MARIKA ALDERTON HOUSE, NORTHERN TERRITORY, 1991-1994

15 April 2002

Glenn Murcutt, 66 year old sole practitioner from Sydney, and visiting professor of architecture at Washington University, yesterday received the the Pritzker Prize, which is basically the biggest gong in architecture.

The Pritzker Prize has built a name for itself since 1979 when Philip Johnson took the inaugural prize. Funded by the family behind the Hyatt Hotel chain to fill a gap in the Nobel role call, the mission of the Pritzker is to, "honour annually a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

This year's award contrasts markedly with the gong-getters of recent times. Herzog and de Meuron (2001) and Rem Koolhaas (2000) were european architects working on large projects with large offices. The jury, which included Ada Louise Huxtable, Carlos Jimenez and Lord Rothschild, determined that Murcutt is an "innovative architectural technician who is capable of turning his sensitivity to the environment and to locality into forthright, totally honest, non-showy works of art."

The international cult for Murcutt will be stoked further by quotes like this from Ada Louise Huxtable: "Glenn Murcutt has become a living legend, an architect totally focused on shelter and the environment, with skills drawn from nature and the most sophisticated design traditions of the modern movement." This cult can be witnessed in action by doing a search for australian architecture at designcommunity.com. Most of the results are posts about Glenn. And apparently he doesn't do PR!

It seems that Murcutt is a popular study choice in many overseas (not to mention australian) schools. His work inspires students looking for something a little more personal, contextually responsive, and environmentally aware than what most of today's architecture has to offer. That Murcutt now spends time lecturing around the world can only enhance his status, and indirectly that of Australian architecture.

Murcutt's work has also bridged that gap to the general public. His name is known like none other in Australian architecture (excepting a certain Dane). The 1985 best-selling publication 'Leaves of Iron' and more recent discussions in print and on radio have endeared him to a wide audience. The reason for this is partly his personable style, but I'd say it mostly stems from people's appreciation of his work trying to connect with the Australian landscape, where few dare go.