SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture for Hitoshi Abe

Internationally Acclaimed Architect and Chair of the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Hitoshi Abe, wins the SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia

Hitoshi Abe

Hitoshi Abe, Chair of the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, has been awarded the second SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia. The SIA-Getz Architecture Prize seeks to bring recognition to Asian architects, who through their vision and commitment have made a significant contribution in shaping the changing landscape of Asia. The prize is awarded bi-annually in Singapore.

The SIA-Getz Architecture Prize aims to promote increased public involvement and appreciation of Asian architecture, to encourage future generations of Asian architects, and to honor a living architect’s remarkable career that is in progress. Over time, their hope is that this Prize will make a significant impact on innovative practices in architecture in Asia, and preserve its diverse cultural and ethnic identities. The Prize was established in 2006 and is comprised of a cash prize of US $30,000 and a medallion.

The Singapore Institute of Architects in partnership with Getz Bros Ltd. directed the award process. The award was presented to Hitoshi Abe at a ceremony in Singapore on Friday, October 24. Mr. Tai Lee Siang, SIA President and Mr. Ray Simkins, President Getz Bros & Co Inc. presided over the presentation. The Guest-of-Honor was Mr. Robert Tomlin, Chairman DesignSingapore Council.

The jury panel for the SIA-GETZ Architecture Prize, comprised of Will Alsop, Edmund Cheng, Philip Cox, Dr. Balkrishna V Doshi, Tai Lee Siang, and Alfred H. K. Wong, distinguished individuals and architects, published a statement regarding Hitoshi Abe: “With just about 20 years since graduation, Hitoshi Abe’s contribution and achievements…have been significant. It is Abe’s approach, his sensitivity to the environment and community, that he is selected as the laureate for the 2nd SIA-Getz Architecture Prize.”

Known for architecture that is spatially complex and structurally innovative, Hitoshi Abe has received numerous awards in Japan and internationally, including the 2007 World Architecture Award for M/Kanno Museum, the 2005 Good Design Award for Sasaki Office Factory for Prosthetics, the 2003 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Reihoku Community Hall, and the 2001 Building Contractors Society Award for Miyagi Stadium.

Principal of his own firm, Dr. Abe worked with Coop Himmelb(l)au in Los Angeles from 1988 –1992 before founding Atelier Hitoshi Abe in 1993 in Sendai, Japan. He recently opened a second office in Los Angeles, to work on a series of projects outside of Japan. Some of his key projects include the Aoba-tei restaurant, the Sasaki Office Factory for Prosthetics, F-town, which is an eat-and-drink building filled with bars and restaurants in Sendai, the Miyagi Stadium in Rifu, SSM/Kanno Museum in Shiogama, and the 9-tsubo House “Tall” in Kanagawa.  A monograph “Hitoshi Abe Flicker” (TOTO) accompanied an exhibition of his work at the Gallery MA in Tokyo in 2005. He is the subject of Phaidon Press’s new monograph “Hitoshi Abe” to be released in winter 2009.

Dr. Abe has a decade-long distinguished career as a leader in education, which began at the Tohoku Institute of Technology (Sendai, Japan) where he taught from 1994 to 2007. He was the Friedman Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. At Tohoku University, Dr. Abe served as professor in charge of the Architecture and Urban Design Laboratory and director of the Architectural Design Education Committee, where he established an international network of architectural training. Dr. Abe earned his Masters of Architecture from SCI-ARC in Los Angeles in 1988 and his Ph.D. from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan in 1993.  In 2007, he was appointed professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

Images: Atelier Hitoshi Abe