Pritzer Awards Japanese Eco-Architect Shigeru Ban

"Cardboard Cathedral" in Christchurch New Zealand

Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban has been deemed the Rumpelstiskin of building design and that title earned him arguably the most prestigious award in architecture. He is the recipient of this year's Pritzer Prize. It was noted by the judges that they highly recognized his decades long contributions to natural disaster relief. He has been known to use matierials such as the cardboard in the structure above built after the devastating quakes in Christchurch New Zealand and the school below built after the 2008 Sichuan quakes killed almost 70,000 people. These purpose built structures have become permanent in some areas as the people of different regions embrace the architectural endeavors as symbols of a new future after the devastation caused by tsunamis, earthquakes, and landslides to name a few. Ban served as a juror for the prestigious prize and is the second Japanese architect in a row to win.

Chengdu temporary classroom built by Ban
Images courtesy of CNN.com

The Coolest Buildings In America 2014

11 architectural projects have been selected to receive The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2014 Honor Awards. Much consideration goes into the selection process for the multitude of categories they recognize.

The Institute Honor Awards program recognizes achievements for a broad range of architectural activity in order to elevate the general quality of architectural practice, to establish a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and to inform the public expectations for architectural practice, its breadth, and its value.
-AIA

They all deserve their own trips where you can travel to the unique destinations of each building that was honored. Here are our top 3 choices of what have been deemed The Coolest Buildings in America:

Seattle King Street Station. Originally completed in 1906 and used for over 60 years by Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways.
Fun Fact: It was purchased by the City of Seattle for $10!

The Los Angeles Holocaust Museum is free for everyone because founding survivors felt money shouldn't be a barrier to getting a part of crucial history.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden was formerly an ash dump and in 1897 was commissioned to be an urban garden for the growing borough to enjoy.

Watch the entire video via CNN.com here.

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