Tom Pritzker, Chairman of Hyatt Foundation, states, “During her acceptance speech of the 2010 Pritzker Prize, Ms. Sejima remarked, ‘…this award is not only in recognition of our past works but rather an encouragement toward new architectural creations.’ It is this credence, alongside her international background and experience, that makes her a welcomed addition to the Jury.”
Ms. Sejima is the co-founder of Toyko-based SANAA, alongside 2010 Pritzker Laureate Nishizawa Ryue, which opened in 1995. She is also a professor at Polytechnic University of Milan; University of Applied Arts Vienna; Keio University, Tokyo; Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture Y-GSA; and a visiting professor at Japan Women’s University, Tokyo.
“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the jury and supporting the mission of the Pritzker Prize,” comments Ms. Sejima.
Ms. Sejima was appointed as the Director of the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, and was named Japan Institute of Architects’ Young Architect of the Year in Japan in 1992. She has taught at various institutions including Princeton University and Polytechnique de Lausanne. She opened Kazuyo Sejima & Associates in Tokyo in 1987,and joined the office of 2013 Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito upon completing her architectural studies at Japan Woman’s University in 1981.
Her own works include House in Plum Grove (Tokyo) and Inujima Art House Project (Okayama). Notable works of SANAA consist of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (Kanazawa), the Rolex Learning Center (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), the Louvre-Lens, and Grace Farms (New Canaan).
Ms. Sejima joins
- Jury Chair Glenn Murcutt, architect and 2002 Pritzker Laureate, Sydney, Australia;
- Stephen Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice, Washington, DC, USA;
- André Corrêa do Lago, architectural critic, curator, and Brazilian Ambassador to Japan, Tokyo, Japan;
- The Lord Palumbo, architectural patron, Chairman Emeritus of the Trustees, Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom;
- Richard Rogers, architect and 2007 Pritzker Laureate, London, United Kingdom;
- Wang Shu, architect, educator, and 2012 Pritzker Laureate, Hangzhou, China;
- Benedetta Tagliabue, architect and director of EMBT Miralles Tagliabue, Barcelona, Spain;
- and Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts, Mumbai, India.
Martha Thorne, Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize, manages the open nominations process, which accepts suggestions from architects from all over the world.
The 2018 Laureate will be announced in March, followed by the official ceremony in Toronto, Canada, this spring. Early this year, viewers can expect a new digital experience through a fully redesigned website, PritzkerPrize.com, as well as expanded social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
