RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2014

The Royal Institute of British Architects, has just announced the winner of the 2014 Royal Gold Medal: the renowned architecture critic, historian and writer Joseph Rykwert.

Approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen, the Royal Gold Medal is one of the most prestigious awards in the world of architecture, attributed to an individual or group of persons, in recognition of the work of a lifetime, for its significant influence, directly or indirectly, in the evolution of architecture.

Joseph Rykwert is a world reference in Art and architecture History, whose works and innovative ideas had a major impact on architects and designers way of thinking, from the '60s to the present day.

His nomination was supported by the architects David Chipperfield, Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano, who highlighted his significant contribution to international architecture. Rykwert lectured at several prestigious universities such as Harvard and Princeton, and also the Institut d'Urbanisme in Paris and the University of Sydney.

“It is a wonderful gift which my colleagues have made me and adds weight and authority to my words to which they could never otherwise pretend”, commented the historian regarding this prize.

His seminal book The Idea of a Town (1963) remains the pivotal text on understanding why and how cities were and can be formed. He has written numerous influential works of architectural criticism and history, published over a sixty-year period and translated into several languages, that have changed the way modern architects and planners think about cities and buildings, and how historians view the architectural roots of the modern era.

The Royal Gold Medal was awarded for the first time in 1848 to Charles Robert Cockerell and among the winners are some of the most famous architects since then, including Frank Lloyd Wright (1941), Le Corbusier  (1953), Alvar Aalto (1957), Mies van der Rohe (1959), Louis Khan (1972), Sir Norman Foster (1983), Renzo Piano (1989), Oscar Niemeyer (1998), Frank Ghery (2000), Jean Nouvel (2001), Rem Koolhaas (2004), Toyo Ito (2006), Herzog & de Meuron (2007), Álvaro Siza Vieira (2009), I. M. Pei (2010), David Chipperfield (2011) or Peter Zumthor (2013).

The Royal Gold Medal 2014 will be presented at a special event at the RIBA in London on the 25 February 2014.

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