British architect David Chipperfield won the 2023 Pritzker Prize, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The US-based Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award, said in a statement that Chipperfield was honored for "timeless modern design that confronts climate urgencies, transforms social relationships and reinvigorates cities."

The foundation said that every one of Chipperfield's works "becomes a civic undertaking serving society." It praised the architect for his "subtle yet powerful, subdued yet elegant" works.

"He is a prolific architect who is radical in his restraint," the foundation said.

Hyatt Foundation chairman Tom Pritzker said, "He is assured without hubris, consistently avoiding trendiness to confront and sustain the connections between tradition and innovation, serving history and humanity."

The Pritzker Prize was first awarded in 1979. Winners of the profession's most prestigious award receive a bronze medallion and a $100,000 (€94,552) grant.

The prize has been awarded to the UK's Norman Foster, Japan's Arata Isoyaki and India's Balkrishna Vithaldas. In 2022, Burkina Faso-born Diebedo Francis Kere become the first prize winner from Africa.

Chipperfield 'overwhelmed' to be prize winner

Chipperfield said that he was "overwhelmed" to win the prize.

"I take this award as an encouragement to continue to direct my attention not only to the substance of architecture and its meaning but also to the contribution that we can make as architects to address the existential challenges of climate change and societal inequality," he said.

Architects "can have a more prominent and engaged role in creating not only a more beautiful world but a fairer and more sustainable one too," Chipperfield said.

"We must rise to this challenge and help inspire the next generation to embrace this responsibility with vision and courage.

Who is David Chipperfield?

Chipperfield is known for renovations and reconstructions of old buildings while honoring their history and preserving the environment.

He rebuilt the Neues Museum in Berlin, which was built in the 19th Century and largely destroyed during World War II.

He is also known for rebuilds of Venice's Procuratie Vecchie, the Museo Jumex in Mexico City and the Museom of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany.

Chipperfield has completed more than 100 projects in Asia, Europe and North America.

Last month, Athen's National Archeological Museum announced that he would lead an upgrade of the institution.

sdi/ar (AFP, AP)