Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel talks 'clone' architecture with the AJ

Why did the Pritzker jury pick you?
I won because I have a special profile, I hope. And because, in this world where generic buildings are the obsession, my attitude is to always research ‘specificity’. I create different buildings with different feelings of colour and techniques.

And I always have the same attitude – to research the best building in the right place at
this moment. For me, I have no preferable idea of what I will build – I work with the analysis of a lot of parameters – words, ideas and concept. Not the automatic repetition of habits.

Do you have a favourite building of your own?
No. I have no favourite. For me architects and cities are like people; they have different characters, some are fat, some are thin, some are gentle and some are very angry a lot of time. For me, all buildings are alive.

I like the differences; how do you prefer a social-housing building to a museum or a theatre?

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