NPR: Da Rocha Receives Pritzker Prize for Architecture [Real Player] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5331826 Humaniser of the modern megalopolis http://news.ft.com/cms/s/46c2c0e6-c97c-11da-94ca-0000779e2340.html The Pritzker Architecture Prize [pdf] http://www.pritzkerprize.com/ International Architecture Database http://www.archinform.net Chicago Architects Oral History Project [pdf] http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/caohp/ In the past few decades, architects have increasingly garnered attention from the mainstream media, and some have attracted quite a cult following, including such “starchitects” as Norman Foster and Frank Gehry. The best-known prize for outstanding achievement in this field of human endeavor is the Pritzker Prize, established in 1979 by the Hyatt Foundation. This week, the Foundation announced that this year’s honoree was Mendes da Rocha, a Brazilian architect known for his own creative interpretation of the brutalist style of architecture. While some may associate this style of architecture with the cold and seemingly distant works of Walter Netsch and others, the citation offered by the award committee noted that his work was “guided by a sense of responsibility toward the residents of his buildings and the broader society.” His work does show a great fondness for the use of concrete, as he has constructed stadiums, houses, and even a chapel of this sometimes harsh material. Commenting on the award, Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for The New York Times, remarked that “There’s a strain of brutalism in his work, but there’s also a sense of nature and the relationship between indoor and outdoor space, but he stayed true to those values all the way through.” This first link takes users to an article from this Tuesday’s Architectural Record about Rocha’s architectural vision and the Pritzker Prize. The second link leads to a piece from National Public Radio about Rocha’s architectural philosophy, offered by Edward Lifson. The third link will take users to an article from the Financial Times, which provides some material on how Rocha’s work interacts with changing sensibilities about contemporary urbanism. The fourth link leads to the homepage of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Here visitors can learn about the history of the award and read the complete citation for this year’s award. The fifth link leads to the rather tremendous and helpful International Architecture Database, which contains material on 14,000 different architectural projects. The final link leads to the homepage of the Chicago Architects Oral History Project at The Art Institute of Chicago. With a click of their mouse, visitors can read engaging interviews with such notable Windy City architects as Carter Manny, Bertrand Goldberg, and Stanley Tigerman.