This year's Pritzker Prize has been awarded to Riken Yamamoto, a Beijing-born architect who shortly after World War II established himself in Yokohama, Japan where he would develop a profound interest in architecture and how it could shape the lives of individuals and society. Yamamoto founded his practice, Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, in 1973, only five years after graduating from Nihon University, Department of Architecture, College of Science and Technology, and after receiving his Master of Arts in Architecture from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Architecture in 1971. Since then, Yamamoto has been a professor and visiting professor in various universities and institutions including the Kogakuin University Department of Architecture, the Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture, and the Tokyo University of the Arts.
The architecture of Yamamoto has a distinct central focus: his undeniable interest in building community. His built works, located throughout Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, and Switzerland, range from private residences to large-scale housing complexes, educational institutions, and civic spaces, all of which reflect the intent of blurring the boundaries between the public and private spheres while opening up connecting spaces that foster social interaction and opportunities for both building users and the community nearby.
