Herzog y de Meuron

The Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron add another award to their long list of achievements: after receiving the Pritzker Prize in 2004, and the RIBA?Gold Medal and the Praemium Imperiale in 2007, they have been presented in 2008 with the Grande Médaille d’Or de l’Académie d’Architecture. This recognition comes as no surprise: their fertile career is based on constant innovation and wise choices. This year has also been especially productive in terms of works and projects: the opening of the Olympic Games was held at their Beijing Stadium, also known as ‘the bird’s nest’, an oneiric volume illuminated by fireworks; some weeks before they had presented their project for the new Tate Modern extension, a large brick pyramid on the shores of the River Thames, and in fall they revealed the new ‘Project Triangle’ for Paris, a 180-meter tall tower for a city that had banned skyscrapers from its center for over three decades. Finally, in the Canary Islands, the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA) and the Plaza de España were inaugurated in winter, two projects that underline the value of public space.