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". Founded in 1979 by
of architecture. The prize is awarded "irrespective of nationality, race, creed, or ideology"; the recipients receive US$100,000, a citation certificate, and since 1987, a bronze medallion. The Latin inscription on the reverse of the medallion—
. Before 1987, a limited edition
The Executive Director of the prize, as of 2009, Martha Thorne, solicits nominations from a range of people, including past Laureates, academics, critics and others "with expertise and interest in the field of architecture". Any licensed architect can also make a personal application for the prize before 1 November every year. In 1988
nominated himself for the award and eventually won it. The jury, each year consisting of five to nine "experts ... recognized professionals in their own fields of architecture, business, education, publishing, and culture", deliberate early the following year before announcing the winner in spring.
was cited "for 50 years of imagination and vitality embodied in a myriad of museums, theaters, libraries, houses, gardens and corporate structures". The 2004 laureate
was the first female prize winner.
became the youngest winner in 2010 at age 44. The 34th prize winners,
, were cited for "architecture that is simultaneously delicate and powerful, precise and fluid, ingenious but not overly or overtly clever". The most recent winner, in 2011, is Portuguese architect
| Year | Laureate | Nationality | |Example work (year completed) | Ceremony location | |Ref(s) |
| 1979 |
|
 United States |
| |
Glass HouseThe Glass House or Johnson house, built in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut, was designed by Philip Johnson as his own residence and is a masterpiece in the use of glass. It was an important and influential project for Johnson and for modern architecture. The building is an essay in minimal...
(1949) |
Dumbarton OaksDumbarton Oaks is the conventional name for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, situated on a historic property in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The institution is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. Its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife...
|
|
| 1980 |
|
 Mexico |
 |
Torres de Satélite The Torres de Satélite are located in Ciudad Satélite, in the northern part of Naucalpan, Mexico. One of the country's first urban sculptures of great dimensions, had its planning started in 1957 with the ideas of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and...
(1957) |
Dumbarton OaksDumbarton Oaks is the conventional name for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, situated on a historic property in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The institution is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. Its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife...
|
|
| 1981 |
|
 United Kingdom |
 |
Seeley Historical Library The Seeley Historical Library is the history library of the University of Cambridge, England. It is housed within the History Faculty building on the Sidgwick Site off West Road, Cambridge. Since October 2003, incoming books have been classified according to the Library of Congress scheme; before...
(1968) |
National Building MuseumThe National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
|
|
| 1982 |
|
 Republic of Ireland |
 |
Knights of Columbus Building (1969) |
Art Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
|
|
| 1983 |
|
United States |
 |
National Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, East Building (1978) |
Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
|
|
| 1984 |
|
United States |
 |
High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
(1983) |
National Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
|
|
| 1985 |
|
 Austria |
 |
Abteiberg MuseumThe Museum Abteiberg is a municipal museum for contemporary art in the German city Mönchengladbach.Since the 1970s, the museum has been known for its experimental and avant-garde exhibitions, starting with director Johannes Cladders , and also its museum architecture, designed by Austrian architect...
(1982) |
The Huntington LibraryThe Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is an educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington in San Marino, in the San Rafael Hills near Pasadena, California in the United States...
|
|
| 1986 |
|
 West Germany |
 |
Iglesia Youth Centre Library (1968) |
Worshipful Company of GoldsmithsThe Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company, which has origins in the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327. It ranks fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutum Regina, Latin for Justice...
|
|
| 1987 |
|
 Japan |
 |
St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo. It is located in the Sekiguchi neighborhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan....
(1964) |
Kimbell Art MuseumThe Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts a small but excellent art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new...
|
|
| 1988 |
|
United States |
 |
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript LibraryYale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library was a 1963 gift of the Beinecke family. The building was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft of the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, and is the largest building in the world reserved exclusively for the preservation of rare books...
(1963) |
Art Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
|
|
| 1988 |
|
 Brazil |
 |
Cathedral of BrasíliaThe Cathedral of Brasília is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970...
