WHO: Chinese architect Wang Shu. On Monday, Feb. 27, Wang became the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, widely considered the field’s highest honor, equivalent to the Nobel.
WHAT: Visiting Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
WHERE: Intersection of Forsyth and Skinker Boulevard.
WHEN: Wang will be on campus throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday. To arrange an interview, call Liam Otten at 314-935-8494 (office); 314-324-2076 (cell) or email liam_otten@wustl.edu.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Wang and Peter MacKeith, associate dean of the Sam Fox School.
BACKGROUND: Wang Shu has won the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize, making him the first Chinese citizen to receive what is generally considered architecture’s highest honor.
Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the $100,000 prize, made the announcement Monday, Feb. 27. Two days later, students and faculty in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will be among the first to congratulate Wang, when the architect visits the Sam Fox School Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 29 and March 1.
“This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the international character of contemporary architecture,” says Peter MacKeith, associate dean of the Sam Fox School and associate professor of architecture, who organizes the lecture series.
MacKeith notes that, as China has grown increasingly urbanized, Chinese architects have found increasing prominence on the world stage. “Our Chinese students are really excited by this news,” MacKeith adds. “It is a great honor that they all share in.”
While on campus, Wang will lecture about his work, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, in Steinberg Auditorium. That event is open to the public, but filming is prohibited.