Wang Shu Wins the 2012 Pritzker

Wang Shu is the first Chinese architect to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. "The architecture of the 2012 Pritzker Prize Laureate Wang Shu, opens new horizons while at the same time resonates with place and memory," the jury citation reads.

Wang Shu and his wife, Lu Wenyu, founded Amateur Architecture Studio in 1997 in Hangzhou, China. A Western architect is unlikely to choose such a company name, but it's said that Shu's approach is much like an amateur builder—one based on spontaneity, craft skills, and cultural traditions. "One problem of professional architecture," the 48-year-old Shu says on his website, "is, that it thinks too much of a building. I design a house instead of a building. The house is the amateur architecture approach to the infinitely spontaneous order."

Last year when the Pritzker ceremony venue was announced, many thought that the young Chinese architect may be on the short list. This year's ceremony will be held in Beijing, China on May 25, 2012.

See Buildings by Wang Shu >
Profile of Wang Hu>

Architecture in China:

• Modern Architecture in Beijing
• Architecture for Travelers: China

Photo: Ceramic House, 2003-2006, Jinhua, China.