The Pritzker Prize 2007 was awarded to Richard Rogers

Lord Richard Rogers, a key figure of the high-tech movement of the 1970s, was selected as the holder of the Pritzker Prize for 2007. The award will be officially presented to Rogers on June 4, 2007, in the late Renaissance Banqueting House (1619-22). The bronze medal is also accompanied by a monetary reward of $100,000. Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation, justified Rogers' selection with a quote from this year's jury: “Born in Florence, Italy, and educated as an architect in London at the Architectural Association and later in the United States at Yale University, Rogers possesses a perspective as polished and comprehensive as his upbringing. In his writings, his role as a political advisor, as well as extensive urban work, Rogers is a champion of urban life who believes in the potential of cities as catalysts for social change.”
Rogers' work has been known to the general public since his realization of the Centre Pompidou in Paris at the end of the 1970s. The innovatively designed headquarters of Lloyds Bank in London only cemented his position at the architectural top. In recent years, his projects had rather caused confusion, until last year when he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, and his Barajas Airport in Madrid won the prestigious Stirling Prize. Link>

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Los Angeles (USA) - British architect Richard Rogers, who gained world fame 30 years ago as a co-author of the design of the Paris modern art gallery Centre Pompidou, has received this year's Pritzker Prize for architecture. The jury highlighted the contributions of the seventy-three-year-old Brit to world architecture over more than four decades and labeled him a master of urban life.
"His constructions are unique modern architectural fascinations with highly advanced technical features, transparency, unrestricted design, and methods of integration into both public and private spheres," stated the jury in Los Angeles, according to the DPA agency in justification of this year's award.
Rogers has also gained recognition for the London headquarters of Lloyd's insurance from 1986, with its exterior elevators and escalators, the building of the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg, and not least for the colorful and airy design of the new terminal at Madrid's Barajas International Airport. He also participated in the architectural design of the project on the site of the former New York World Trade Center (WTC), which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Pritzker Prize has been awarded since 1979 and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in the field of architecture. According to the organizers, it recognizes living architects whose work demonstrates not only talent and vision but also significantly contributes to the development of humanity. No Czech architect has yet received it, but in 1993, it was awarded to the Japanese Fumihiko Maki at Prague Castle.
The presentation of the Pritzker Prize is associated with a monetary award of $100,000 (approximately 2.1 million crowns) and the handing over of a commemorative medal. This year's ceremonial event will take place on June 4 in London.