Archinect - News

Kate Orff named 2025 Tau Sigma Delta Gold Medal winner

2024-10-25T17:01:00-04:00

SCAPE founder Kate Orff has been named as the Tau Sigma Delta 2025 Gold Medal winner by the Grand Chapter of the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society for Architecture and Allied Arts in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).

Orff, who in April of last year was named as a 'TIME 100' honoree, was described as a "leading voice in landscape architecture." She will next deliver the closing keynote address at the ACSA’s 113th annual conference, which takes place from March 20-22, 2025 in New Orleans. The firm has recently been announced as the lead for a major adaptive reuse redevelopment project in Connecticut in addition to landing two Honor Awards selection at the 2024 ASLA Professional Awards in September.

London's new Elizabeth Line project wins the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize

2024-10-16T17:00:00-04:00

The 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize — the annual honor of the UK's best new architecture — has been conferred to the London Underground system's new Elizabeth Line designs from Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis.

The official jury citation mentions ten separate Underground stations and their "platform architecture, passenger tunnels, escalators, station concourses, signage, furniture, fittings, finishes and supporting technology" as the fundaments of the "intuitive, frictionless experience" offered by it to the capital's transit users.

The Elizabeth Line, London Underground, by Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation, and AtkinsRéalis. Image: Hufton + Crow

The new Crossrail, which was renamed to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II, was inaugurated in May of 2022 after a massive $25 billion infrastructure investment and covers a large swath of Central London while connecting to the Great Western Main Line and Great Eastern Main Line of the National Rail.

The Elizabeth Line, London Underground,...

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is the 2023 ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development laureate

2023-12-14T18:03:00-05:00

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has today announced Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as its selection for the 2023 ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, one of the industry’s leading honors for community building and development worldwide.

“La Dauphine,” as she is better known to the press, has spearheaded a renowned program of green investments in the French capital while simultaneously embarking on initiatives aimed at pedestrianization and alleviating urban heat islands, among other key policy drives which have made her into a leading figure in the international movement towards ‘15-minute cities,’ housing justice, and better healthy buildings policies.

“Mayor Hidalgo’s leadership throughout two decades of public service has not only made Paris a healthier, more inclusive, and more livable city today but has also transformed the way other cities think about the possibilities of tomorrow,” Diane Hoskins, ULI Global Chair and the co-CEO of Gensler, said of her accomplishments. “He...

Niall McLaughlin Architects wins the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize for The New Library, Magdalene College

2022-10-13T16:17:00-04:00

Niall McLaughlin Architects has been awarded the 2022 Stirling Prize by the RIBA. Given each year to the UK’s best new building, the winning scheme was unveiled at an event at RIBA headquarters in London. The firm was awarded the prize for their The New Library, Magdalene College — the first college to win the Stirling Prize.

The new library, open 24 hours a day, incorporates an archive and an art gallery to become a new node in the 700-year-old campus. The library replaces the "cramped study spaces" of an adjacent 17th-century library and extends the campus' quadrangular arrangement of buildings and courts that have gradually developed from the historic college site.

Photo © Nick Kane

"A brief to create a college library with a lifespan of 400 years — to replace a library gifted to Magdalene by Samuel Pepys 300 years previously — is no small task," RIBA shared. "Niall McLaughlin Architects have certainly risen to the challenge with this deft and inspiring temple to learning."

Photo ...

Renée Gailhoustet takes home the 2022 Royal Academy Architecture Prize

2022-05-31T12:42:00-04:00

Renée Gailhoustet has been named the winner of this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Prize in recognition of her work surrounding urban planning and social housing in her native country of France.

The jury commended Gailhoustet for her “strong social commitment that brings together generosity, beauty, ecology, and inclusivity.” The 92-year-old’s breadth of significant works spans from early projects such as the master plan of Ivry-sur-Seine, which includes the Cité Spinoza housing complex completed in 1972, to the La Maladrerie development in Aubervilliers, and, finally, the Le Liégat, where the architect has resided since its completion in 1977.

Ivry-sur-Seine. Image: © Marc Pataut

“By using innovative geometries and mixing uses in her buildings, Gailhoustet has created a compelling argument for blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, and, collective and individual,” part of the jury statement explains.

Within the long and storied history of social housing i...

The 2022 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers winners examine the foundations of design

2022-05-04T11:00:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York has announced the winners of the 41st edition of its annual Prize for Young Architects + Designers portfolio competition. Each contestant is an early-career architect with no more than ten years out of a B.Arch or Master’s program. The 2022 winners now join a list of prestigious past awardees that includes names like Steven Holl and Meejin Yoon.

