The Pritzker Architectural Prize committee has singled out two Japanese architects at Sanaa Ltd. (based in Tokyo)
Kanyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa - a female-male creative team - were honored with the prestigious award which is presented to worthy recipients by the Pritzker family each year for significant contributions to humanity.
Their unique jewel-like structures have enlivened landscapes in major cities around the globe in recent years.
One of their most recognizable stand-out creations is undoubtedly the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City.
The 7-member panel of Judges hailed a body of work they described as "simultaneously delicate and powerful, precise and fluid, ingenious but not overly or overtly clever".
Buildings that herald a unique mix of transparency of materials and subtle infusion of light have become their signature style.
The Pritzker jury of architects, academics, writers and designers praised Sejima and Nishizawa for designing structures that blend into their surroundings to provide unassuming backdrops for the activities occurring in their midst.
"We want to make architecture that people like to use," said Sejima, who compared the pair's structures with public plazas where visitors can roam freely in groups or find comfortable spots to spend time on their own.
"The jury somehow appreciated our way of making architecture."
Among the projects mentioned by the Pritzker jury was the translucent sheathed Christian Dior Building in Tokyo's upscale Omotesando shopping district and the see-through Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion in Ohio.
The Toldeo Museum is comprised of curved glass walls embedded in grooved footings in the floor and ceiling that blur the inner and outer sanctums of the interior and garden-like setting out-of-doors.
The honor includes a $100,000 grant.
