When French starchitect Jean Nouvel was named the winner of this year's Pritzker Prize last night, the award didn't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen his showcase buildings — like the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, or his designs for the tower to be built next to MoMA. And it won't come as any surprise to the residents of 40 Mercer, Nouvel's gorgeous downtown apartment building, which New York profiled back in May. Check it out to see what all the fuss is about; we especially like the Mondrian-inspired windows.

French Architect Wins Pritzker Prize [NYT]
The Next Dakota [NYM]