The 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to Smiljan Radić, one of the most consistent yet unconventional figures in contemporary architecture. Winning the world’s most prestigious architectural award confirms the significance of this 60-year-old architect’s body of work. We have compiled a selection of his most notable projects.
Smiljan Radić Clarke has been running his practice in Santiago, Chile, for over thirty years. The jury emphasised that his projects often give the impression of being fragile, temporary or deliberately incomplete, yet at the same time create spaces that convey a sense of security and openness. The jury’s statement noted that his designs are “optimistic and full of quiet joy”, and that they “create spatial experiences that are both surprising and seem entirely natural”.
For years, the architect has professed a commitment to simple materials and the reduction of form. “Stripping architecture of excess and reducing it to its bare bones” – this is one of his most frequently quoted phrases, which aptly captures his working philosophy. In his remarks following the announcement of the award, Radić emphasised that his team strives to design “structures that stand in the sun for centuries, waiting for us to visit”, as well as to create spaces that encourage us to pause and reflect anew on our surroundings.
Key projects
Among the projects that have brought him international recognition, the 2014 Serpentine Pavilion holds a special place. The semi-transparent fibreglass structure, supported by massive stones, became one of the most talked-about pavilions in the history of the London event. The structure filters light rather than exposing it directly, whilst the open enclosure allows visitors to remain in contact with their surroundings.
In Chile, meanwhile, the most significant projects include the Teatro Regional del Biobío in Concepción and Restaurant Mestizo in Bicentenario Park in Santiago. The former is a precisely designed, semi-transparent structure which, thanks to its restrained form, enhances the acoustics and fosters an atmosphere of concentration. The second is distinguished by a roof made of stones sourced from a nearby quarry, which has allowed the building to be embedded within the local context.
Smiljan Radić readily employs architectural collage techniques, juxtaposing elements of varying scale and character. An example is the NAVE Performing Arts Centre, where he placed a black theatre stage within a dilapidated neoclassical building, covered by a structure resembling a tent. This approach allows him to explore the boundaries between structure and landscape, as well as between what is permanent and what is subject to change.
Career path
Born in 1965 in Santiago, the architect studied at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and subsequently in Venice, where he explored the history and aesthetics of architecture. He established his own practice in 1995, and in 2017 founded the Fragile Architecture Foundation – a platform dedicated to documenting and developing his concept of ‘fragile architecture’. This idea posits that vulnerability, imperfection and uncertainty can become design values rather than problems to be eliminated.
The selection of the Chilean architect can be seen as a recognition of a body of work that avoids grandiose statements and focuses on attentiveness to place, material and the user. It is also a sign that contemporary architecture is increasingly seeking value in modesty and the conscious limitation of resources.
source: The Pritzker ArchitecturePrize
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