The Japanese architect will be honored on May 27 with this award for his more than five decades of experience.
Riken Yamamoto will be one of the main protagonists of the XVII Porcelanosa Awards, which will be held on May 27thThis event is an opportunity for the Spanish multinational to recognize architects who, like Yamamoto, stand out for their professional career and their contribution to global architecture.
Distinguished with the Pritker Prize in 2024Yamamoto will be the ninth architect to receive this award and be honored by Porcelanosa. Following Álvaro Siza in 2012, Richard Rogers in 2013, Souto de Moura in 2014, Zaha Hadid in 2016, the RCR studio in 2018, Toyo Ito in 2023, David Chipperfield in 2024, and Alejandro Aravena in 2025, Porcelanosa It will highlight the work of an architect focused on the essence of places as generators of community.
A vision of community within contemporary architecture
The Japanese architect Riken YamamotoBorn in Beijing, China, in 1945, he has built a body of work throughout his career deeply connected to the relationship between space, society, and culture. He graduated in Architecture from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Nihon University in 1968 and, in 1971, obtained a Master's degree in Architecture from the Tokyo University of the Arts. His training was further enriched as a researcher at the Hiroshi Hara Laboratory of the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo, where he began to develop a critical and sensitive perspective on social environments.
Beyond his professional practice, Yamamoto has had a distinguished teaching career. He was a visiting professor at Kanagawa University in 2024 and at Tokyo University of the Arts from 2022 to 2024. Previously, he taught at the Graduate School of Architecture at Yokohama National University (2007–2011) and served as president of Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design (2018–2022). He is currently an emeritus professor and holds an honorary doctorate from Yokohama National University.
Among his most renowned works are the Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design, THE CIRCLE at Zurich Airport, the Yokosuka Museum of Art, Hakodate University of the Future, Saitama Prefectural University, and GAZEBO. His architecture also extends to mixed-use projects, public buildings, and residential complexes in various Asian contexts, such as China, South Korea, and Taiwan, where he adapts his architectural language to the specific social characteristics of each location.
His thinking is reflected in publications such as The Space of Power, The Power of Space, Toshibi (City Beautiful), Chiikishakaikenshugi o Shinpen Jukyoronwhere he explores architecture as a tool to understand and transform collective life.
Awarded numerous prestigious accolades, including the Pritzker Prize in 2024, the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award in 2025, and the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award, Yamamoto becomes the ninth Japanese architect to receive the Pritzker Prize, solidifying his position as a leading figure in contemporary architecture.
But beyond the awards, his work is partly inspired by improving human relationships. As the founder of Riken Yamamoto & Field ShopTheir approach focuses on the essence of places as generators of community. Each work is an opportunity to create relationships and demonstrate that everything can coexist in the same space.
