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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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Kidnappers Took Loan With My Phone – Victim Recounts Ordeal

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A woman has shared a disturbing account of her abduction in Abuja, detailing how kidnappers allegedly exploited her personal information during captivity.

According to her, she was kidnapped while going home in a bus and kept blindfolded for two days as her captors demanded a ransom of ₦5 million from her family and friends.

She further alleged that while she was still in captivity, the abductors accessed her phone and used it to download a loan application.

With her ATM card and identification documents in her possession at the time, they reportedly secured a loan of ₦148,000 without her knowledge.

The victim said she remained unaware of the transaction throughout her ordeal, as she was blindfolded and focused on pleading for her life.

She revealed that when she later found out and wrote to the loan app, they insisted she must pay off the loan.

“I was kidnapped in a bus in Abuja. They blindfolded my eyes for two days. Even after asking for ransom of 5 million from my family and friends, they took a loan. They downloaded a loan app on my phone, and I always carry my ATM card and my ID cards in my bag, so they used it to up the loan app and took a loan of 148 thousand Naira. I didn’t even know about the loan all the time I was there cause I was blindfolded and just begging for my life….” she partly said.

 

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Man Ends His Marriage After Finding Photographs Of His Wife With Another Man While Browsing Google Maps

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A husband was left shocked and reportedly had to end his marriage after discovering photos of his wife with another man while using Google Maps.

The man was using Google Maps to plan a route before setting off on a journey when he noticed an image of his wife sitting on a bench, stroking the hair of another man whose head rested in her lap.

Captured by a Google camera vehicle in Lima, the Peruvian capital, the stunned husband said the photograph grabbed his attention because the woman pictured seemed to be wearing identical clothing to pieces his wife owned.

Although the photo dated back to 2013, the furious husband challenged his wife with proof of her previous betrayal.

The pair, whose identities remain anonymous, subsequently divorced after the woman confessed to having an affair.

In a twist of fate, she was photographed with her lover on a bench near the city’s Puente de los Suspiros de Barranco (Bridge of Sighs of the Ravine).

 

The husband recently posted the photographs on Facebook where they sparked considerable reaction amongst users.

One social media commenter, San Pateste, said: “What a small world it is… It would have been enough if she said to her husband that she did not love him any more.”

Guillermo Sanchez added: “Out of 100 women, 90 per cent are not loyal, the rest are loyal and only have one eye (hahaha) or are immortal (hahaha).”

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Explosion injures soldier, NSCDC personnel in Imo

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An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, explosion injured a soldier and a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.

A counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, made this disclosure on X.

Makama disclosed that the incident occurred at about 8:35am on March 18 during a joint operation by troops of 34 Artillery Brigade in the Orsu general area.

According to the source, the personnel were operating around a suspected hideout of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, when they stepped on a concealed pressure-activated IED.

It noted that the device detonated, leaving both operatives injured.

“They were immediately administered first aid and subsequently evacuated to a medical facility for further treatment.

“Operations are ongoing in the area to dismantle criminal hideouts and enhance safety,” the source said.

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