by ArchitectureWeek

Danish architect Jørn Utzon, best known for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, has been chosen as the 2003 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This prestigious honor is widely considered to be the "Nobel Prize" for architecture.

Pritzker Prize jury chair, Lord Rothschild, announced: "Jørn Utzon created one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty known throughout the world. In addition to this masterpiece, he has worked throughout his life fastidiously, brilliantly, quietly, and with never a false or jarring note."

Besides his design for arguably one of the most successful iconic buildings of the millennium, the jury cites his lesser known works. These include the Lutheran church in Bagsværd, Denmark, two multifamily housing developments, the Kuwait National Assembly, and several houses for his own family.

Notes juror Carlos Jimenez: "Although few and far apart, each work startles with its irrepressible creativity. How else to explain the lineage binding those indelible ceramic sails on the Tasmanian Sea, the fertile optimism of the housing at Fredensborg, or those sublime undulations of the ceilings at Bagsværd."   >>>

Danish architect Jørn Utzon has received the Pritzker Prize. Photo: Courtesy Utzon Architects The Sydney Opera House, Utzon's best known work. Photo: David Messent   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.