10.03.2023 Sandra Hofmeister

Congratulations David Chipperfield!

Sir David Alan Chipperfield, © Benjamin McMahon

The quiet design language of his buildings links tradition with contemporary elements. The materials are chosen with great care, and the structures are outstandingly executed down to the finest details. David Chipperfield and his teams in Berlin, London, Milan and Shanghai have now convinced the jury of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture of these facts. In times of debate concerning diversity, this is extraordinary and deserves our respect.

Amorepacific Headquarters, 2017, Seoul, Republic of Korea, © Photo courtesy of Noshe

The distinction of the Pritzker Prize is particularly well-deserved this year and, with great joy on our part, goes to an architect who practices understatement, and to his international team that have realized astounding buildings around the world – from Marbach to Mexico City, from Seoul to Zurich – and brought admirable workflows to consummate outcomes. We congratulate them on winning the 2023 Pritzker Prize!

The jury’s statement

The statement from the international jury states that Chipperfield’s work is “always characterized by elegance, restraint, a sense of permanence, as well as clear compositions and refined detailing, his buildings each time exude clarity, surprise, sophisticated contextuality and confident presence”. The jury further declared that Chipperfield’s designs “are never self-centred, nor do they serve in any way as art for art’s sake: rather, they always remained focused on the higher purpose of the undertaking and on the pursuit of civic and public good”.

Morland Mixité Capitale, 2022, Paris, France, © Photo courtesy of Simon Menges

David Chipperfield and Berlin

Chipperfield opened his Berlin office in the 1990s; over the years, the German capital has become a second home for the British architect. It is the headquarters of his Berlin office, whose team of 140 employees on the Spree plan and execute projects reaching from Zurich to Seoul. Berlin is also the location of significant museum expansions and interventions such as the Neues Museum and the James Simon Gallery on Museum Island.

Neues Museum, 2009, Berlin, © Photo courtesy of SMB / Ute Zscharnt for David Chipperfield Architects
James-Simon-Galerie, 2018, Berlin, Germany, © Photo courtesy of Ute Zscharnt for David Chipperfield Architects

The capital on the Spree

Has Chipperfield become a Berliner? We asked him this in an interview for our recently published book Berlin. His answer is multifaceted: “The city is in my blood, and I feel very attached to it. Over the years, I have also developed an understanding of the city. It is not the most easy to be fond of; it is easier to be fond of Paris or Madrid. Berlin is a particular taste, but I have that taste, and the time I have spent there has shaped me. The Neues Museum has taught me many things, not only about architecture, but also about people and collaboration. It was a significant professional experience in my life.” We are grateful to Chipperfield and his international team not only for this statement from the British architect, but for another as well: “We still have a very strong control of the detail”.

David Chipperfield Architects. Architektur und Baudetails/Architecture and Construction Details. 240 pages, 23 projects, edited by Sandra Hofmeister. 3rd expanded edition, Edition Detail, Munich 2022.
Berlin - Urban Architecture and Daily Life since 2009. 30 projects, edited by Sandra Hofmeister. Edition Detail, Munich 2022.

Projects by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and the complete interview appear in our book Berlin. The third expanded edition of the monograph David Chipperfield Architects. Architecture und Construction Details features engineering solutions to many completed projects.


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