Archinect - News

Paris Olympic medalists are taking home a piece of the Eiffel Tower, too

2024-07-27T14:00:00-04:00

The 5,084 official medals to be conferred at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games all include pieces of iron removed from the Eiffel Tower during previous renovation work. The pieces are made by Chaumet. Each is about 85 millimeters or about 3.35 inches in diameter and includes an 18-gram chunk of iron positioned at its center.

The official Olympics website says: "On each medal, original iron from the Eiffel Tower was cut into a hexagon, the geometric shape that evokes France to the point of becoming its nickname. This symbol recalls the mobilisation of an entire country, beyond its capital, to offer historic Olympic and Paralympic Games. Without its usual ‘Eiffel Tower brown’ paint, the puddled iron has been left in its original colour. Placed in the centre and embossed with the emblem of the Paris 2024 Games, this piece of heritage fits elegantly among the gold, silver and bronze to give the medals a two-tone effect."

The Aga Khan to receive the 2017 Architectural League President's Medal

2017-05-15T21:05:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York awarded their 2017 President's Medal to the honorable Aga Khan, the League revealed in an announcement today. The President's Medal is the League's highest accolade bestowed to an individual in recognition of a distinct body of work in architecture, urbanism, art, or design.

Architectural League President Billie Tsien will present the award to the honorable Aga Khan during a dinner on May 18 in New York.

The Medal's notable roster of recipients include Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Ada Louise Huxtable, Richard Meier, Amanda M. Burden, Renzo Piano, Henry N. Cobb, artist Richard Serra, and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, among others.

Learn more on Bustler.

Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara named 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation architecture medalists

2017-03-08T15:20:00-05:00

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have well made their mark in designing highly acclaimed academic buildings around the world. Most recently, the Grafton Architects co-founders were named the recipients of the 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture, the University of Virginia's highest external honor. Medalists are recognized for their achievement in the fields of Architecture, Law, Citizen Leadership, and Global Innovation, all which U.S. president Thomas Jefferson highly regarded. Previous architecture medalists include Cecil Balmond and Toyo Ito.

Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Grafton Architects + Shell Arquitectos. Photo: Iwan Baan - Courtesy of Grafton Architects.

In UVA Today, University of Virginia School of Architecture dean Ila Berman acknowledged Farrell and McNamara for their outstanding architectural contributions to culture and education, as seen in projects like the highly acclaimed UTEC in Lima that won RIBA's inaugural International Prize and...

Ashton Raggatt McDougall wins 2016 Australian Gold Medal

2016-04-29T18:21:00-04:00

Stephen Ashton, Howard Raggatt, and Ian McDougall have left a lasting impression in the Australian contemporary architecture scene since they founded Ashton Raggatt McDougall in 1988. Since then, ARM has built projects that the Australian Institute of Architects describes as “some of the most extraordinary [if not sometimes controversial] buildings in the short post-colonial history of [the] country.”

ARM's contentious body of work recently earned them the 2016 Gold Medal in the Australian Achievement in Architecture Awards. Here's a glimpse of their work:

Photos by John Gollings.

Find out more on Bustler.

Dominique Perrault to receive 2015 Praemium Imperiale Arts Award for architecture

2015-09-10T14:50:00-04:00

Dominique Perrault is the 2015 architecture laureate for the prestigious Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, as announced by the Japan Art Association today. Bestowed by the Japan Art Association since 1988, the award celebrates the association's 100th anniversary and honors the late Prince Takamatsu, who was a patron for 58 years and had faithful commitment to the arts.

The Praemium Imperiale recognizes lifetime achievement in the arts, and its list of winners include 134 legendary cultural figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. The prize also comes with a cash prize of 15 milion yen (approx. US$122,000). As expected, the list of architecture laureates is of a high caliber, including Steven Holl, David Chipperfield, Henning Larsen, Ricardo Legorreta, Toyo Ito, Zaha Hadid, and Peter Zumthor, to name a few.

Alongside Perrault, the 2015 Praemium Imperiale laureates include four cultural figures: Japanese-born British pianist Mitsuko Uchida; French ballerina Sylvie Guillem, G...

