Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, renowned for designing the Cardboard Cathedral in New Zealand, has been awarded the 2026 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal.
Ban is the fourth Japanese architect to receive this prestigious honour from the AIA, joining Fumihiko Maki, Tadao Ando, and Kenzo Tange. This award is the highest distinction granted by the institute.
The AIA recognised Ban for his innovative use of unconventional materials, such as cardboard, and for his significant contributions as an educator.
Top: Shigeru Ban has won the AIA Gold Medal. Above: the Cardboard Cathedral is among his most celebrated works.
“Shigeru Ban revolutionized architecture with renewable materials like paper and timber, creating resilient, sustainable designs such as disaster shelters and the Cardboard Cathedral,” the AIA stated.
“A distinguishing feature of Ban’s practice is his groundbreaking use of simple, renewable materials, particularly paper and timber,” the citation added.
“As an educator for more than 30 years, he empowers students through hands-on projects, highlighting architecture’s capacity for sustainability and service.”
Ban is also the architect behind the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading architects, Ban was born in Tokyo in 1957. He later moved to the United States to study architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Cooper Union School of Architecture.
Ban returned to Japan in 1985 to establish Shigeru Ban Architects. Since then, he has designed numerous prominent buildings worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France and the Tamedia Office Building in Switzerland.
Earlier this year, Dezeen recognised the Cardboard Cathedral in New Zealand as the most significant building of 2013.