The theme for this year’s cycle is called “Grounding” and challenged entrants to “reflect on the substance of design’s foundations.” The League defined Grounding as a process of “making vital connections to what is already there materially, socially, and otherwise [while] contending with placeless, pervasive processes” and hoped to find an answer to a trio of questions: How do young architects tether their work and practices to the grounds upon which they design? How can designers respond to both the particularities of location and the ubiquity of global forces? And, what are intentional approaches to and...

Forensic Architecture has been named a 2022 Peabody Award winner

2022-03-30T18:30:00-04:00

The activist community can rejoice today on the news that groundbreaking London-based collective Forensic Architecture (FA) has been given an Institutional Peabody Award for its continued public service and contributions to electronic media.

The group was cited for their work documenting the use of Israeli spyware called Pegasus, the ongoing exhibition Cloud Studies, and myriad investigations into police brutality, war crimes, surveillance culture, environmental racism, and the illegal occupation of Palestine.

FA’s use of various forms of data, 3D visualization technology, photogrammetry, lidar, and citizen videos was likewise commended for its innovation and incorporation into what the awards jury deemed “sophisticated architectural techniques.”

The twelve-year-old group founded by Israeli academic Eyal Weizman is coming off of another banner year in which its pursu...

James Florio receives 2022 Julius Shulman Excellence in Photography Award

2022-03-28T17:59:00-04:00

Woodbury University's Julius Shulman Institute (JSI) has acted as an important bridge that connects the general public with the disciplines of architecture and photography. For this year's 2022 edition, the JSI presents James Florio with the prestigious Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award.

Florio's photographic works capture the intimate details of the built environment in nature and within cityscapes. Many of his past works and projects document how time, nature, and climate impact architecture and landscapes. While the photographs shown here primarily highlight his latest work with Ensamble Studio, other projects such as the Cervantes Theatre, Exeter Library, and Gio Ponti Denver Art Museum exhibit Florio's eye for investigating structure, materials, texture, and shadow from a macro to micro-scale.

Beartooth Portal in the snow. Image © James Florio/Courtesy of The Julius Shulman Institute.

Close-up of concrete fold from a project by Ensamble Studio. Image © Pho...

David Adjaye has been named as the first recipient of the Charlotte Perriand Award

2022-02-10T10:05:00-05:00

A new honor has its inaugural winner after the international Créateurs Design Awards (CDA) announced Sir David Adjaye as the recipient of the first-ever Charlotte Perriand Award.

The award goes in recognition of a living architect whose career achievements thus far have paralleled that of its namesake in their trailblazing contributions to shelter design in the industry.

Perriand was an influential figure in the world of residential building, championing the accessibility of design and the notion that quality designers can vastly improve the lives of ordinary people.

Sir David shared that she is a lifelong influence on his work, and one whose thinking and philosophy has expressions in his own designs for the Sugar Hill Development and Asem Pa project in New Orleans.

“She was really expansive in thinking about what the profession could be and und...

Three architects selected as Construction Canada's 2021 Emerging Leader Awards' Winners

2021-12-16T10:55:00-05:00

The winners of Construction Canada’s 3rd annual Emerging Leader Awards were announced at the Buildings Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on December 1, 2021. The awards, presented by Engineered Assemblies, honour members of the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) community who demonstrate excellence, impress and inspire their co-workers, and are well on their way to becoming the next leaders in the profession.

Three architects were selected as Construction Canada's 2021 Emerging Leader Awards' Winners.

Dr. Henry Tsang, Ph.D., OAQ, MRAIC, LEED GA, WELL AP, is principal at Henry Tsang Architect and assistant professor at RAIC Centre for Architecture, Athabasca University, Alberta. Henry was awarded two awards including the Leadership Award and the best overall Jury's Choice Award.

Samuel Oboh, FAIA, FRAIC, is principal/vice-president, region 3, at Ensight+ Architecture Inc., Edmonton, Alberta. Samuel was awarded the Industry Contribution Award.

Elisia Neves, OAA, MRAIC, B.A.Sc. (Honours), M.Arch, is the founder and CEO of Fabrik Architects Inc., Cambridge, Ontario. Elisia was awarded the Community Contribution Award.