Henry Cobb presented with 2015 Architectural League of NY President's Medal

2015-05-07T15:30:00-04:00

Over 300 guests gathered at New York's Metropolitan Club for the Architectural League of New York's 2015 President's Medal dinner to honor medal recipient Henry N. Cobb, a founding partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Bestowed by the League's President and Board of Directors as the organization's highest honor, the President's Medal recognizes a distinguished body of work in architecture, urbanism, art, or design. Architectural League President Billie Tsien, who also previously received the Medal, presented the award to Cobb.

Here's more about the event from the Architectural League.

2015 President's Medal Dinner. Photo: Fran Parente.

In presenting the award, Tsien remarked:

"'There’s a lovely moment that happens from time to time when you look at a person’s face and you can see exactly what they looked like as a child. It is fleeting, and it is very beautiful. Now, often that look happens when curiosity is sparked and with it a sense of wonder. I have been lucky enough to spend some ti...

2015 Alvar Aalto Medal awarded to Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano

2015-02-03T14:45:00-05:00

Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano of Spanish practice Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos were announced as the recipients of the 2015 Alvar Aalto Medal. First awarded in 1967 and designed by Alvar Aalto himself, The Alvar Aalto Medal is given to individuals in recognition for their significant architectural achievements. Nieto and Sobejano were announced as the winners of the twelfth Medal today during an Architecture Day seminar at Helsinki City Hall.

Previous winners include Portuguese architect Paulo David (2012) and Danish practice Tegnestuen Vandkunsten (2009).

Collaborators since the early 1980s, it's no question that Nieto and Sobejano have built up a diverse portfolio, although their most recognizable works are museums and galleries. In addition to running their 40-employee firm Nieto Sobejano Architects in Madrid and Berlin, both architects also lecture at the European University of Madrid and the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Nieto and Sobejano's work has been exhibited at...

Moshe Safdie to receive the 2015 AIA Gold Medal

2014-12-10T17:11:00-05:00

Moshe Safdie has been announced as the 2015 recipient of the AIA Gold Medal. Voted on annually, the AIA Gold Medal is regarded as the architecture profession's highest honor given to an individual. The medal honors an individual's exceptional body of work that has made a lasting impact on architectural practice and theory. Safdie will receive the Gold Medal during the 2015 AIA National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

These are a few of Safdie's works:

Habitat '67 for Montreal's 1967 World's Fair

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

The Salt Lake City Main Public Library in Salt Lake City, Utah

Read more on Bustler.

Steven Holl receives Praemium Imperiale International Arts medal for architecture

2014-10-15T14:49:00-04:00

Acclaimed architect Steven Holl received the Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award medal for architecture in a ceremony in Tokyo today. Japan's Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, formally presented the awards to each of the 2014 laureates. Created in 1988, the prestigious Praemium Imperiale recognizes lifetime achievement in the arts in categories that aren't covered by the Nobel Prize.

The 2014 laureates also include: South African playwright Athol Fugard, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, French painter Martial Raysse, and Italian sculptor Giuseppe Penone. The 2014 Grant for Young Artists (5 million yen, or US$50,000) was given to the Zinsou Foundation in Benin, West Africa.

Each recipient was presented with a specially designed gold medal, a testimonial letter from Prince Hitachi, and a cash prize of 15 milion yen (approx. US$150,000).

More details on Bustler.

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien presented with National Medal of Arts by President Obama

2014-07-30T21:04:00-04:00

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien were honored with the prestigious National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). As the highest award bestowed to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. federal government, the medal specially recognizes individuals or groups for their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the country.

President Barack Obama individually presented the medals to Williams, Tsien, and all the recipients during the recent awards ceremony at the White House in Washington D.C.

Read on for more info:

"Billie Tsien and Tod Williams [were acknowledged] for their contributions to architecture and arts education. Whether public or private, their deliberate and inspired designs have a profound effect on the lives of those who interact with them, and their teaching and spirit of service have inspired young people to pursue their passions"

The list of notable medal recipients also included:

Julia Alvarez, Noveli...

Recipients of the 2014 NCARB President’s Medal

2014-07-01T16:01:00-04:00

Six architectural professionals were recently honored with the NCARB President's Medal for Distinguished Service, the organization's highest award. The President's Medal acknowledges individuals for their commitment to the architectural profession and to the Council's mission of ensuring the public’s health, safety, and welfare through the regulation of licensure and credentialing standards.

