( CNN ) -- Seoul-born , 71-year-old Japanese architect Toyo Ito is this year 's recipient of the industry 's most coveted prize . On Monday , the architect was announced the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner , joining past Pritzker Laureates that include Frank Gehry , Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas . `` As I did not expect it , I felt really grateful and honored to be awarded the prize , '' Ito told CNN . In addition to his abstract , beautiful buildings , the Tokyo-based architect is also known for his extensive work on communal centers as part of the reconstruction in Japan following the 2011 tsunami . Ito , whose family ran a miso ( bean paste ) factory following his father 's early death when Ito was 12 , has said he was n't interested in architecture as a youth . He began taking an interest while attending the University of Tokyo . Throughout his career , Ito 's designs have been unusual , vivid and minimalistic -- from the aluminum house he designed for his sister to the Sendai Mediatheque in Miyagi , Japan , which he describes as his professional highlight . 20 of the world 's most iconic skyscrapers . The Pritzker committee jury raved about his lifework of defying standard distinctions . It will officially bestow its award at a ceremony in Boston on May 29 . Together with the 40 employees of his namesake firm , Toyo Ito & Associates , the architect is currently working on projects in Taiwan , Singapore and Japan . `` I travel 50 to 60 times per year for work , '' says Ito . `` I love any place where I work . '' At Princeton in 2009 , he lectured on the development of the grid system in architecture , pointing out that while the system allows for rapid construction , `` it also made the world 's cities homogenous '' and that `` it made the people living and working there homogenous , too . '' His design aesthetic is `` modifying the grid slightly '' so buildings can have closer relationships to their environment . `` Not fixing my style , I keep extending the possibilities of architecture , '' he told CNN . `` In other words , I would like to unbridle architecture from various restrictions and give it more freedom . '' The photo gallery above illustrates how Ito is changing and influencing landscapes of cities around the world . Where to see the buildings ( numbered per the gallery above ) 1 . Sendai Mediatheque , 2-1 Kasugamachi , Aoba-ku , Sendai , Miyagi , Japan ; +82 22 713 3171 ; open daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m. , closed every fourth Thursday ; www.smt.jp . 3 . Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre , Fukashi , Matsumoto , Nagano Prefecture , Japan ; +81 263 33 3800 ; www.mpac.jp . 7 . Tama Art University Library ( Hachioji campus ) , 2-1723 Yarimizu , Hachioji , Tokyo ; +81 42 676 8611 ; open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ; www.tamabi.ac.jp . 8 . Za-Koenji Public Theatre , 2-1-2 Koenji-Kita , Suginami-ku , Tokyo ; +81 3 3223 7300 ; za-koenji.jp . 9 . Main Stadium for 2009 World Games , No . 100 , ShÃ¬yÃ¹n Blvd , Zuoying District , Kaohsiung City , Taiwan ; +886 7 582 9000 ; open daily 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ; www.nssac.gov.tw . 10 . Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture , 2418 Urado , Omishima-machi , Imabari , Ehime , Japan ; +81 897 74 7220 ; open Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ; www.tima-imabari.jp .
Japan -born Japanese architect Ito wins highest prize for architecture . Toyo Ito oversaw reconstruction projects in Japan following the 2011 tsunami . His firm is currently working on projects in Singapore , Singapore and Japan .