Toyo Ito vince il Pritzker Architecture Prize 2013
L'architetto giapponese, 71 anni, si è aggiudicato il prestigioso Pritzker
Architecture Prize 2013. Ad annunciarlo Thomas J. Pritzker, presidente della
Hyatt Foundation, che sponsorizza il premio. Ito è il sesto giapponese a
ricevere il "nobel" dopo Kenzo Tange nel 1987, Fumihiko Maki nel
1993, Tadao Ando nel 1995, e il team di Kazuyo Sejima e Ryue Nishizawa nel
2010. La cerimonia ufficiale si terrà presso la Biblioteca John F. Kennedy, a
Boston, in Massachusetts.
"L'architettura è legata a diversi vincoli sociali" ha detto Ito
quando ha saputo della vittoria. "Ho progettato le mie architetture
tenendo presente che sarebbe stato possibile realizzare spazi più confortevoli
solo liberandoci temporaneamente da tutte le restrizioni. Tuttavia ogni volta
che un edificio è completato, divento dolorosamente consapevole della mia
inadeguatezza, che si trasforma in energia per affrontare la sfida del prossimo
progetto. Questo processo continuerà a ripetersi in futuro, per questo motivo
non potrò mai definire il mio vero stile architettonico, perché sarò sempre
insoddisfatto del mio lavoro".
Toyo Ito of Japan is the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
Los Angeles, CA - Toyo Ito, a 71 year old architect whose architectural
practice is based in Tokyo, Japan, will be the recipient of the 2013 Pritzker
Architecture Prize. It was announced today by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of
The Hyatt Foundation which sponsors the prize. Ito is the sixth Japanese
architect to become a Pritzker Laureate - the first five being the late Kenzo
Tange in 1987, Fumihiko Maki in 1993, Tadao Ando in 1995, and the team of
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 2010.
The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as
architecture’s highest honor will be at the John F. Kennedy Presidential
Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts on Wednesday, May 29. This marks
the first time the ceremony has been held in Boston, and the location has
particular significance because it was designed by another Pritzker Laureate,
Ieoh Ming Pei who received the prize in 1983.
In making the announcement, Pritzker elaborated, “We are particularly pleased
to be holding our ceremony at the Kennedy Library, and it is even more
significant because the date is John F. Kennedy’s birthday.”
The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which was founded in 1979 by
the late Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy, is to honor annually a living
architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of
talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant
contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of
architecture. The laureates receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.
Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo, spoke from his home in the
United Kingdom, quoting from the jury citation that focuses on the reasons for
this year’s choice: “Throughout his career, Toyo Ito has been able to produce a
body of work that combines conceptual innovation with superbly executed
buildings. Creating outstanding architecture for more than 40 years, he has
successfully undertaken libraries, houses, parks, theaters, shops, office
buildings and pavilions, each time seeking to extend the possibilities of
architecture. A professional of unique talent, he is dedicated to the process
of discovery that comes from seeing the opportunities that lie in each
commission and each site.”
Toyo Ito began working in the firm of Kiyonori Kikutake & Associates after
he graduated from Tokyo University’s Department of Architecture in 1965. In
1971, he founded his own studio in Tokyo, and named it Urban Robot (Urbot). In
1979, he changed the name to Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects.
He has received numerous international awards, including in 2010, the 22nd
Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu; and in 2006, The Royal
Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal; and in 2002, the Golden Lion
for Lifetime Achievement for 8th Venice Biennale International Exhibition.
Calling him a “creator of timeless buildings,” the Pritzker Jury cites Ito for
“infusing his designs with a spiritual dimension and for the poetics that
transcend all his works.”
Toyo Ito made this comment in reaction to winning the prize: “Architecture is
bound by various social constraints. I have been designing architecture bearing
in mind that it would be possible to realize more comfortable spaces if we are
freed from all the restrictions even for a little bit. However, when one
building is completed, I become painfully aware of my own inadequacy, and it
turns into energy to challenge the next project. Probably this process must
keep repeating itself in the future.
“Therefore, I will never fix my architectural style and never be satisfied with
my works,” he concluded.