Speaking of licensure, NCARB also made recent announcements of major proposals and reforms regarding licensure upon graduation as well as the Intern Development Program (IDP) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

RIBA Manser Medal 2014 Longlist for the Best New House in the UK

2014-06-24T16:58:00-04:00

The longlist is out for this year's RIBA Manser Medal for Best New House in the UK. Established in 2001 to honor former RIBA President and notable home designer Michael Manser CBE, the Manser Medal is awarded to the best new house design by a UK-based architect. This year's longlist showcases 23 UK-based private homes or major extension that exhibit innovation, sustainability, and style and were completed within the past year.

Check out a few of the longlisted projects below:

See the full list on Bustler.

I.M. Pei named as 2014 recipient of the UIA Gold Medal

2014-06-10T15:12:00-04:00

Ieoh Ming Pei, the now 97-year-old renowned Chinese-born American architect, was recently named the 2014 recipient of the prestigious International Union of Architects Gold Medal. The UIA Gold Medal honors an architect's life and work achievements in the course of more than 60 years and five continents in modern architecture history.

Best known as I.M. Pei, some of his most famous structures include the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the National Museum of Art in Washington, the Johnson Museum of Art in New York, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, to name a few.

He has received other prestigious accolades like the Pritzker Prize, the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as well as of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Pei will formally accept the Gold Medal on August 6 at an awards ceremony organized by the UIA World Congress of Architecture in Durban, South Africa.

Read more about Pei's legacy on Bustler.

Richard Serra is the first artist to receive the President's Medal from the Architectural League of New York

2014-04-23T17:44:00-04:00

Known for his large-scale sheet-metal sculptures, Richard Serra will be the first artist to receive the President's Medal from the Architectural League of New York. As the highest honor from the League, the Medal is presented by the organization's president and Board of Directors to an individual in recognition of a significant body of work in architecture, design, urbanism, or art.

Serra will formally receive the medal on May 6 during a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in New York. Emily Rauh Pulitzer (early Serra patron and Founder and Chairman of The Pulitzer Foundation) as well as architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi (designers of Seattleʼs Olympic Sculpture Park that features the major Serra work Wake) will be present at the event to give brief remarks on Serra and his work.

Here's more detail from the Architectural League:

"In presenting this award, the League honors Richard Serra for contributions his work makes to the way we think about space, viewer and object, site, an...

Toyo Ito to receive 2014 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture

2014-03-17T15:03:00-04:00

Renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito was recently named the recipient of the 2014 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture. Hosted by the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture, the annual award recognizes achievements in fields that Thomas Jefferson -- the 3rd U.S. president, author of the Declaration of Independence, and founder of UVA -- excelled in and highly regarded.

Ito will formally receive the medal on Friday, April 11, instead of the traditional date of Jefferson's birthday on April 13. He will also be speaking in a translated public talk at 3:30 p.m. in the UVA Old Cabell Hall Auditorium.

Here's more info about Toyo Ito:

"After studying architecture at the University of Tokyo, Ito worked in the office of prominent Japanese architect Kiyonori Kikutake until founding his own Tokyo-based office, Urban Robot, in 1971, later renamed Toyo Ito & Associates. Ito’s practice has completed a wide range of projects, from small-scale housing to seminal public works,...

PLANT Partners Receive Faculty of Engineering Team Alumni Achievement Medal

2012-11-23T11:34:00-05:00

PLANT partners Lisa Rapoport, Chris Pommer, and Mary Tremain have been awarded the 2012 Faculty of Engineering Team Alumni Achievement Medal from the University of Waterloo. The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 22 November 2012 at the annual Dean of Engineering Dinner in Waterloo, Ontario, where Dean Pearl Sullivan presented the medal to the team. Since 2005, this prestigious award has established a tangible recognition of the professional achievements, volunteer leadership, and research excellence of Waterloo Engineering alumni.

Rapoport, Pommer, and Tremain founded PLANT Architect Inc. in 1997, using their academic experience as a launching pad for their collaborative practice. Since that time, the partners have moved beyond architecture, branching into the domains of landscape, ecology, furniture, art, graphic design, and public space.

“We are thrilled to receive this award from the institution that set our careers in motion,” said PLANT partner Lisa Rapoport. “It is ...