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Japanese studio SANAA honoured with RIBA Gold Medal for their ethereal, gravity-defying architecture

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Japanese architectural firm SANAA, led by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, has been awarded the prestigious RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.

Renowned for their ethereal, lightweight designs, SANAA (founded in 1995) has spent the past three decades redefining the boundaries of space and structure, creating buildings that appear to defy gravity.

Their projects are recognised for their extraordinary delicacy and minimalist approach – walls as thin as 16mm, steel beams as slender as 12mm, and concrete canopies that look like they could float away.

RIBA’s Gold Medal award, regarded as one of the most prestigious in the architectural field, adds to SANAA’s impressive list of honours, including the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2022 Praemium Imperiale for architecture, and the 2025 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand.

The Louvre Lens in France, designed by SANAA Credit: SANAA/LOUVRE-LENS

 

Other notable works over the course of their career include the Dior Omotesando Store in Japan (2003), featuring a transparent glass façade; the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan (2004), the Zollverein School of Design in Germany (2006), the 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, Grace Farms in the USA (2015), and Sydney Modern in Australia (2022).

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. London. Credit: SANAA/Nick Guttridge/VIEW

 

Interior of Zollverein School of Design in Essen, Germany. Credit: @athenawyller (Instagram)

 

The Sydney Modern Project by Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA. Credit: Iwan Baan/SANAA

 

Sejima (68) completed her master’s degree in architecture in 1981 at Japan Women’s University. After honing her skills under the mentorship of architect Toyo Ito, she set up her own firm, Kazuyo Sejima and Associates in 1987.

Nishizawa (58), a talented young architect who had also worked with Ito, was among her earliest hires. The firm quickly gained traction, with Sejima earning the prestigious Young Architect of the Year award from the Japanese Institute of Architects in 1992.

In 1995 the two architects joined forces to create SANAA, based in Tokyo.

Kazuyo Sejima (left) and Ryue Nishizawa, Royal Gold Medallist 2025 Credit: Aiko Suziki

 

“We are delighted and very honoured to receive the Royal Gold Medal. We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us to relate to our surroundings, nature and each other,” says Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

“Throughout our careers we have tried to make spaces that bring people together, inviting them to imagine new ways of living and learning collectively. Architecture is always teamwork and we are very grateful to everyone that has given us opportunities to develop these ideas over the years.”

Sejima and Nishizawa will receive the award in a ceremony taking place in London on 1 May 2025.

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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

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A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

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Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

Nigerian Man Seeks Wife Who Knows How To Cook Well With Firewood, Says His Mother Eats Only “Firewood Food”

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I Can Decide To Revoke The Land Allocated To Onitsha Main Market And Build A School On It” — Gov Soludo

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Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has warned that he has the power to revoke the land allocated to Onitsha Main Market and use it for public purposes, including building a school. According to Soludo, this action would be taken in the interest of the public and is backed by the Land Use Act.

The governor made this statement during a meeting with leaders of the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), emphasizing that the law empowers him to revoke market lands across the state for overriding public interest.

Soludo stated that the government could compensate original landowners and that affected parties could challenge the compensation amount in court, but not the revocation itself.

The governor’s warning comes amid tensions between the state government and market traders, with Soludo insisting on reopening the market despite a sit-at-home order imposed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

 

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