Chilean star architect accepts international Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development

This year’s prize winner, Alejandro Aravena, could be described as an international star architect, thanks to his spectacular projects all over the world. Having won the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2016, he can now add a further international prize to his trophy shelf.

Aravena believes that it will take more than just technical solutions to solve the challenges posed by urbanisation and growing exclusion. He points to the social process as a way forward, in which citizens, researchers, government and business come together to tackle these challenges.

The theme of the Gothenburg Award this year is sustainable architecture, and Aravena and his architect colleagues at the Elemental “do tank” have designed a series of successful projects in Chile and focused on creating homes that are within reach of the poorest in socio-economically vulnerable areas.

“The award for Aravena and Elemental can be seen as a signal that better technical solutions can only take us part of the way toward sustainability. It is also necessary to create awareness that leads to changes in people’s social patterns and attitudes, to create a world that our children and grandchildren can live in,” says Björn Siesjö, City Architect in Gothenburg and a member of the jury for the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable development.

On 22 November, Aravena and Elemental was in Gothenburg to receive the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development and a prize of SEK 1 million. During their stay in Sweden they took part in seminars, panel debates and lectures on the theme of collaboration with local stakeholders.

The jury was able to announce this year’s winner back in spring 2017 and justified its decision as follows:

“Mr Alejandro Aravena is an innovative Chilean architect who together with his colleagues in the Elemental ‘do tank’ applies a design philosophy including citizens as part of the solution and not part of the problem, creating bridges of trust between people, government and business. All three dimensions of sustainability are balanced in a participatory process: social, environmental and economic.

Mr Aravena, together with his colleagues in Elemental, argues that with the right design, sustainability is nothing but the rigorous use of common sense. The results are often simple solutions to the complex challenges.”

Read the full decision of the jury here.

About the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development:
The Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development is an international prize that is awarded to highlight contributions to sustainable development. The prize is awarded each year to individuals or organisations that make significant contributions to a more sustainable world. The prizewinners are important role models who have each turned words into action. The prize of SEK 1 million recognises the importance of this goal and what can be achieved in the battle for a brighter future.