The architect was recognized for embodying similar values as the award’s namesake, a tireless proponent of climate-adaptive design and public education.
The winner in the fourth cycle of the Chicago-based awards program triumphed over finalist projects located in Houston, Medellín, Vancouver, and beyond.
Heralded for his “subtle yet powerful, subdued yet elegant” work, the 52nd Pritzker laureate is the first British architect to be awarded the prize since Richard Rogers in 2007.
British-born Freear joined the design-build program at Auburn University in 2000, and has made scalable, low-cost housing solutions for impoverished rural communities a primary focus.
This year’s 16 winning projects include an early education center in Detroit by Marlon Blackwell Architects and a girls school in Rajasthan, India, by Diana Kellogg Architects.
Recognizing the best built work in the Americas completed between December 2018 and June 2021, the prize spotlights six projects including a Mexico City museum expansion and an earthen housing block in Paraguay.