Since 2000 RIBA has presented the Annie Spink Award to individuals for their outstanding work and contributions to architectural academia. This year the prestigious biennial prize has been awarded to the multi-talented architect and academic advocate Lesley Lokko. Growing up in Ghana and Scotland, her journey towards a career in architecture has led her to become an impactful practitioner, best-selling novelist, and long-time architectural educator. Her dedication to the profession and academia has deemed her notoriety and praise.

Upon receiving the award, Lokko shares in a statement, "I am deeply humbled by the jury's decision. This award is for everyone who came out in support of the Black Lives Matter protests, which put such difficult and challenging questions on the table for us all. It is also dedicated to the teachers and students at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg, whose tenacity and inventiveness have charted a new path for architectural education. Together with the profound intellectual generosity I experienced as a student at the Bartlett School of Architecture in the 1990s, they remain crucial touchstones in my teaching practice, now and in whatever comes next."

This particular year has been challenging for many, especially those in academic and leadership positions. Throughout 2020 Archinect connected with several deans and academic leaders like Lokko to hear their insight and discuss the obstacles architecture academia continues to face. 

Lokko announced her resignation as the Dean of The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York (CCNY) back in October 2020. While she ends her term, she'll continue her work in academia as she works on building the African Futures Institute in Accra, Ghana starting this month. The institute will be an "independent postgraduate school of architecture."

To learn more about Lokko and her path to architecture and academia, read our exclusive Archinect Deans List interview.