(1958) |
Art Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
|
|
| 1989 |
|
 Canada
United States |
 |
Walt Disney Concert HallThe Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
(1999–2003) |
Tōdai-ji , is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
|
|
| 1990 |
|
 Italy |
 |
Bonnefanten Museum The Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Netherlands is the foremost museum of fine art and contemporary art in the province of Limburg.-History:The museum was founded in 1884 as the historical and archaeological museum of the Dutch province of Limburg...
(1990) |
Palazzo Grassi Palazzo Grassi is an edifice in the Venetian Classical style located on the Grand Canal of Venice, northern Italy...
|
|
| 1991 |
|
United States |
 |
National Gallery (London), Sainsbury Wing (1991) |
Palacio de Iturbide The Palace of Iturbide is a large palatial home located in the historic center of Mexico City on Madero Street #17. It was built by the Count of San Mateo Valparaíso as a wedding gift for his daughter. It gained the name “Palace of Iturbide” because Agustín de Iturbide lived and accepted the crown...
|
|
| 1992 |
|
 Portugal |
 |
Pavilion of Portugal in Expo'98The Pavilion of Portugal in Expo'98, situated in Parque das Nações in Lisbon, Portugal was the building which sheltered the Portuguese national representation in that event, being erected until today....
(1998) |
Harold Washington LibraryThe Harold Washington Library Center is the central library for the Chicago Public Library System. It is named for former Mayor Harold Washington. It is located just south of the Loop 'L', at 400 S. State Street in Chicago. It is a full service library and ADA compliant. As with all libraries in...
|
|
| 1993 |
|
Japan |
 |
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasiumis a world-class sporting complex in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1954 for the World Wrestling Championship, it was also used as the venue for gymnastics events at the 1964 Summer Olympics...
(1991) |
Prague CastlePrague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
|
|
| 1994 |
|
 Early Modern France |
|
French Embassy, Berlin (2003) |
The Commons, Columbus, IndianaColumbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
|
|
| 1995 |
|
Japan |
 |
Nagaragawa Convention CenterThe is a multi-purpose convention center in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The name literally translates to Nagara River International Convention Center, but the official English translation drops "international."...
(1995) |
Palace of VersaillesThe Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
|
|
| 1996 |
|
 Spain |
 |
Kursaal Palace The Kursaal Convention Center and Auditorium is a complex comprising several spaces: a great auditorium, many-use halls and exhibition halls. It was designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, and is located in Donostia-San Sebastián...
(1999) |
Getty Center The Getty Center, in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, is a campus for cultural institutions founded by oilman J. Paul Getty. The $1.3 billion center, which opened on December 16, 1997, is also well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles...
|
|
| 1997 |
|
 Norway |
 |
Norwegian Glacier Museum (1991) |
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
|
|
| 1998 |
|
Italy |
|
Kansai International Airportis an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
(1994) |
White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
|
|
| 1999 |
|
United Kingdom |
 |
Millennium Bridge (London)The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge, is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London, England, linking Bankside with the City. It is located between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge...
(2000) |
Altes MuseumThe Altes Museum , is one of several internationally renowned museums on Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. Since restoration work in 1966, it houses the Antikensammlung of the Berlin State Museums...
|
|
| 2000 |
|
 Netherlands |
 |
Casa da MúsicaCasa da Música is a major concert hall space in Porto, Portugal which houses the cultural institution of the same name with its three orchestras Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Barroca and Remix Ensemble...
(2003) |
Jerusalem Archaeological Park |
|
| 2001 |
Herzog & de MeuronHerzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the Swiss Federal Institute of...
|
 Switzerland |
 |
Tate ModernTate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
(2000) |
MonticelloMonticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
|
|
| 2002 |
|
 Australia |
 |
Berowra Waters Inn Berowra Waters Inn is a restaurant located at Berowra Waters along the Hawkesbury River in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, 50 minutes from downtown Sydney, Australia. It is unique due to its being accessed only by private ferry and being one of architect Glenn Murcutt's only venues regularly open...
