Tate Modern architects scoop prestigous RIBA prize for their influence on cities and landscapes

Swiss architects Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron, famed for projects including Tate Modern, has won the royal gold medal. Jack Pringle, President of the RIBA made the announcement today.

The prestigious award is handed out once every year to the individual or group who have sent waves both within and outside of the architectural industry on an international scale. The award is personally approved by the Queen.

The award was given to Herzog & de Meuron in recognition of the impact they have made on cities and landscapes from their early work in Switzerland to their current work in Tokyo, Beijing and Barcelona.

Speaking today, Pringle, said: “I am delighted to announce Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron as this year’s recipients of the Royal Gold Medal. Their career has seen them move painlessly from being an experimental studio to a big practice without the work being diluted in any way. They reinvent everything with each new project and do it with such vigour. As teachers their influence on the current and future generations of architects is huge.”