The Pritzker Architecture Prize has released a special video honoring Riken Yamamoto, the 2024 Laureate. Presented in a documentary-style format, the film celebrates Yamamoto's distinguished architectural career and his contributions as the 53rd Laureate, honored earlier this year in Chicago. This milestone coincided with the 100th birthday of Cindy Pritzker, co-founder of the Prize with her late husband, Jay A. Pritzker.
The film offers viewers a closer look of Yamamoto's approach, highlighting key moments from the Pritzker Prize ceremony, including "Cindy's Dinner"—a tradition where new Laureates gather with previous winners and Jury members at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Additionally, the documentary features Yamamoto's Laureate Lecture and a panel discussion at S.R. Crown Hall, organized in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture. These segments provide insights into Yamamoto's belief in architecture's power to shape society and address social needs.
Born in 1945 in Beijing and later relocating to Yokohama, Japan, Yamamoto developed a passion for architecture as a means of social transformation. He founded Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop in 1973, creating works that bridge public and private life, focused on human connection. His projects span residential and civic spaces across Japan, China, South Korea, and Switzerland, notable for their transparency, modularity, and community focus. Among his acclaimed works are The Circle at Zürich Airport (2020), the Tianjin Library (2012), and Nagoya Zokei University (2022).
Riken Yamamoto is showing us that the architect has the possibility, if not the responsibility, to change the current system from within. The ordinary can be extraordinary. That architecture can bring change to a social system regarded as unchangeable. --Manuela Lucá-Dazio, Executive Director
The video also presents commentary from notable architects and past Laureates, such as Norman Foster and Deborah Berke. Foster remarks on Yamamoto's influence on urban spaces, while Berke highlights, "His work is exquisite and precise, but I think the most important thing about it is how subtle it is and how willing he is as an architect to let the buildings be background in order to foreground human interaction." Yamamoto's commitment to using architecture as a tool for social change is a recurring theme throughout the film, as emphasized by Jury Chair Alejandro Aravena: "Architecture is a tool to achieve a much bigger goal and creating a sense of community in a world that is desperate to get that may be the way that we architects can give a modest contribution."
With built projects worldwide, Riken Yamamoto's five-decade career is marked by designs that foster community awareness and emphasize social responsibility. His portfolio includes diverse works such as housing, schools, civic spaces, and city planning worldwide. Honored with numerous accolades, Yamamoto's commitment extends beyond buildings. Recognized as an Academician by the International Academy of Architecture in 2013, his legacy is redefining architecture's societal impact on a global scale.