Balkrishna Doshi awarded the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the RIBA

2021-12-09T15:32:00-05:00

Renowned Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi has been announced as the recipient of the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the RIBA, one of the highest architectural honors in the world. By receiving the award, Doshi joins past winners including Sir David Adjaye (2021), Grafton Architects (2020), and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw (2019). Doshi is also the 2018 recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

RIBA President Simon Alford described Doshi as an individual who was “influenced generations of architects through his delightfully purposeful architecture.” The ninety-four-year-old architect has seen over 100 built projects throughout his 70-year career, influencing the direction of architecture in India and adjacent regions through both his practice and teaching.

Aranya Low-Cost Housing, Indore, India. Photographer: John Panicker (c) Vastushilpa Foundation

Born in 1927 in Pune, India, Doshi studied at the J J School of Architecture, Bombay, before working for four years with Le Corbusier as Seni...

Theaster Gates has been awarded the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts

2021-09-14T15:27:00-04:00

Artist, educator, and urban planner Theaster Gates has been awarded the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts by the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation.

The 55,000 Euro ($65,000 USD) prize, awarded every two years by the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna, recognizes outstanding achievement in architecture and the arts that relate to artist, designer, set designer, and architect Frederick Kiesler’s experimental and innovative approach to the arts.

“Spatial platforms that highlight the contributions of Black artists and designers have been long overlooked,” says Theaster Gates. “Projects that consider people as much as they consider the implications of the built form deserve merit. I’m so grateful to be part of this precedent and honored that the selection committee would acknowledge my practice as part of the amazing work by luminaries who have received this award in the past. I’m thankful to all who have supported my practice both wi...

Glenn Murcutt named 2021 Praemium Imperiale laureate for architecture

2021-09-14T11:57:00-04:00

Glenn Murcutt has been named the 2021 Praemium Imperiale laureate for architecture by the Japan Art Association, making him the first Australian to be awarded the honor. Announcing the achievement, the Japan Art Association described Murcutt as “an architect ahead of his time; an architect who has spent his career creating modest, environmentally responsible buildings rooted in the climate and tradition of his native Australia.”

Marie Short House. Courtesy Architecture Foundation Australia.

“The Praemium Imperiale is a wonderful cultural gift to the arts, internationally,” Murcutt commented on his selection. “Being a 2021 recipient took me by complete surprise. It is simply wonderful for me, but especially for the profession of architecture in Australia. Even at 85, such an award encourages me to continue working for as long as I am able.”

Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Art Centre, 1999 New South Wales, Australia. Photo: Anthony Browell. Courtesy of TOTO Publishing

Murcutt entered private pr...

The 2021 Isamu Noguchi Award goes to artist Shio Kusaka and architect Toshiko Mori

2021-08-24T15:14:00-04:00

Each year, the Isamu Noguchi Award honors and recognizes the work of individuals who "embody global consciousness, design innovation, and emphasis on cultural exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures." This year's 2021 award will be presented to artist Shio Kusaka and architect Toshiko Mori.

Both women, born in Japan and practicing in the United States, have had illustrious careers where their work and contribution to art, design, and architecture positions them as leaders in their respective fields.

Artist Shio Kusaka

Ceramic work by Shio Kusaka. Image courtesy of Shio Kusaka (via @kusakashio)

A row of Shio Kusaka's ceramic animals on top of the built-in bookcase at the Richard Neutra-designed VDL House in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Shio Kusaka (@kusakashio)

Born in Morioka, Japan, Kusaka received her BFA from the University of Washington, Seattle, and lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on innovative and gracefully playful approaches to the ceramic medium. ...

Walter Hood, a 'contemporary prophet of landscape and public space,' is awarded the Architectural League 2021 President's Medal

2021-08-04T09:00:00-04:00

There is much to reflect on when thinking of Walter Hood's illustrious career. Hood started his design practice in 1992 after he graduated from UC Berkley where he received his Master's in Landscape Architecture. Since then, his commitment to merging architecture, art, and urbanism has led him to become one of the most prolific landscape architects for social change and spatial equity.

Early this July, Archinect contributing writer Rukshan Vathupola conducted an in-depth interview with Hood. In his piece, Othering Blackness in Design: Reflections with Walter Hood, Vathupola crafted a discussion that highlighted Hood not only as a practitioner but as an individual who challenges the perception of landscape architecture, design, and urbanism as a cultural practice.

View overlooking the Walter Hood-designed New de Young Museum gardens in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Image taken from the 9th-floor observation deck. Image © Mandy Sui Ta via Instagram/Courtesy of @deyoungmuseum

The hi...

