Rewarded for Doing Good: Shigeru Ban Wins Pritzker Prize

The 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize had been awarded to Shigeru Ban. Ban is best known for his innovative use of paper as a construction material and for relief work in disaster areas.

2 minute read

March 25, 2014, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The architecture profession’s highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, has been awarded to Shigeru Ban. Like many of the previous Pritzker laureates, Ban is a celebrated innovator of building structure. Unlike previous laureates, however, Ban is also well known for his social work, designing shelters after natural disasters in places like Rwanda, Turkey, India, China, Haiti, and Japan.

Writing for The Architect’s Newspaper, Alan Brake scooped the formal announcement of the 2014 Pritzker Prize by 30 minutes. Headlined, “A Humble Master, here is how Brake describes Ban’s accomplishments:

“The jury citation notes his innovative use of materials and structure. His satellite museum for the Centre Pompidou in Metz, France, is one such example. A basket-like super structure, made of woven timber covered in a lightweight translucent membrane, caps the complex, creating sheltered indoor/outdoor spaces that help dissolve the physical boundaries of the museum.”

“Ban is widely known for using paper tubes and disused shipping containers to create temporary and permanent structures. Projects like the Paper Church in Kobe, Japan, and Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, have brought dignified places of assembly and reflection to areas after earthquakes and other natural calamities.”

Ban is currently engaged in a couple of major cultural projects: the Aspen Art museum in Colorado and a new concert hall in Paris.

The announcement comes after a tough year for the Pritzker Prize, which has been criticized for a lack of women among its roster. The criticism peaked with a high-profile campaign to include Denise Scott Brown as a 1991 laureate.

Ban is the second consecutive Japanese architect to win the prize, after Toyo Ito won the prize in 2013.

Monday, March 24, 2014 in The Architect's Newspaper

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business