Glenn Murcutt, 2002 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, will speak inside the Paul B. Sogg architecture building on the UNLV campus at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 16 as part of the Klai Juba Lecture Series. The evening, which begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.

An Australian architect, Murcutt works as a sole practitioner, primarily designing environmentally sensitive modernist houses that respond to their surroundings and climate, as well as being scrupulously energy conscious. Murcutt lives and has his office in Sydney, but travels the world teaching and lecturing to university students.

In announcing the winner of the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Thomas J. Pritzker, president of The Hyatt Foundation, said, "Glenn Murcutt is a stark contrast to most of the highly visible architects of the day -- his works are not large scale, the materials he works with, such as corrugated iron, are quite ordinary, certainly not luxurious; and he works alone. He acknowledges that his modernist inspiration has its roots in the work of Mies van der Rohe, but the Nordic tradition of Aalto, the Australian wool shed, and many other architects and designers such as Chareau, have been important to him as well. Add in the fact that all his designs are tempered by the land and climate of his native Australia, and you have the uniqueness that the jury has chosen to celebrate. While his primary focus is on houses, one of his public buildings completed in 1999, the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre, has achieved acclaim as well, critics calling it 'a masterwork.'"

Pritzker Prize jury chairman, J. Carter Brown, commented, "Glenn Murcutt occupies a unique place in today's architectural firmament. In an age obsessed with celebrity, the glitz of our 'starchitects,' backed by large staffs and copious public relations support, dominate the headlines. As a total contrast, our laureate works in a one-person office on the other side of the world from much of the architectural attention, yet has a waiting list of clients, so intent is he to give each project his personal best. He is an innovative architectural technician who is capable of turning his sensitivity to the environment and to locality into forthright, totally honest, non-showy works of art. Bravo!"

For more information, please call 895-3031.