A duo of school designs helps Berliner Architects stand out at the 2021 WUF Design Awards

2021-07-16T08:30:00-04:00

Two Los Angeles-area school projects by Berliner Architects have been recognized by the Westside Urban Forum’s annual Design Awards.

The Culver City-based studio was honored for its designs of an after-school community center and a new charter school campus in the city’s Crenshaw neighborhood.

Schools and related community organizations have been looking to architects more and more for community-centered designs that have taken on a newfound importance during the pandemic era.

Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Arts and Recreation Center by Berliner Architects. Photo: Tom Bonner.

Berliner’s Merit Award-winning design for a non-profit called the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Arts and Recreation Center arranged 46 prefabricated shipping containers into a hangar-style pavilion space that will eventually house an LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra program. The project was noted for its ability to integrate the 31,000-square-foot complex of classrooms, offices, and ensemble areas into the adjace...

AIA/ALA announces winners of the 2021 Library Building Awards

2021-05-14T18:28:00-04:00

Five projects have been named as winners of the AIA/ALA’s 2021 Library Building Awards, the organizations announced jointly on Wednesday.

Led by the new Valente Library in Cambridge, the quintet of honorees highlights a mix of both new building and renovation characterized by an incorporation of social practice that has dominated library building in recent years.

Valente Library in Cambridge, MA by William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc. Photo: Robert Benson Photography.

The William Rawn Associates-designed building opened in 2019 and features a bocce court and inviting glazed facade that anchors a crescent-shaped plaza in the heart of the city’s diverse Inman Square neighborhood. Its focus as a community center that provides on-site conference rooms, strong Wi-Fi, and expanded shelf space is made possible thanks to the new 10,000-square-foot branch, which is nearly twice ...

The 'Housekeeping' winners of the 2021 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers

2021-05-12T14:37:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York this morning unveiled the winners of its annual portfolio competition, the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers. Established in 1981, and now celebrating its 40th cycle, the program aims to promote excellence among early-career architects and designers who are no more than ten years out of a bachelor’s or master’s degree program.

Under the 2021 competition theme of "Housekeeping," the brief asked entrants to contemplate how "stay-at-home orders have prompted many of us to see our domestic settings anew, and to consider the various ways in which we 'keep house.'"

This year's winners from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are:

Tei Carpenter of Agency—Agency, New York, NY and Toronto, Canada

New Public Hydrant, "Hydrants for All," New York, NY, 2018–ongoing. Tei Carpenter, Agency—Agency. Tei Carpenter/Chris Woebken.

Rodrigo Escandón Cesarman and Ricardo Roxo Matias of APRDELESP, Mexico City, Mexico

Case Study 67 (Material Art Fair 2...

Architect and activist Pascale Sablan named 2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award recipient

2020-12-09T17:13:00-05:00

Dedicated professionals and leaders within the industry have been hard at work, pushing to raise awareness for underrepresented architects while making progressive changes within the industry. Pascale Sablan is no exception. As a senior associate for the New York-based firm S9 Architecture, her years of experience as a practicing architect are matched by her commitment to creating platforms where women and architects of color can be recognized and celebrated. Today the AIA announced Sablan as the recipient of the 2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award.

Established in 1972, the award is named in honor of civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr. The AIA explains the award is presented to an individual or organization that "embodies social responsibility and actively addresses a relevant issue, such as affordable housing, inclusiveness, or universal access."

ARIEL VIEW MILOT, HAITI VOCATIONAL SCHOOL CAMPUS. Image courtesy of Pascal Sablan/Courtesy of AIA

During a year filled with challenges i...

Wolfgang Tschapeller awarded 2020 European Prize for Architecture

2020-10-19T14:11:00-04:00

Famed Austrian architect, architectural philosopher, academic, and theorist, Wolfgang Tschapeller has been awarded the prestigious European Prize for Architecture. An annual award is given to living architects whose work reflects and exemplifies the "highest ideals of European civilization and embodies vision, commitment, and a profound respect for humanity and for the social and physical environment."

See-through floors at new Cornell Fine Arts Library alienate users. Image courtesy of STV.

Presented by The Chicago Athenaeum president Christian Narkiewicz-Laine shares, "Wolfgang Tschapeller's works are stunning, dense, multifarious, complex, and remarkable achievements of the highest complexity."

Born in Dölsach, Austria, Tschapeller trained initially as a carpenter, then studied architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and received his Masters of Architecture from Cornell University. His practice Wolfgang Tschapeller ZT GmbH opened in 2007 (now Wolfgang Tschapeller ...

