Steven Holl is awarded the 2012 AIA Gold Medal

The gold medal the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards each year is considered the highest professional honour an architect can receive in America. In the past the award has been presented to such great masters as Frank Lloyd Wright (1949), Le Corbusier (1961), Louis Kahn (1971) and, in recent years, important contemporary architects such as Santiago Calatrava (2005), Renzo Piano (2008),  Fumihiko Maki (2011) and Steven Holl in 2012.

Presentation of the award to Steven Holl and his team members offers an occasion to take note of the way the studio works.
The architects do not impose their own style on different sites and climates, but each work of architecture is specifically designed for its site, circumstances and experience of time, space, light and materials.
The judges underlined Steven Holl’s rigorous theoretical approach and refined design sensibility, recognising his ability to mould space and light with great sensitivity to catalyse the unique qualities of every project, from homes to large-scale projects on an urban scale.

(Agnese Bifulco)

www.aia.org
www.stevenholl.com

Illustrations: courtesy of Steven Holl Architects