Shigeru Ban has won the Praemium Imperiale Architecture award, a prestigious global arts prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association. Nominees are proposed by six international committees, each chaired by an International Advisor. The prize is celebrated as a mark of distinction in the arts.
Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center. Photo: Hiroyuki Hirai.
Shigeru Ban, winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize, is renowned for his innovative work with timber, paper, and bamboo structures. He is celebrated for designing projects such as the Centre Pompidou-Metz, Aspen Art Museum, and Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, as well as founding the NPO Voluntary Architects Network (VAN) in 1995.
For nearly 30 years, VAN and Shigeru Ban Architects have provided disaster relief, offering temporary shelters, partition systems, and community centres for victims of natural disasters and conflicts in Rwanda, Syria, Turkey, India, China, and more. Recently, Ban supplied Paper Partition Systems for Ukrainian refugees in multiple countries. He is also involved in building a new surgical wing at the main hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, in response to the ongoing conflict.
The Praemium Imperiale Awards are given by the Japan Art Association under the honorary patronage of HIH Prince Hitachi. Each laureate receives an honorarium of 15 million Yen (c. £73,000). Since 1989, the awards have recognized international achievements in Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theatre/Film.
More information:
Shigeru Ban Architects
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www.shigerubanarchitect.com