Winners of the 2020 NOMA, NAACP, and SEED Awards highlight design justice and equity within architecture and land development

2020-10-06T13:47:00-04:00

Since 2011, the SEED Awards highlight public interest design projects that address critical community issues at a social, economic, and environmental scale. This year's award winners represent projects that reflect justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within the realms of design, architecture, and land development in collaboration with NOMA and NAACP.

Winners were selected thanks to a star-studded jury consisting of design leaders in the industry such as Carl Anthony, Kimberly Dowdell, Maya Henderson, and Tiffany Mayhew, among others. This year, seven winning projects were chosen.

View the winners below and selected project images.

2020 Project Winners

Memorial to Enslaved Laborers - Design Team: Design Team: Höweler + Yoon Architecture, Meejin Yoon, Eric Höweler, Namjoo Kim, Caroline Shannon, Anna Kaertner, Alex Yueyan Li, Caleb Hawkins, Boris Angelov, Julia Robert, Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, Studio &, Marlisa Wise, Dr. Frank Dukes, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, Eto Otitigbe, a...

National Arts Club Awards Medal of Honor to Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Achievement in Architecture

2019-10-03T18:10:00-04:00

The National Arts Club (NAC) presented its Medal of Honor to architecture and design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) on Tuesday, September 24, 2019. DS+R was recognized by the NAC’s President, Board of Governors, and Architecture Committee for its outstanding architectural achievements and contributions to New York City’s landscape.

“We are particularly excited to recognize the work of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, given the studio’s distinct dedication to the arts, with projects including the transformation of Lincoln Center’s campus, the recently-completed Shed, and the ongoing renovations and expansion of The Museum of Modern Art. Few other architects have made such an impact on New York’s arts and culture community,” said Linda Zagaria, Club President.

Founded in 1981, DS+R’s practice spans the fields of architecture, urban design, installation art, multi-media performance, digital media, and print. With a focus on cultural and civic projects, the studio addresses the changin...

Tod Williams & Billie Tsien named 2019 Praemium Imperiale architecture laureates

2019-09-17T14:33:00-04:00

Japan's preeminent art and architecture prize, the Praemium Imperiale, today announced the newest round of laureates with the award in the Architecture category going to Tod Williams and Billie Tsien this year.

Established in 1986, the New York-based practice Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects has gained international recognition through their thoughtful and materiality-focused approach towards mostly public and institutional projects, such as the American Folk Art Museum (R.I.P.), the Barnes Foundation, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, and more recently, their competition-winning design for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

The American Folk Art Museum in New York City before it was demolished in 2014. Photo: Dan Nguyen/Flickr

"No matter the complexity or size of project," praises the Japan Art Association's laureates description for Williams and Tsien, "their values remain intact and their pursuit of leaving good marks on the earth and transcending expectations is unwaveri...

Tate St Ives named UK’s Museum of the Year 2018

2018-07-06T13:29:00-04:00

Tate St Ives has been announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018, the largest and most prestigious museum prize in the world. Anne Barlow, director of Tate St Ives, was presented with the £100,000 prize by artist Isaac Julien and the ‘world’s best teacher’ Andria Zafirakou at an award ceremony at the V&A, London.

"Tate St Ives tells the story of the artists who have lived and worked in Cornwall in an international context," said Stephen Deuchar, chair of the judges. "The new extension to the gallery is deeply intelligent and breathtakingly beautiful, providing the perfect stage for a curatorial programme that is at once adventurous, inclusive and provocative. The judges admired an architect and gallery team who devoted some 12 years to this transformational change, consulting with the local community all the way."

The group of finalist museums also included Brooklands Museum (Weybridge), Ferens Art Gallery (Hull), Glasgow Women’s Library, and The Postal Museum (London).

Robert Ivy to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

2018-04-11T13:48:00-04:00

American Institute of Architects CEO and EVP Robert Ivy will be honored with the Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.

Given to currently active Mississippi-connected artists and art patrons, Ivy is the first architect to receive the Polk Award. The list of previous honorees includes actor Morgan Freeman (2007), writer Shelby Foote (2004), writer Eudora Welty (2001), singer Leontyne Price (2000), and the late artist Walter Anderson (1989).

AIA President Carl Elefante praised Ivy's selection, saying: "As the CEO of AIA since 2011, and as an author, editor and practicing architect, Robert Ivy is a worthy ambassador for our profession. This award comes as a crowning personal and professional achievement for him as a native of Mississippi. On behalf of the AIA, I am truly delighted to congratulate him on this unique honor."

