The winner of the 2017 Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to three architects from Catalonia.
Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, known collectively as RCR Arquitectes, founded their firm in 1988, and have since acquired a reputation among cognoscenti for what the prize jury described as "emotional and experiential architecture" that "demonstrates an unyielding commitment to place and its narrative".
Bell-Lloc Winery (Pritzker Prize/Hisao Suzuki
The jury also praised RCR’s "powerfully connection to the landscape" based on "history, natural topography, customs and cultures, and observing and experiencing light, shade, colours and the seasons".
The jury cited the Bell-Lloc Winery (2007) as an exemplary project. The building is embedded in the ground, which is appropriate because "it is the soil that produces the grapes, the cool dark cellars needed for the ageing of wine and the colour and weight of the earth".
Les Cols Restaurant Marquee (Pritzker Prize/Hisao Suzuki)
The jury also applauded a 2011 project called "the Marquee", an outdoor dining and event space in Olot. This has volcanic rock walls holding up a transparent polymer roof in a valley carved out in the landscape.
The awards ceremony will take place at the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace, Tokyo on 20 May 2017.
Last year’s winner was Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena.
Top image: RCR Arquitectes courtesy of the Pritzker Prize/Javier Lorenzo DomÃnguez
