AIArchitect, July 22, 2002 - Shouldn't the Best Teacher You Know Receive the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion?

Honors and Awards

Shouldn't the Best Teacher You Know Receive the AIA/ACSA
Topaz Medallion?
Nominations are due October 25

Nominations are due October 25 for the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. The annual honor is awarded jointly by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to architecture education for at least 10 years and whose teaching has influenced a broad range of students. (Nominees must be living at the time of nomination.)

Who is eligible for nomination?
Any individual who has spent at least a decade primarily involved in architecture education, primarily on the North American continent. In addition, the candidate must:
• Evidence great depth, having a cumulative effect on a long line of students
• Evidence great breadth, having influenced a wide range of students
• Consistently direct himself or herself toward the future as well as the past
• Be able to transcend and build connections among specific areas of expertise
• Be widely known by the quality of his or her products.

Who can nominate candidates for the awards?
Any colleague, student, or former student may nominate candidates for the Topaz Medallion.

What is required for submission?
Each submission must contain:
• A nomination letter by the sponsor (not to exceed one page)
• A biography of the candidate (not to exceed two pages)
• A statement of contributions (not to exceed four pages)
• A roster of distinguished students
• Supporting material (e.g., clippings, articles, etc.) relating to the purpose of the award (not to exceed four pages)
• A maximum of 10 letters of support by people who know the quality of the nominee's products, including teachers and practitioners. Letters should be explicit in their recommendation and contain specific reasons for support.

Jerzy Soltan receives the 2002 Topaz Medallion at the Harvard GSD. From left are Urs Peter Gauchat, dean, New Jersey School of Architecture, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Frances Bronet, ACSA past president, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute; Soltan; Scott Simpson, FAIA, director, AIA New England Region. What format should the submission take?
All exhibits must be submitted in an AIA uniform binder obtained by contacting the AIA Honors and Awards Department, 202-626-7563 or rmartin@aia.org.

When are submissions due?
They must be postmarked no later than October 25, 2002.

Where do I send the submissions?
Send all submissions to the AIA Secretary, c/o AIA Honors and Awards Department, 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006-5292, Attention: Topaz Medallion

Why should I nominate someone?
Practitioners and educators must work together to help the architects of the future create themselves. It is fitting that members of the AIA and members of ACSA work together to honor the best educators in the profession.

How do I get more information about the Awards?
Contact the AIA Honors and Awards Department, 202-626-7563 or rmartin@aia.org, or go to www.aia.org/institute/honors.

Topaz Medallion Recipients

Harvard's architect, educator, and Le Corbusier protégé Jerzy Soltan, whose work has inspired and influenced generations of students in the U.S. and abroad, was named 2002 recipient of the Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. Photo courtesy of the architect. 1976 Jean Labatut, FAIA
Princeton University

1977 Henry Kamphoefner, FAIA
North Carolina State University

1978 Lawrence Anderson, FAIA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1979 G. Holmes Perkins, FAIA
University of Pennsylvania

1980 Serge Chermayeff
Yale University

Denise Scott Brown, FRIBA, University of Pennsylvania to date is the only woman educator to have received the Topaz Medallion. She was awarded the prize in 1996. 1981 Marcel Breuer, FAIA
Harvard University

1982 Joseph Esherick, FAIA
University of California, Berkeley

1983 Charles E. Burchard, FAIA
Virginia Polytechnic University

1984 Robert Geddes, FAIA
Princeton University

One doesn't need to be an architect to be a great professor of architecture. Mario Salvadori, Columbia University, the 1993 Topaz Medallion winner, was an engineer and mathematician. 1985 Colin Rowe
Cornell University

1986 Vincent Scully Jr., Hon. AIA
Yale University

1987 Ralph Rapson, FAIA
University of Minnesota

1988 John Hejduk, FAIA
Cooper Union

1989 Charles Moore, FAIA
University of California, Berkeley

W. Cecil Steward, FAIA, University of Nebraska, is the 1999 Topaz Medallion recipient and a former president of the AIA. 1990 Raymond L. Kappe, FAIA
Southern California Institute of Architecture

1991 Kenneth B. Frampton
Columbia University

1992* Spiro Kostof
University of California, Berkeley

1993 Mario Salvadori, Hon. AIA
Columbia University

1994 Harlan E. McClure, FAIA
Clemson University

1995 Henry N. Cobb, FAIA
Harvard University

1996 Denise Scott-Brown, RIBA
University of Pennsylvania

1997 Donlyn Lyndon
University of California, Berkeley

1998 Werner Seligmann
Syracuse University

1999 W. Cecil Steward, FAIA
University of Nebraska

2000 Alan H. Balfour
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

2001 Lee G. Copeland, FAIA
The University of Washington

2002 Jerzy Soltan
Harvard University.

* Awarded posthumously.

Reference

The University of California, Berkeley, has the most Topaz Medallion recipients, with four: Joseph Esherick, FAIA (1982); Charles Moore, FAIA (1989); Spiro Kostof (1992); and Donlyn Lyndon, FAIA (1997) Click here to see the submissions dates for all of the 2003 Honors and Awards programs. For a complete listing of honors, citations, and medals awarded prior to 1990, please contact the AIA Honors and Awards Department, 202-626-7563 or rmartin@aia.org.