Ivy's previous accolades include the designation Master Architect by the national architecture fraternity Alpha Rho...

Kazuyo Sejima joins Pritzker Prize jury

2018-01-30T14:42:00-05:00

The Hyatt Foundation today announced the appointment of Kazuyo Sejima as the newest member of the Pritzker Architecture Prize jury.

Sejima herself is a Pritzker laureate and received the prestigious recognition in 2010 alongside her SANAA co-founding partner Ryue Nishizawa.

"I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the jury and supporting the mission of the Pritzker Prize," Sejima commented on the appointment.

Grace Farms “River” building in New Canaan, CT by SANAA. Photo: Iwan Baan.

The Pritzker Prize jury for 2018, the accolade's 40th anniversary, also includes:

Jury Chair Glenn Murcutt, architect and 2002 Pritzker Laureate, Sydney, Australia
Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Washington, D.C., USA
André Corrêa do Lago, architectural critic, curator, and Brazilian Ambassador to Japan, Tokyo, Japan
The Lord Palumbo, architectural patron, Chairman Emeritus of the Trustees, Serpentine Galleries, London, United Kingdom
Richard Rogers, architect and 2007 Pritzker Laur...

Neave Brown, this year's RIBA Royal Gold Medal laureate, caught by "dumbfounding surprise" to receive highest honor

2017-10-06T14:25:00-04:00

“It is an absolutely dumbfounding surprise [...] I stopped following architecture years ago, so I had no idea there was this renewed interest in my work until recently. I thought my buildings were a curiosity of the past that people had largely forgotten about.” Brown is now celebrated for his inventive housing schemes and enjoys the accolade of being the only living architect to have all of his work in the UK listed. But recognition has been a long time coming.

Social housing pioneer Neave Brown, now 88 years old, was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the UK's highest accolade for architecture, just a week ago. The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright got a chance to chat with Brown about his career and good London housing.

Current condition of Alexandra Road Estate. Image courtesy of RIBA.

David Chipperfield-designed Hepworth Wakefield named Britain’s Museum of the Year 2017

2017-07-06T12:40:00-04:00

[...] Art Fund Museum of the Year is awarded annually to one outstanding museum, which, in the opinion of the judges, has shown exceptional imagination, innovation and achievement across the preceding 12 months. The Hepworth Wakefield was selected as winner of the £100,000 prize from a group of five finalists, also including Lapworth Museum of Geology (Birmingham), National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art (Newmarket), Sir John Soane’s Museum (London) and Tate Modern (London).

Photo: Iwan Baan.

"The Hepworth Wakefield has been a powerful force of energy from the moment it opened in 2011, but it has just kept growing in reach and impact ever since," said Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar. "David Chipperfield’s building has proved a perfect stage – both for the display of collections and as the platform for a breathtaking sequence of special exhibitions, curated with determined originality by the talented curatorial team."

Photo: Iwan Baan.

Comprised of a series of 10 small, irregular, trapezoidal blocks, the gallery also won a 2012 RIBA Award for architectural excellence and was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in the same year.

Aric Chen of M+ receives top Design Curator Award at the inaugural Design Prize in Milan

2017-07-03T15:59:00-04:00

Launched this year, The Design Prize is an annual awards program, organised by the media outlets designboom and Abitare under the auspices of the City of Milan.

Aric Chen, a lead curator for Design and Architecture at one of the world's largest visual art museum, M+ in Hong Kong has been named the winner in the Design Curator and Design Critic category. Since joining M+ in 2012, Chen has led the museum’s efforts in building its design and architecture collection, which currently includes approximately 3,000 works out of a total of more than 6,000. The museum building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, is scheduled to open in 2019.

Peter Marino to be honored by the Museum of the City of New York

2017-05-26T12:27:00-04:00

Peter Marino, leather-clad provocateur, will be honored at the Museum of the City of New York and presented the 2017 City of Design Award. The Award honors “creative entrepreneurs who have made New York City the design capital of the world and who inspire future generations of designers to bring their talents to our great.” Previous recipients include Jonathan Adler, Jacques Grange, Ralph Pucci and Simon Doonan.

Marino is the principal of Peter Marino Architect PLLC, a 160-person firm based out of New York. He is know, in particular, for projects like The Getty and Hublot in New York and the Louis Vuitton store in Los Angeles, among many other works.

Marino has also faced a fair share of controversy. Last year, he was accused of making homophobic slurs—ironic enough considering the LGBTQ-associations of his garb. The year before Marino was accused of sexism and racism. Both accusations were lodged by former employees.