(1983) |
Michelangelo's CampidoglioThe Capitoline Hill , between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. It was the citadel of the earliest Romans. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Capitolino in Italian, with the alternative Campidoglio stemming from Capitolium. The English word capitol...
|
|
| 2003 |
|
 Denmark |
 |
Sydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
(1973) |
Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando |
|
| 2004 |
|
United Kingdom
 Iraq |
 |
Bridge Pavilion The Bridge Pavilion is a building designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid that was constructed for the Expo 2008 in Zaragoza as one of its main landmarks. It is an innovative 270-metre-long covered bridge that imitates a gladiola over the river Ebro, connecting the neighbourhood of La...
(2008) |
Hermitage MuseumThe State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
|
|
| 2005 |
|
United States |
 |
San Francisco Federal BuildingThe San Francisco Federal Building is a building designed by the architectural firm Morphosis. It is located at 90 7th Street on the corner of Mission and 7th Streets in South of Market, San Francisco, as a replacement for the previous building at 450 Golden Gate Avenue...
(2007) |
Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium ParkJay Pritzker Pavilion, also known as Pritzker Pavilion or Pritzker Music Pavilion, is a bandshell in Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the south side of Randolph Street and east of the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan...
|
|
| 2006 |
|
 Brazil |
|
Saint Peter Chapel, São Paulo (1987) |
Dolmabahçe PalaceDolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval in which Yıldız Palace was used.- History :Dolmabahçe Palace...
|
|
| 2007 |
|
United Kingdom |
 |
Lloyd's buildingThe Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England.-Design:...
(1986) |
Banqueting House The Banqueting House, Whitehall, London, is the grandest and best known survivor of the architectural genre of banqueting house, and the only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall...
, WhitehallWhitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
|
|
| 2008 |
|
Early Modern France |
 |
Torre AgbarThe Torre Agbar is a 38-storey tower located between Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Badajoz, near Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, which marks the gateway to the new technological district of Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm B720...
(2005) |
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
|
|
| 2009 |
|
Switzerland |
|
Therme Vals Therme Vals is the hotel/spa complex in Vals, built over the only thermal springs in the Graubünden canton in Switzerland.- History :In the 1960s a German property developer, Karl Kurt Vorlop, built a hotel complex with over 1,000 beds to take advantage of the naturally occurring thermal springs...
(1996) |
Legislative Palace of the City Council, Buenos Aires |
|
| 2010 |
Kazuyo Sejima is a Japanese architect. After studying at Japan Women's University and working in the office of Toyo Ito, in 1987 she founded Kazuyo Sejima and Associates. In 1995 she founded the Tokyo-based firm SANAA together with her former employee Ryue Nishizawa...
and
Ryue Nishizawais an Japanese architect based in Tokyo. He is a graduate of Yokohama National University, and is director of his own firm, Office of Ryue Nishizawa, established in 1997. In 1995, he co-founded the firm SANAA with the architect Kazuyo Sejima...
(SANAA) |
Japan |
|
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is a museum of contemporary art located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.It was designed by Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the architect office SANAA in 2004...
(2003) |
Ellis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
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| 2011 |
Eduardo Souto de Moura-Life and career:Souto de Moura was born in Porto, and studied sculpture before switching to architecture at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, the current FAUP - Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto, and receiving his degree in 1980. From 1974 to 1979 he worked with...
|
Portugal |
 |
Estádio Municipal de Braga Estádio Municipal de Braga is a football stadium in Braga, Portugal, with an all-seated capacity of 30,154, built in 2003 as the new home for local club Sporting Clube de Braga, and as a UEFA Euro 2004 venue. Its architect was Portuguese Eduardo Souto de Moura...
, BragaBraga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
(2004) |
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium is a, 750-seat historic Neoclassical auditorium located at 1301 Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The auditorium, which connects the two wings of the United States Environmental Protection Agency building, is owned by the U.S...
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