Smiljan Radić Clarke wins the 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, widely regarded as the most prestigious honour in contemporary architecture, has named Chilean architect Smiljan Radić Clarke as its 2026 laureate. Renowned for his poetic and experimental design approach, Radić Clarke is the 55th recipient of the prize, following Liu Jiakun (2025), Riken Yamamoto (2024) and David Chipperfield (2023). This recognition celebrates an architectural practice shaped by empathy, experimentation and a unique sensitivity to the human experience.

The Pritzker Architecture Prize: architecture’s highest distinction

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, established in 1979, honours living architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, and commitment that has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment.

The 2026 jury praised Radić Clarke for his body of work, which embraces uncertainty, material experimentation and cultural memory. They noted that, although his buildings often appear fragile or temporary, they offer what they described as “structured, optimistic and quietly joyful shelter”.

Smiljan Radić Clarke: a quietly radical architect

Born in Santiago, Chile, Radić Clarke established his practice in 1995, developing a career characterised by an exploratory and deeply contextual approach to architecture. Rather than pursuing a signature visual style, he treats each project as a new investigation, shaped by the site, the local culture and the rhythms of daily life.

Reflecting on this philosophy, Radić Clarke describes architecture as existing between permanence and ephemerality:

“Architecture exists between large, massive, and enduring forms—structures that stand under the sun for centuries—and smaller, fragile constructions, fleeting as the life of a fly. Within this tension, we try to create experiences that carry emotional presence.”

This balance between solidity and fragility has become a defining characteristic of his architectural thinking.

A vision of architecture as emotional experience

The 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize recognises Radić Clarke’s ability to create buildings that are not simply visual objects but lived environments. His work often appears austere or incomplete at first glance, yet it reveals complex layers of meaning through spatial experience, light, and texture.

As the jury noted, his architecture invites people to slow down and reflect, encouraging a deeper awareness of the built world and our place within it.

With more than three decades of practice and projects spanning cultural institutions, homes, and installations across Europe and the Americas, Smiljan Radić Clarke continues to expand the boundaries of contemporary architecture—demonstrating how fragility, experimentation, and empathy can shape spaces that resonate long after they are built.