Toyo Ito, a Japanese architect, has won the 2013 Pritzker Architect Price on March 17, 2013. The architect is known for his buildings which strike a balance between the physical and virtual worlds.
The 71-year-old has received what is known as the architect’s Noble Prize. With this award, Ito has joined other masters like I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano and Wang Su. Ito has also become the sixth architect to receive the prize for the libraries, theaters, houses, offices and other buildings that he has designed in Japan.
Stephen Breyer, one of the judges who served on the jury of the Pritzker Prize said, “Toyo Ito’s architecture has improved the quality of both public and private spaces”. Breyer went on to say that his work has inspired many architects, critics and members of the general public as well.
The jury member added that along with the others involved with the Pritzker Prize, he was pleased that Toyo has received the award. Some of Ito’s noteworthy creations include the Municipal Funeral Hall in Gifu Prefecture, the transparent Sendai Mediatheque library in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture and the arch-filled Tama Art University library in Suburban Tokyo. Ito will be receiving a grant of $100,000 and a bronze medallion at the formal Pritzker ceremony on May 29, 2013.
