Philadelphia—The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design has selected KPF cofounder A. Eugene Kohn as the 2019 recipient of the Kanter Tritsch Medal for Excellence in Architecture and Environmental Design, and the Regional Plan Association (RPA) Fourth Regional Plan as the inaugural recipient of the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning. The honorees, and recipients of two accompanying scholarships for exceptional students, will be recognized at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design Awards gala on Monday, October 21, 2019, at the IAC Building in New York City.

“This is an exciting and challenging time for the allied disciplines in architecture, planning, preservation, landscape architecture and fine arts,” said Fritz Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. “With these honors, we celebrate the pursuit of beauty and efficiency in today’s cross-disciplinary settings.”

The Kanter Tritsch Medal for Excellence in Architecture and Environmental Design was established in 2017 through a $1.25 million gift from Penn alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), a member of the Board of Overseers at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and her partner and fellow Penn alumnus William P. Lauder, who holds a bachelor of science in economics from the Wharton School and is a Penn Trustee, to honor an under-recognized architect who has changed the course of design history, with a particular focus on the areas of energy conservation, environmental quality, and/or diversity.

“Over four decades, Gene Kohn has led one of the most versatile and productive firms of our time, committed throughout to environmental sustainability and boldly humanistic design,” said Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair in the Department of Architecture. “Just as important, Gene inspires a new generation of leaders in architecture.”

The Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning was established by William Witte (C’73, MCP’75), an alumnus of the Weitzman School and member of the Board of Overseers, and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto, Esq. to recognize a firm, team, or professional for an exemplary plan that advances plan making in at least four of the following areas: social equity, environmental quality, design, public health, mobility, housing affordability, and economic development. 

“The scope of the Fourth Regional Plan is just enormous, and the potential impact great, given the range of participants and legacy of previous plans,” said Lisa Servon, Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the Weitzman School. “The proposals resulting from RPA’s considerable efforts are as admirable as the Plan’s four core values of equity, health, prosperity and sustainability.”

Kanter Tritsch Medal:
A. Eugene Kohn

A. Eugene Kohn FAIA RIBA JIA, is founder and chairman of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, (KPF), a 650-person firm and a preeminent signature in urban towers, master planning and environmental leadership. Over four decades, Kohn has shaped KPF’s global strategy and its profile as a world leader in all aspects of architectural practice. The firm’s wide-ranging, acclaimed projects include 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago (1983), The World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (1996), Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore. (1997), Roppongi Hills in Tokyo (2003), Unilever House, London (2007), and the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles (2015). KPF’s academic work includes an urban campus at Baruch College in New York (2001), the University of Michigan Ross School of Business (2009), and the University of Minnesota science center (2010). Recently, KPF completed the tallest towers in Hong Kong (International Commerce Centre, 2011) and Korea (Lotte World Tower, 2017). Kohn and KPF also designed two blocks of London’s Canary Wharf (1987) and oversaw the design of the master plan, platform, and four major buildings at Hudson Yards, the recently opened 26-acre Manhattan neighborhood built over an active railyard. One Vanderbilt, currently under construction, will soon become the tallest office tower in Midtown Manhattan. Last month, Kohn announced the 47-story Arthaus tower in Philadelphia.

“Throughout my 60-plus years of practice, I have sought to create buildings and environments that are sensitive to their contexts and evoke meaning in the lives of their users,” said Kohn (BArch’53, MArch’57), who holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. “It is a great honor to be recognized with the Kanter Tritsch Medal alongside my colleagues and rising talent honored in this year’s program.”

Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning:
Regional Plan Association of the United States (RPA)

Founded in 1922, Regional Plan Association is America’s most distinguished planning, research and advocacy organization. The independent, not-for-profit regional planning group works to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency and quality of life of the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region, and in late 2017, RPA published the Fourth Regional Plan: Making the Region Work for All of Us, a wide-ranging set of recommendations for the region. Reflecting input from diverse stakeholders, the proposals include expanding the region's transportation network, addressing affordability, rising to the challenge of climate change, and fixing the institutions that are failing the region. For nearly 100 years, RPA has developed thoughtful long-range plans to guide and improve the region’s economic health, environmental sustainability and quality of life. In this way, the region’s most significant public works, economic development and open space projects are rooted in RPA ideas and initiatives.

“Regional Plan Association is honored to accept the first ever Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning,” said Tom Wright, president and CEO of Regional Plan Association. “RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan: Making the Region Work for All of Us includes 61 recommendations to achieve greater equity, shared prosperity, better health, and sustainability across the metropolitan tri-state region. We thank the Witte-Sakamoto family and the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design for recognizing the value of our organization’s work.”

Diverse Juries of Leaders 

The jury for the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning included Eugenie L. Birch, Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research & Education and Chair of the graduate group in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the Weitzman School; Lisa Servon, the Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the City and Regional Planning Department at the Weitzman School; Eleanor Sharpe (MCP’99), executive director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission; and Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School.

The jury for the Witte-Sakamoto Family Student Prize included Barbara Faga, Professor of Practice in Urban Design, Rutgers University; Lisa Nutter, Partner, Side Car Social Finance, Philadelphia; Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School; and Bill Witte (C’73, MCP’75), chairman and CEO of Related California, and a member of the Weitzman School Board of Overseers.

The jury for the Kanter Tritsch Professional Medal included Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture at the Weitzman School, who is also founding principal, Archi-Tectonics, New York; Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), member of the Weitzman School Board of Overseers; Ferda Kolatan, associate professor of practice at the Weitzman School and the founding director of su11, New York; Marc Kushner (BArch’99), cofounding principal, Hollwich Kushner, and cofounding CEO, Architizer; and Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School.

The jury for the Kanter Tritsch Student Prize included Cecil Baker (BArch'67, MArch'68), principal and architect, Cecil Baker + Partners; Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture at the Weitzman School, who is also founding principal, Archi-Tectonics, New York; Homa Farjadi, principal, Frajadi Architects, London, and Professor of Practice, Weitzman School; Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), member of the Weitzman School Board of Overseers; and Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School.