A new jury for the Pritzker

The Pritzker Prize is the Nobel equivalent for Architecture. It honors “a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture”.

Past laureates include Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Ghery, Zaha Hadid, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Thom Mayne, Jean Nouvel, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Alvaro Siza… and a long list of prominent architects that you might already know.

But also, we find a selected group of architects in the jury during the past: Shigeru Ban, Renzo Piano, Carlos Jiménez, Charles Correa, Jorge Silvetti, among others.

As of 2008, the jury was: Lord Peter Palumbo (Chair, 2005-present), Shigeru Ban (2006-present), Rolf Fehlbaum (2004-present), Carlos Jimenez (2001-present), Victoria Newhouse (2005-present), Renzo Piano (2006-present), Karen Stein (2004-present), Martha Thorne (Executive Director,  2005-present).

And now, we just got the news that Alejandro Aravena (previously featured on ArchDaily) was appointed as jury of the Pritzker Prize. I think that the inclusion of a young architect that is very into the social aspect of architecture can open the scope of this important award.

We´ll have to wait until March, 2009 to see the next awarded architect. Any bets?