Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture for 2010.

The pair, who together own the SANAA architectural firm, were selected largely due to their design work on two museum projects - the O-Museum in Nagano, Japan and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan.

In a statement announcing the winners, the jury said: "The buildings by Sejima and Nishizawa have been deceptively simple. They hold a vision of a building as a seamless whole, where the physical presence retreats and forms a sensuous background for people, objects, activities and landscapes.

"Each building is ultimately a work that comes from the union of their two minds. Together they have produced major commissions, such as the O-Museum in Nagano and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art."

It is only the fourth time Japanese architects have been honoured with the prize during the award's 31-year history.

Image: the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan.