"What I would like to highlight today is the example that Glenn Murcutt represents with his approach to the profession, an absolutely unique and exemplary approach in our times. Glenn has a very small studio, works almost entirely alone, has no secretary, and if we were to call his studio now, no one would answer the phone. A voicemail would inform us that the architect is absent and that we should kindly send a fax. Glenn doesn’t have a website, doesn’t use email, and doesn’t have a mobile phone; all the organization of this conference, his trip, and his role as a judge for this year’s Premio Década, was handled via faxes—faxes that we sent and that he returned to us with handwritten notes. Glenn insists that if he had email, he would have to deal with at least 100 messages every day, and he doesn’t have time for such things; he needs his time to design. I don’t believe there is another famous architect today who enjoys the priceless luxury of spending so much time at the drawing board (and I mean literally on the drawing board, as Glenn also doesn’t use a computer and draws everything by hand). When we informed Glenn that the press had requested a DVD or printed dossier about his work, he told us that he didn’t have anything like that, and that we might find some information on the Pritzker Prize website. When we asked him what format he would use to bring his images, whether it would be in PowerPoint or another software, he replied no, that he would use traditional slides, and asked if we could provide some carousels for that purpose.

◻️ I share these anecdotes because they are so revealing, because Glenn’s splendid architecture is inseparable from the organization of his studio, and more than that, it is inseparable from his way of life. Glenn’s enormous merit lies in the fact that he is showing us that another type of professional activity is possible. In times when it seems that any reputable architect must have a studio with at least a hundred professionals, must sacrifice much of its time to promotion and marketing, must travel constantly in its private jet, pretending to control its works around the world, and must intrigue in the highest circles to build something in Ground Zero... the example of Murcutt is incredibly refreshing. Glenn’s way of working and living might not have seemed so surprising years ago; it might not have astonished José Antonio Coderch, a figure much admired by both of us (Murcutt, like Coderch, survives by making his clients wait as long as necessary until he has the time that his projects deserve: Glenn’s waiting list at the moment is four years). It might not have surprised people in Coderch’s time, but today, this way of doing things seems romantically quaint. What makes Glenn Murcutt irreplaceable is that he is proving, day by day, that not only is an alternative professional path possible, but that with it, one can win the most prestigious architectural award in the world. And I must emphasize that the awarding of the Pritzker Prize to a marginal figure like Glenn Murcutt did not only enhance the architect’s reputation but, above all, it enhanced the reputation of the Prize.

◻️ For all of the above, I would like to express our immense satisfaction and gratitude for having this exemplary architect as a juror for the Premio Década 1996-2006 and for being able to listen to him today as he explains his work and the principles on which it is based."

Oscar Tusquets Blanca

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Jury report for the Premio Década 2006 (Works completed in 1996)

"The winning entry, I’m happy to announce, is the house designed by Mr. Carlos Ferrater and Joan Gibernau, for Mr. Jordi Triginer, located in Vallvidrera.

▪️ Most architecture awards honour the authors and their works within one year of the completion of construction.

▪️ The Oscar Tusquets Blanca Premio Década reminds us that wonderful architecture remains relevant through time even when fashions run their course. This award provides us with a window beyond the immediate.

▪️ The vernacular town and villages or Europe, the works of architects like Gaudí, Coderch, Barragan, Chareau, Aalto, Lewerentz, Corbusier, Fehn and others, continue to hold our attention with their works being completed long ago.

▪️ The great architect Luis Barragan said “any work of architecture that is designed without serenity in mind is in my view a mistake and when serenity possesses joy it is ultimate”.

▪️ The winning project in this case fulfils Barragan’s words.

▪️ In reviewing the 2006 Década submissions I considered what I refer to as “the ings of things” related to each building type such as siting, responding, observing, designing, planning, orienting, conserving, proportioning, assembling, lighting, venting, heating, cooling, insulating, constructing, completing - arriving, entering, experiencing, living, celebrating, entertaining, preparing, cooking, participating, communicating, departing - sleeping,  awakening, bathing, dressing, and the many other such “ings of things” that make up daily experiences and living.

▪️ This house is located with commanding views over Barcelona with the flexible courtyard and deck spaces oriented to capitalise on this special outlook and enjoy the summer breezes. The architect has established a platform at level two containing the main living spaces that make the solution appear simple on this most complex steep site, however we know that simplicity is the other face of complexity! The internal spaces weave effortlessly with the external landscaped and timber slatted sun screened areas.

▪️ This building addresses the climatic conditions responding to the seasonal variations, allowing for the inclusion of natural light, sunshine, ventilation, heating and cooling.

▪️ The materials used have been responsibly selected, including wood for the  structure, flooring, wall and ceiling linings and largely addressing many of the ecological issues facing our profession today.

▪️ Mies van der Rohe said that “with every good building there was a very good client”.

▪️ The commissioning client Mr. Jordi Triginer has lovingly cared for his building and its environment for 10 years without making alterations. The furniture and furnishings are fully integrated with the architecture, something we architects find not always achievable.

▪️ This is a modern work that is standing the test of time, it is serene, rational and worthy of the 2006 Premio Década 2006.

Glenn Murcutt

Barcelona, May 2006

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{Photographs of the award ceremony by Rafael Vargas}