The winner of the annual Royal Gold Medal award presented on behalf of the British Queen by the Royal Institute of British Architects was announced today. The 2021 Gold Medal was won by Sir David Adjaye, founder of Adjaye Associates.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
© Nic Lehoux
The Royal Gold Medal has been awarded since 1848 for lifetime achievement to individuals or studios that have had a significant impact - direct or indirect - on the development of architecture. Previous recipients of the medal include Frank Lloyd Wright (1941), Le Corbusier (1953), Walter Gropius (1956), Alvar Aalto (1957), Mies van der Rohe (1959), Charles andRay Eames (1979), Norman Foster (1983), Arata Isozaki (1986), Tadao Andō (1997), Frank Gehry (2000), Rem Koolhaas (2004), Ieoh Ming Pei (2010), Peter Zumthor (2013), Zaha Hadid (2016) and Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects (2020).
The Honorary Committee considering nominations for the award this year included: Alan Jones, president of the RIBA, Hanif Kara, professor at Harvard University, Lesley Lokko, dean at the Spitzer School of Architecture at New York City College, Dorte Mandrup, architect, founder of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, and Shelley McNamara, architect, winner of the 2020 Royal Gold Medal and the Pritzker Prize, and co-founder of Grafton Architects.
Royal Gold Medal 2021
Born in Tanzania in 1966, David Adjaye studied at London's South Bank University and the Royal College of Art. In 2000, the architect founded the Adjaye Associates studio, which is now based in London, New York and Accra, the capital of Ghana.The office's best-known projects include the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, the Ruby City art center in San Antonio, Texas, and Moscow's Skolkovo School of Management.
Ruby City art center in San Antonio
© Dror Baldinger FAIA
His artistic and social vision has created public projects that perfectly demonstrate the civic potential of architecture - building empathy, identity and pride, RIBA President Alan Jones said of the award winner.
compiled by: Ola Kloc
Illustrations courtesy of the Royal Institute of British Architects
