathering spaces, playgrounds, gardens and bridges that connect one housing block to another.
“One of the things we need most in the future of cities is to create conditions through architecture that multiply the opportunities for people to come together and interact,” says Alejandro Aravena, jury chair and 2016 Pritzker Prize laureate. “By carefully blurring the boundary between public and private, Yamamoto contributes positively beyond the brief to enable community. He is a reassuring architect who brings dignity to everyday life. Normality becomes extraordinary. Calmness leads to splendor.”
Riken Yamamoto
Yamamoto was born in 1945 in Beijing and moved to Yokohama, Japan, shortly after the end of World War II. He lived in a house with a deep connection between public and private life. The home was modeled after a machiya, a traditional Japanese townhouse, with his mother’s pharmacy in the front and the family’s living area in the rear. “The threshold on one side was for family, and on the other side for community,” Yamamoto said in a biography provided by the prize committee. “I sat in between.”
A visit to the five-level pagoda at Kofuku-ji Temple, in Nara, Japan, at age 17 kicked off his interest in architecture. He graduated from Nihon University, Department of Architecture, College of Science and Technology in 1968 and received a master’s in architecture from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Architecture in 1971. He founded his practice, Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, in 1973.
Here’s a look at some of Yamamoto’s notable designs:
Yamamoto was born in 1945 in Beijing and moved to Yokohama, Japan, shortly after the end of World War II. He lived in a house with a deep connection between public and private life. The home was modeled after a machiya, a traditional Japanese townhouse, with his mother’s pharmacy in the front and the family’s living area in the rear. “The threshold on one side was for family, and on the other side for community,” Yamamoto said in a biography provided by the prize committee. “I sat in between.”
A visit to the five-level pagoda at Kofuku-ji Temple, in Nara, Japan, at age 17 kicked off his interest in architecture. He graduated from Nihon University, Department of Architecture, College of Science and Technology in 1968 and received a master’s in architecture from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Architecture in 1971. He founded his practice, Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, in 1973.
Here’s a look at some of Yamamoto’s notable designs:
Ecoms House in Tosu, Japan (2004). Photo courtesy of Shinkenchiku Sha
The Ecoms House is a 1,238-square-foot (115-square-meter) SOHO (small office home office) prototype in Tosu, Japan. It highlights the efficiency of aluminum as a building material. Lightweight, durable and recyclable aluminum lattice panels are alternated with aluminum sheets and glass, creating a checkered exterior skin.
The Ecoms House is a 1,238-square-foot (115-square-meter) SOHO (small office home office) prototype in Tosu, Japan. It highlights the efficiency of aluminum as a building material. Lightweight, durable and recyclable aluminum lattice panels are alternated with aluminum sheets and glass, creating a checkered exterior skin.
Jian Wai SOHO in Beijing (2004). Photo courtesy of Tomio Ohashi
Located east of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, this expansive project includes nine residential towers and four SOHO (small office home office) buildings. The three lower levels of the complex support 177 commercial spaces, while the upper levels comprise the residences. The bustling square is lined with shops, restaurants, public facilities and a sunken garden.
Located east of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, this expansive project includes nine residential towers and four SOHO (small office home office) buildings. The three lower levels of the complex support 177 commercial spaces, while the upper levels comprise the residences. The bustling square is lined with shops, restaurants, public facilities and a sunken garden.
Tianjin Library in Tianjin, China (2012). Photo courtesy of Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop
A large entry hall runs north to south along the entirety of Tianjin Library in Tianjin, China, maximizing access to the large-scale building. A collection of 6 million books lines the library’s shelves, which are incorporated into the intersecting grid of wall beams, resulting in seemingly floating stacks.
A large entry hall runs north to south along the entirety of Tianjin Library in Tianjin, China, maximizing access to the large-scale building. A collection of 6 million books lines the library’s shelves, which are incorporated into the intersecting grid of wall beams, resulting in seemingly floating stacks.
Yokosuka Museum of Art in Yokosuka, Japan (2006). Photo courtesy of Tomio Ohashi
Yokosuka Museum of Art in Yokosuka, Japan, is meant to be a destination for travelers and a daily reprieve for locals. The inviting serpentine entrance evokes the surrounding Tokyo Bay and nearby mountains, while many of the galleries are underground, providing those who approach with a clear, undisturbed visual experience of the natural geography.
Yamamoto is the 53rd laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the ninth to hail from Japan.
The Pritzker Prize is awarded every year to a living architect or architects for significant achievement in the field. It was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through its Hyatt Foundation in 1979. The award consists of $100,000 and a bronze medallion. The 2024 Pritzker Prize ceremony will be held in Chicago this spring.
More on Houzz
See past Pritzker Prize winners
Read more about architecture
Yokosuka Museum of Art in Yokosuka, Japan, is meant to be a destination for travelers and a daily reprieve for locals. The inviting serpentine entrance evokes the surrounding Tokyo Bay and nearby mountains, while many of the galleries are underground, providing those who approach with a clear, undisturbed visual experience of the natural geography.
Yamamoto is the 53rd laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the ninth to hail from Japan.
The Pritzker Prize is awarded every year to a living architect or architects for significant achievement in the field. It was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through its Hyatt Foundation in 1979. The award consists of $100,000 and a bronze medallion. The 2024 Pritzker Prize ceremony will be held in Chicago this spring.
More on Houzz
See past Pritzker Prize winners
Read more about architecture
Yamamoto plays with transparency and the continuity of landscape to create strong connections between private and public spaces. This approach lets people within a space experience the environment outside. His own home, Gazebo, built in Yokohama, Japan, in 1986 and shown here, features terraces and rooftops that allow interactions with neighbors.
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