Archinect - News

Rowan Moore on the added significance of Grafton Architects' RIBA Royal Gold Medal win

2019-10-07T18:36:00-04:00

It is built into the value system of architecture – the ways in which it is taught, published, recognised and awarded – that the most desirable possible outcome of a career is to be a celebrated maker of singular objects, of buildings that can be admired as you would a painting or a symphony. [...] It’s a start that the prize is to Grafton Architects – that is to say, a whole practice – rather than its two principals alone.

Rowan Moore, the Observer’s architecture correspondent, applauds in his recent commentary the decision to award the next RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture to Irish practice Grafton Architects, a deserving team with female principals at the helm, rather than further perpetuating the glorified idol of the lone (overwhelmingly male) genius.

Grafton Architects team © Grafton

"[...] it would be no bad thing if the RIBA followed up on this year’s tap on its (doubtless beautifully designed) glass ceiling by honouring more architects who are both female and not wannabe Howard Roarks," Moore writes. "There is quite a queue of under-recognised women they could choose from."

Researchers look at why some workers avoid sharing information with colleagues

2019-07-24T13:13:00-04:00

Companies want employees to share what they know. After all, research has found that this leads to greater creativity, more innovation, and better performance, for individuals, teams, and organizations. Yet despite companies’ attempts to encourage knowledge-sharing, many employees withhold what they know — a phenomenon known as knowledge hoarding or knowledge hiding.

A team of researchers have been exploring the dynamics behind knowledge sharing in work environments. While this is something many leaders encourage, their study has found that sometimes individuals within a team have certain reasons for hiding knowledge that might be able to help the rest of the group, namely, the fear of criticism. When the work environment is one where team members clearly understand the value behind sharing their knowledge, they are more likely to do so. This has been found to be a more affected approach compared to pressuring a team to collaborate. When we see the meaning behind something we desire to capitalize on it.

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 ...

Archinect - News

Rowan Moore on the added significance of Grafton Architects​' RIBA Royal Gold Medal win

Researchers look at why some workers avoid sharing information with colleagues

PLANT Partners Receive Faculty of Engineering Team Alumni Achievement Medal

Rowan Moore on the added significance of Grafton Architects' RIBA Royal Gold Medal win