Jacques Herzog

Jacques Herzog was born in Basel, Switzerland. Growing up in Basel, Herzog developed an early interest in the arts and architecture, influenced by the cultural history of his hometown. He was in the same primary school class as Pierre de Meuron, who would later become his long-term collaborator and business partner. He pursued his passion by enrolling for a degree in architecture at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), before continuing his studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich).

After receiving his degree in 1975, Herzog stayed at ETH Zurich working as ateaching assistant to Professor Dolf Schnebli. In 1978, Herzog and de Meuron established their practice Herzog & de Meuron in Basel.

Herzog & de Meuron gained international recognition for their ability to join refinement with pragmatism and urbanism. Their projects have been noted to respond to both the collective realm of the city and the needs of their clients. Among their early projects are the Ricola Storage Building in Laufen, Switzerland (1987), which showcased their approach to materiality and texture, and the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley, California, US (1998), where they employed local stone-filled gabions as a primary building material.

Their work on the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in London (2000) gained them an international reputation as architects. Further important commissions include the Allianz Arena in Munich (2005) and the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", for the 2008 Olympics.

Herzog & de Meuron's projects are noted for their diversity in both form and function, from cultural institutions and sports facilities to residential buildings and urban master plans. Their ability to adapt their design approach to the context of each project while maintaining a high level of architectural integrity has earned them numerous awards, including the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2001.