The sudden and unexpected announcement of the Pritzker Prize yesterday evening sent shockwaves through the architecture world. With the sad death of the Prize's latest laureate Frei Otto on Monday, the Pritzker made the unprecedented decision to announce the winner two weeks early, ensuring that Otto's final, crowning achievement would make its way into the obituaries of this great man.
Of course, despite the sudden nature of the announcement, the many critics on Twitter were on hand to lend their initial thoughts in what was an interesting mix of congratulations, sadness and nostalgia. Read on after the break for all the reactions.
As you'd expect given the unfortunate circumstances there was really no negative criticism, however the congratulations from those such as Witold Rybczynski, The Observer's Rowan Moore and Architect Magazine's Deane Madsen seemed nonetheless sincere:
The late. great Frei Otto awarded Pritzker.
— Witold Rybczynski (@witoldr) March 10, 2015 Frei Otto receives a much-deserved Pritzker and then dies, aged 89.
— Rowan Moore (@RowanMoore) March 10, 2015 Others such as Alexandra Lange and Mimi Zeiger were less emotional, yet still offered their support for the selection:
Can't argue with that. #PritzkerPrize
— Alexandra Lange (@LangeAlexandra) March 10, 2015 for the record: Frei Otto. Safe choice. Like ordering crusted ahi in 2015.
— mimi zeiger (@loudpaper) March 10, 2015 The New York Times' Michael Kimmelman, in addition to expressing his support and sadness, added one more accolade to Otto's oeuvre - a comparison to a certain Buckminster Fuller:
Glad Frei Otto gets the @PritzkerPrize; so sad about the circumstance. An inspiration to many architects, a singular figure like Fuller.
— Michael Kimmelman (@kimmelman) March 10, 2015 Kimmelman also backed up The New York Times' assertion that "prominent architects had quietly pushed for him to receive the award for years," by name dropping Renzo Piano and Shigeru Ban:
Renzo Piano told me he had pushed for Frei for years. Shigeru Ban may have been an advocate too.
— Michael Kimmelman (@kimmelman) March 10, 2015 Others took the opportunity to discuss Otto's legacy. Both New York Magazine's Justin Davidson and The Guardian's Oliver Wainwright drew comparisons to BIG and Heatherwick Studio's recently released designs for Google's new headquarters - with Wainwright suggesting that this is perhaps not the legacy Otto deserved:
2/27: BIG & Heatherwick's Google tent reminds world of Frei Otto (is he still alive?) 3/9: Frei Otto dies 3/10: wait, he won a Pritzker!
— Justin Davidson (@JDavidsonNYC) March 10, 2015 So sad to hear about Frei Otto. Was it seeing his legacy in the Ingelswick Google tents that finally did for him? pic.twitter.com/HRqzWLZBmi
— Olly Wainwright (@ollywainwright) March 10, 2015 However, in a conversation between himself and Alexandra Lange, Fred Scharmen seemed to question whether we should be so dismissive of work that follows in Frei Otto's footsteps:
Why is 'retrofuturistic' so often a pejorative? Frei Otto's life work shows that the future is an unfinished project.
— Fred Scharmen (@sevensixfive) March 10, 2015 @LangeAlexandra it's still new. Looking back at some of that, just now, it's shockingly new.
— Fred Scharmen (@sevensixfive) March 10, 2015 Other critics took the opportunity to share their past coverage of Otto, with Justin McGuirk sharing a profile written after Otto's RIBA Gold Medal win ten years ago, and Tom Dyckhoff sharing his Culture Show episode on tents in which Otto was heavily featured (both of these are well worth your time):
"The secret of the future is not doing too much.” The #Pritzker made me dig up my ancient Frei Otto profile. http://t.co/xrtZATV1xX
— Justin McGuirk (@justinmcguirk) March 10, 2015 The gt #freiotto has won #PritzkerPrize I interviewed him last summer for my BBC doc on tent architecture: 11mins in https://t.co/b8rFbYIdEn
— Tom Dyckhoff (@tomdyckhoff) March 10, 2015 And finally, The Pritzker Prize itself used Twitter to share tributes from individual members of its jury:
"Frei Otto's contribution to the field of architecture has been not only skilled & talented, but a generous one." Alejandro Aravena
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "Frei Otto's work brings forth emotions of joy, curiosity, admiration, a wish to imitate and further develop." Benedetta Taglieabue
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "The lifelong work of Frei Otto will continue to have a profound international influence on the thinking and work of architects." G.Murcutt
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "Frei Otto was a pioneer for embracing new technologies, materials & structural systems and bringing them into architecture" Yung Ho Chang
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "Frei Otto was a genius and one of the most influential architects and visionary spirits of the 20th C." Kristin Feireiss, Pritkzer juror
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "To speak to architects about Frei Otto is to learn of the great influence that he has had, as a teacher and model.." Justice Stephen Breyer
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "Frei Otto's deep influence is not as forms that were copied but as paths that were opened by his research and discoveries"Alejandro Aravena
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 "The strong feelings that the work of 2015 Pritzker winner constantly evokes can be a beacon for us all." Benedetta Tagliabue
— Pritzker Prize (@PritzkerPrize) March 10, 2015 
