Five architecture studios selected for the "Louvre – New Renaissance"

SANAA. Kazuyo Sejima (Ibaraki, Japan, 1956) and Ryue Nishizawa (Kanagawa, Japan, 1966) worked independently from each other before founding the SANAA Ltd. studio in 1995. Having studied architecture at the Japan Women’s University, Sejima went on to work for the renowned architect Toyo Ito. She set up her studio in 1987 and in 1992 was proclaimed Young Architect of the Year in Japan. Nishizawa studied architecture at the Yokohama National University. In addition to his work with Sejima, he has had his practice since 1997.

The studio has built several extraordinarily successful commercial and institutional buildings, civic centres, homes and museums both in Japan and elsewhere. These include the O Museum in Nagano (1999) and the N Museum in Wakayama (1997), the Day-Care Center in Yokohama (2000), the Prada Beauty Store in Tokyo and Hong Kong (2001), the Issey Miyake and Christian Dior Building in Tokyo (2003) and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa (2004). Sejima also designed the famous Small House in Tokyo (2000), the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, Toledo, Ohio (2001-2006), the extension to the Institut Valencia d’Art Modern, Valencia, Spain (2002 – ), the Zollverein School, Essen, Germany (2003-2006), the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2003-2007) and the Novartis Campus WSJ-157 Office Building, Basle, Switzerland (2003 – ).

In 2004 Sejima and Nishizawa were awarded the Golden Lion at the 9th Venice Architecture Biennale for their distinguished work on the Metamorph exhibition.

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have won the 2010 Pritzker Prize.

The 12th International Architecture Exhibition was directed by Kazuyo Sejima, the first woman to direct the Venice Architecture Biennale, since its inception in 1980.

Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima. Kazuyo Sejima

Sou Fujimoto was born in Hokkaido, Japan, on August 4, 1971. He graduated in architecture from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering in 1994. He established his own architectural practice, Sou Fujimoto Architects, in Tokyo in 2000, and has been a professor at Kyoto University since 2007.

He came to international attention in 2005 when he won the renowned AR – International Architectural Review Awards in the Young Architect category, an award he received three consecutive years, the first in 2006.

In 2008, he won the JIA (Japan Institute of Architects) Award and the World Architecture Festival Award in the Private Houses section. In 2009, Wallpaper magazine awarded him its design award. Sou Fujimoto published "The Primitive Future" in 2008, one of the best-selling architectural books of that year. His architectural projects always seek new forms and spaces between nature and artifice.

Selldorf Architects. 65-person architectural design practice founded in New York in 1988 by Annabelle Selldorf. Selldorf Architects creates public and private spaces that manifest a clear, modern sensibility with lasting impact. The firm has particular expertise in creating architecture that enhances the art experience, having worked internationally on numerous museums, galleries, art foundations, and other cultural projects.

Past projects include the Neue Galerie in New York City, which, like the Frick, was originally designed in 1914 by Carrère and Hastings; the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA; LUMA Arles, a new contemporary art center in the South of France; and galleries for David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth, among others. Current projects include the expansion of the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego and the Swiss Institute in New York, which is scheduled to open in June 2018.

In addition to its work on cultural spaces, Selldorf Architects has developed high-profile residential and commercial projects and master plans for arts institutions. Their approach balances functionality and aesthetics, respecting each project's historical and environmental context. The firm is recognized for its meticulous attention to detail and commitment to sustainability.