Shigeru Ban
Graduated from the Cooper Union, Shigeru Ban started working for Arata Isozaki & Associates in 1982. In 1985 he founded Shigeru Ban Architects. He became consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1995 and established the NGO, Voluntary Architects' Network (VAN) in the same year to support disaster relief. His works include Nicolas G. Hayek Center, Centre Pompidou- Metz, and Oita Prefecture Art Museum.
Winner of multiple awards, including Grande Médaille d’or de l’Académie d’architecture (2004), Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture (2005), Grand Prize of AIJ (2009), Honorary Doctorate from Technische Universität München (2009), L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (le grade d’off¬cier) (2010), Auguste Perret Prize (2011), Art Prize from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (2012), L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (le grade de commandeur) (2014), JIA Gran Prix (2016), and Mother Teresa Social Justice Award (2017). Served as Professor at Keio University (2001-2008), Visiting Professor of Harvard University GSD and Cornell University (2010), and currently Professor at Keio University (2015-). Winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
