An unofficial compass needle for the discipline, the Pritzker Prize has in recent editions swerved towards more diverse and peripheral narratives, reminding us that architecture need not be radical to improve people’s lives, nor sensationalist to draw attention. With offices in four cities on two continents, the practice of the new laureate, David Chipperfield, plays in the premier league of large corporations, but the British architect has always produced unflamboyant buildings that have little to do with it. Though scattered around the globe and often of a physical and symbolic importance that few have the opportunity to work with, his projects are earnest endeavors that uphold the community, carried out in deference to their contexts and using a serious, serene language. A civic attitude that shines through in Chipperfield’s buildings – especially in those which want to be inconspicuous – as well as in his foundation for the sustainable development of the Galicia he loves; and which the Nobel of architects celebrates as another swerve towards a new architecture.