Pritzker Architecture Prize: Late Frei Otto honoured at 'Nobel Prize of architecture' event in Miami
German died just days before award was announced earlier this year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The worlds of architecture, fashion, politics and extraordinary wealth, came together in Miami to celebrate the late Frei Otto, a German who has been awarded what has been referred as the “Nobel Prize” of architecture.
Mr Otto was named as the winner of the 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize earlier this year, just days before his death. On Friday evening, the international panel of judges celebrated his work, sitting alongside a tent based on a 1953 design by the architect.
Earlier this year, Tom Pritzker chairman of the the Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the prize, said of the decision to award the prize to Mr Otto: “Our jury was clear that, in their view, Frei Otto’s career is a model for generations of architects and his influence will continue to be felt.”
Previous winners of the prize include Lord Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Richard Rogers and Glenn Murcutt, all of whom were in Miami for the private, black-tie gala where the award was formally announced.
US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, who are both also judges, also attended.
Mr Otto, who was 89, was best known for the roofs he designed for the main sports facility in the Munich Olympic Park for the 1972 summer games.
The Pritzker family is one of the wealthiest in the US and said to be worth an estimated $29bn, according to Forbes. Various members of the family spent much of the last decade involved in a feud, a row over inheritance claims that was eventually after years of legal actions and acrimony.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments