Japanese Architecture Firm Wins 2025 Royal Gold Medal
By ANNETTE MEIER
Portrait of KAZUYO SEJIMA (left) and RYUE NISHIZAWA (right). Courtesy SANAA, Tokyo.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded the 2025 Royal Gold Medal for architecture to SANAA, a Tokyo-based firm helmed by Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.
Founded in 1995, SANAA is dedicated to sustainability and user-centered designs. The studio is best known for creating elegant buildings that balance simple, minimalistic facades with complex interiors. Notable projects include the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; the Naala Badu extension to Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales, as well as the Sydney Modern Project; London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa.
In a press release, the RIBA selection committee praised SANAA for its “ability to shape a universal language of architecture that resonates with people everywhere,” while RIBA president Muyiwa Oki lauded Sejima and Nishizawa as “[t]rue pioneers in the field, . . . setting an inspiring standard for the future of our built environment.”
Following the announcement, Sejima and Nishizawa expressed their gratitude in a joint statement: “We are delighted and very honored to receive the Royal Gold Medal. We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us to relate to our surroundings, nature, and each other.”
Established in 1848, the Royal Gold Medal is annually awarded to architects whose work has significantly contributed to the evolution of architecture. The prestigious award marks the latest addition to SANAA’s accolades, which include the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2010) and the Praemium Imperiale for architecture (2022).
In an official ceremony in London on May 1, King Charles III will present the award to Sejima and Nishizawa.
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
