Muraba Architects Win Pritzker Award
Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta of Spanish studio RCR Arquitectes have been named as the 2017 laureates of the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s most prestigious award.
The three Catalan architects are the 39th recipients of the Pritzker Prize, and will receive a $100,000 (£81,000) grant and bronze medallion at a ceremony held at the State Guest House in Tokyo on 20 May 2017.
Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta founded their practice RCR Arquitectes in 1988. The studio, which came in at number 249 on the Dezeen Hot List, is based in Olot in Spain’s Catalonia Region.
This is the first time that three architects have been awarded the Pritzker Prize, and just the second time the award has gone to laureates from Spain – with the first being Rafael Moneo in 1996.
Crematorium Hofheide in Belgium by Coussée & Goris architecten and RCR Arquitectes
RCR Arquitectes worked on a tinted concrete and steel crematorium in Holsbeek, Belgium, with Coussée & Goris Architecten
“Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta have had an impact on the discipline far beyond their immediate area,” said the Pritzker jury, which was chaired by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt.
“Their works range from public and private spaces to cultural venues and educational institutions, and their ability to intensely relate the environment specific to each site is a testament to their process and deep integrity.”
The group recently completed a tinted concrete and steel crematorium in Holsbeek, Belgium, and collaborated on an entrance to the Garrotxa Volcano Park in Les Preses near their home town of Olot.
The park is one of a number of projects the trio has completed in Olot, alongside the Les Cols Restaurant Marquee (2011), the Barberí Laboratory (2008) and the Tossols-Basil Athletics Track (2000)
Among their other notable projects are the Bell–Lloc Winery in Girona and Sant Antoni – Joan Oliver Library, Senior Citizens Center and Cándida Pérez Gardens in Barcelona – both completed in 2007.
