[News Figures] Chipperfield Wins the 'Nobel Prize of Architecture' Pritzker Prize

Architect Pursuing Spatial Novelty Through Restraint
Also Designed Amorepacific Headquarters in Seoul in 2018

David Chipperfield (70), a British architect, has been awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize of Architecture.'

Established by Jay Pritzker, the 'Pritzker Prize' is known as the Nobel Prize of architecture. Since announcing its first recipient in 1979, it has been awarded annually to a living architect who has demonstrated an outstanding combination of talent, vision, and commitment through the art of architecture, making consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment.

According to The New York Times (NYT) on the 7th (local time), the Pritzker Prize jury stated, "Chipperfield has reimagined the functionality and accessibility of both new buildings and restored structures through architecture that breathes vitality into cities, showing reverence for the historical and cultural contexts of the buildings."

Architect David Chipperfield
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Born in London in 1953, Chipperfield naturally chose architecture as his career path, influenced by his father who worked in interior decoration. He majored in architecture at Kingston School of Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA School) in the UK, and gained practical experience at renowned British architectural firms such as those of Richard Rogers, who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Norman Foster, who designed Apple's new headquarters. In 1985, he established David Chipperfield Architects and has actively worked on cultural, residential, commercial facilities, interior, and product design projects over the past 30 years.

In 2010, he was knighted (Knight Bachelor) in recognition of his contributions to architecture in the UK and Germany. He was also selected as the recipient of the Royal Gold Medal in architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2011. The Royal Gold Medal, awarded by RIBA, is a prestigious honor with a history of about 150 years.

At the garden on the 5th floor of Amorepacific Group's new headquarters, architect David Chipperfield (left) is explaining the building.

Chipperfield is also well known as an architect who pursues newness in space through restraint. One of his representative works is the renovation of the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany, originally built in the mid-19th century and destroyed during World War II. The 'America's Cup Building' completed in Valencia, Spain, in 2006 was praised for its simplicity and naturalness suited to its purpose.

In June 2018, he designed the Amorepacific headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, revealing that he drew inspiration from Joseon white porcelain. In an interview with Hankyoreh, he said, "I gained aesthetic inspiration from the 'moon jar,' the pinnacle of Joseon white porcelain," adding, "Joseon white porcelain represents the pinnacle of world art. The aesthetic of restraint derived from white porcelain became the core of the new headquarters' architecture." Besides the Amorepacific building, he also designed the Neues Museum in Berlin, the West Bund Museum in Shanghai, China, and the Inagawa Cemetery Chapel in Japan.

Meanwhile, in his acceptance speech for the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Chipperfield stated, "I accept this as encouragement to continue contributing and paying attention as an architect to address not only the essence and meaning of architecture but also existential issues such as climate change and social inequality." He added, "As architects, we know we can play a more active role in creating not only a more beautiful world but also a fair and sustainable one. We must inspire the next generation to embrace responsibility with vision and courage."