He is called "an architect for architects", his buildings are always laconic and full of hidden content. Zumthor himself says: “I love architecture. Therefore, when I am commissioned a project, I must see that I will have the opportunity to create something beautiful … I am a passionate architect."
He is interested not only in the beauty of the idea, but also in the beauty of the execution - down to the smallest detail, as well as in the beauty of the function, the correspondence of the building to its purpose, the environment (most often natural), the meaning embedded in it.
The jury of the Japanese prize noted in his works that which is especially appreciated in Japanese culture: “handicraft” attention to the material, to the way it is processed; the use of a subtle play of light and shadow; "Contemplation" of his buildings.
Zumthor was awarded as a serious, "real" architect, who views his profession as a vocation, and his creative credo as a philosophy of life.
Conductor Zubin Meta (music), Kabuki theater actor Sakata Tajuro (theater / cinema), Ilya and Emilia Kabakov (sculpture) and Richard Hamilton (painting) also became the laureates of the "Imperial Prize" this year.
