SANAA emerges as RIBA's 2025 Royal Gold Medal winner

SANAA has emerged as this year’s RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner. The firm founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa  in 1995 was announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as the 173rd winner of the prestigious honor that dates to 1848. 

The RIBA Honours Committee selected the Japanese duo for a steady and pioneering pursuit of "sustainable, user-centered" design that encapsulates a "universal language of architecture that resonates with people everywhere" as expressed by projects such as the New Museum and  Rolex Learning Centre in Switzerland.

Others mentioned in their citation include the Grace Farms Foundation library/campus in Connecticut and the new Sydney Modern Project for the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia. SANAA, which is mentioned as maintaining a "remarkable clarity and consistency" throughout their work, is now the fifth Japanese winner. They were selected by RIBA President Muyiwa Oki, Bjarke Ingels, Lesley Lokko, and the dRMM co-founder Sadie Morgan. 

In their press statement, Sejima and Nishizawa said: "We are delighted and very honoured to receive the Royal Gold Medal. We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us to relate to our surroundings, nature and each other. Throughout our careers we have tried to make spaces that bring people together, inviting them to imagine new ways of living and learning collectively.  Architecture is always teamwork, and we are very grateful to everyone that has given us opportunities to develop these ideas over the years, and to all those people that have worked tirelessly with us to realise them."

Oki added his views that "their work serves as a lasting testament to the transformative power of architecture - to inspire joy, create a sense of belonging, and connect us to the environments we inhabit."

The honor follows an already impressive group of other awards that includes the 2010 Pritzker Prize. SANAA joins Lesley Lokko, Yasmeen Lari, and the late Balkrishna Doshi as the past four Royal Gold Medal winners and will be recognized during a public celebration in London on May 1st.