Wang Shu

Chinese architect Wang Shu will be announced as this year’s Pritzker Laureate tomorrow (Tuesday).

Shu, 49, established his practice Amateur Architecture Studio with his wife in 1997. He describes himself as an architect who designs “a house instead of a building” and champions a hands-on approach to design.

The Pritzker jury, which this year included chair Peter Palumbo, Alajandro Aravena, Zaha Hadid, Chinese architect Yung Ho Chang and US Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, is thought to have been particularly impressed by Shu’s design for the Ningbo history museum.

“Wang Shu’s oeuvre, seen in depth by the jurors during a visit to China, left no doubt that we were witnessing the work of a master; and a unanimous decision to award him the Pritzker Prize for 2012 is one that we feel places him at the same high level of distinction as the other Chinese architect to receive the award, I M Pei.”

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune’s Blair Kamin, who revealed Shu as this year’s Pritzker Laureate, the architect said that the award was a “big surprise”, and hit out at the widespread development practices that are homogonising China’s cities.

The $100,000 Pritzker prize is given annually to a living architect who is deemed to have made “signifcant contributions to humanity”. Previous winners include Peter Zumthor, Richard Rogers and the 2011 laureate Edwardo Souto de Moura.

The 2012 award will be presented at a ceremony in Beijing on May 25.

Wang Shu of Amateur Architecture Studio interviewed by Hans Ulrich Obrist
The full citation from the Pritzker jury

The architecture of the 2012 Pritzker Prize Laureate Wang Shu, opens new horizons while at the same time resonates with place and memory. His buildings have the unique ability to evoke the past, without making direct references to history. Born in 1963 and educated in China, Wang Shu’s architecture is exemplary in its strong sense of cultural continuity and re-invigorated tradition. In works undertaken by the office he founded with his partner and wife Lu Wenyu, Amateur Architecture Studio, the past is literally given new life as the relationship between past and present is explored. The question of the proper relation of present to past is particularly timely, for the recent process of urbanization in China invites debate as to whether architecture should be anchored in tradition or should look only toward the future. As with any great architecture, Wang Shu′s work is able to transcend that debate, producing an architecture that is timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal.

Wang Shu′s buildings have a very rare attribute — a commanding and even, at times, monumental presence, while functioning superbly and creating a calm environment for life and daily activities. The History Museum at Ningbo is one of those unique buildings that while striking in photos, is even more moving when experienced. The museum is an urban icon, a well-tuned repository for history and a setting where the visitor comes first. The richness of the spatial experience, both in the exterior and interior is remarkable. This building embodies strength, pragmatism and emotion all in one.

Wang Shu knows how to embrace the challenges of construction and employ them to his advantage. His approach to building is both critical and experimental. Using recycled materials, he is able to send several messages on the careful use of resources and respect for tradition and context as well as give a frank appraisal of technology and the quality of construction today, particularly in China. Wang Shu’s works that use recycled building materials, such as roof tiles and bricks from dismantled walls, create rich textural and tactile collages. Working in collaboration with construction workers, the outcome sometimes has an element of unpredictability, which in his case, gives the buildings a freshness and spontaneity.

In spite of his age, young for an architect, he has shown his ability to work successfully at various scales. The Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Arts in Hangzhou is like a small town, providing a setting for learning and living for students, professors and staff. The exterior and interior connections between buildings and private and public spaces provide a rich environment where an emphasis on livability prevails. He is also capable of creating buildings on an intimate scale, such as the small exhibition hall or pavilions inserted into the fabric of the historic center of Hangzhou. As in all great architecture, he does this with a master’s naturalness, making it look as if it were an effortless exercise.

He calls his office Amateur Architecture Studio, but the work is that of a virtuoso in full command of the instruments of architecture — form, scale, material, space and light. The 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize is given to Wang Shu for the exceptional nature and quality of his executed work, and also for his ongoing commitment to pursuing an uncompromising, responsible architecture arising from a sense of specific culture and place.
Chronology of major works
1990
Youth Center
Haining, The People’s Republic of China

1991
International Gallery of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China
(completed and demolished)
Underground entrances of Fengqiao
(completed and demolished)
Artist Sharon in Gushan Hill
(completed and demolished)

1999-2000
Gallery with a View
Shanghai, The People’s Republic of China
(completed and demolished)
Library of Wenzheng College, Suzhou University
The People’s Republic of China

2002-2007
Vertical Courtyard Apartments
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China

2003
Sanhe House
Nanjing, The People’s Republic of China

2003-2005
Teaching Building of Music and Dance Department
Dongguan, Guangdong, The People’s Republic of China

2003-2006
Ceramic House
Jinhua, The People’s Republic of China
Five Scattered Houses
Ningbo, The People’s Republic of China

2006
Tiled Garden
Venice Biennale of Architecture, Italy

2001-2005
Ningbo Contemporary Art Museum
Ningbo, The People’s Republic of China

2002-2004
Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art (Phase I)
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China

2004-2007
Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art (Phase II)
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China

2003-2008
Ningbo History Museum
Ningbo, The People’s Republic of China

2007-2009
Old Town Conservation and Intervention of Zhongshan Street
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China

2009
Exhibition Hall of the Imperial Street of the Southern Song Dynasty
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China
Heyun Culture and Leisure Centers
Kunming, The People’s Republic of China
(under construction)

2010
Shanghai Expo, Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion
Shanghai, The People’s Republic of China
City Cultural Center of Jinghua
Jinhua, The People’s Republic of China
(under construction)
Ninghai “Shi Li Hong Zhunag” Traditional Dowry Musuem
Ninghai, The People’s Republic of China
(under construction)
Contemporary Art Museum on the Dock
Zhoushan, The People’s Republic of China
(in design phase)

2011
Buddhist Institute Library of Hangzhou
Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China
(in design phase)
Tiles Hill — New Reception Center
Xiangshan Campus, Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China
(under construction)