The International Union of Architects (UIA) awarded
Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA, the 2002 Gold Medal at its World Congress in Berlin
last month.
The jury citation lauded Piano's contributions to
architecture and society. "His work is both personal and varied;
it illustrates his sensitivity to cultural diversity and his intimate
knowledge of the milieu of which it is part.
"His
realizations reflect the orientations developed by the Union of Architects
in their global dimension and their respect for cultural identities. Renzo
Piano's work associates advance technological research with the lessons
of traditional economy. It provides a top quality architectural response
to evolving social needs. In this way, his work is particularly representative
of the role of the architect and the contribution he can make to the sustainable
development of our planet."
Established in 1984, the UIA Gold Medal is presented
at the organization's World Congress every three years to a living architect.
The UIA has awarded medals to Hassan Fathy, Hon. FAIA (Egypt); Reima Pietila,
Hon. FAIA (Finland); Charles Correa, Hon. FAIA (India); Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA (Japan); Rafael Moneo, Hon. FAIA (Spain); and Ricardo Legorreta, Hon.
AIA (Mexico). The UIA Gold Medal honors architects for their contributions
to humanity, society, and the promotion of architectural art.
Piano's wide-ranging projects include the Georges
Pompidou Centre in Paris (with Richard Rogers, Hon. AIA); the Kansai Air
Terminal in Osaka; the Museum of Modern Art in Varnamö, Sweden; the
Museum of Sciences and Technologies in Amsterdam; and the Jean Marie Tjibaou
Centre in New Caledonia.
The Italian-born architect is the recipient of many
other international accolades. Among his honors are the Pritzker Prize
in 1998, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1990, the Neutra Prize in 1991,
the Kyoto Prize in 1990, and the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in
1989. Piano became an honorary fellow of the AIA in 1984.
Born in Genoa in 1937 into a family of builders,
Piano pursued his own path in architecture. He graduated in 1964 from
the Polytechnical School of Architecture in Milan. He worked at his father's
construction company and then in the offices of 1953 AIA Gold Medalist
Louis Kahn, FAIA, and Z.S. Makowsky. He now heads the Renzo Piano Building
Workshop, which has offices in Genoa, Paris, and Berlin.
The UIA awarded four other themed prizes:
Sir Norman Foster, Hon. FAIA, received the Auguste Perret Prize
for technology applied to architecture.
Group 91 Architects (for the Temple Bar district in Dublin) received
the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize
Portugal's Maneul Tainha (architectural education) and Greece's
Elias Zenghelis (architectural criticism) received the Jean Tschumi Prize
Ireland's Justin Kilcullen and Brazil's Jaime Lerner, Hon. FAIA,
received the Sir Robert Matthew Prize for the improvement of the quality
of human settlements.
Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects.
All rights reserved.
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