© Larry Harris

The end of the War of 1812 left the young United States of America awash with nationalist fervor. In the following years, the world’s first modern republic experienced unprecedented growth and prosperity; it was not without reason that the period came to be known as the “Era of Good Feelings.”[1] It was into this epoch of unbridled national pride that Thomas Jefferson, one of the country’s founding fathers and its third President, introduced his master plan for the University of Virginia: an architectural manifestation of the Enlightenment and republican ideals he had helped cultivate.

© Larry Harris

Although he was first and foremost a statesman, Thomas Jefferson was also a capable self-trained, if purely avocational, architect. Fittingly for a man who had helped to engineer a revolt against the United Kingdom’s colonial rule, Jefferson largely eschewed English architectural influences preferring instead the works of Andrea Palladio and the ruins of Ancient Rome. His first design project, begun before the War of Independence, was his own home: Monticello, a Neoclassical mansion with French and Palladian influences set at the peak of a small mountain. Jefferson was also responsible for the Virginia State Capitol, which he modeled upon the Maison Carrée, a former Roman temple in Nimes, France.[2]

Courtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

The University of Virginia had been under Jefferson’s consideration for decades by the time he actually began its design. As early as 1782, he affirmed his belief that architecture, being one of the fine arts, ought to be taught at the university; when given the task of planning the institution’s curriculum in 1814, he made certain to include it.[3] He also began to formulate his concept for the school’s design long before the Virginia State Legislature approved its creation. Rather than attempting to fit every program element within a single monumental building, Jefferson envisioned a grouping of smaller, separate houses for professors, each with a ground level hall for instruction and living chambers above. Organized around a grass square and connected by student housing, this was to become what Jefferson called an “academical village.”[4]

Once the university’s founding was formally approved, Jefferson began refining his concept into a functioning master plan. Rather than attempt to take on the task alone, he sought out the advice of professional architects William Thornton and Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Using the two architects as a sounding board, Jefferson made a number of alterations to his initial plan: at the urging of both, he expanded the living spaces intended for the professors and placed a library at the focal point of the Academical Village’s U-shaped layout. Thornton provided a number of sketches for the pavilions that lined either end of the central square, while Latrobe suggested the dome which eventually crowned the library.[5]

This section of Pavilion IX hints at the stratification found in every one of the University’s pavilions: residences above, instruction spaces below. ImageCourtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Courtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

The center of Jefferson’s final design scheme was that of an elongated U, the center of which was occupied by the grass plaza he had always envisioned. Ten academic pavilions lined either end of the square, each containing a separate department of the university and the living spaces of their respective professors. These pavilions, in addition to being connected by rows of student dormitories, were linked by covered colonnades; the sheltered walkways would, according to Jefferson, allow students to exercise even in inclement weather. The 200 meter (656 foot) avenue, left open to the picturesque Virginia landscape at one end, was enclosed at the other by the library Thornton and Latrobe had recommended.[6]

In 1817, Jefferson stated to Thornton that “[the academic] pavilions […] shall be models of taste and good architecture, and a variety of appearance, no two alike, so as to serve as specimens for the architectural lectures.”[7] As a result of Jefferson’s didactic approach, each of the ten pavilions followed a different, nuanced classical style. Most design elements were taken from examples in the various architectural texts in Jefferson’s library: Pavilion I featured a Doric pediment inspired by the Baths of Diocletian, while Pavilion V’s Ionic details were taken directly from Palladio. The colonnades between the pavilions utilized the simple Tuscan order, while only Pavilion X and the library featured Corinthian columns.[7]

This elevation of Pavilion IX showcases its radically different style from its neighbor below; only the uniform use of red brick and painted white wood tied the campus together aesthetically. ImageCourtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Pavilion X was the only pavilion of the ten to feature Corinthian design elements. ImageCourtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Corinthian capitals were only one of the features that set the library apart from its surroundings. Situated on the center of the university’s main axis, the library was also the only structure on the campus to feature circular geometry. Just as he had imitated the Maison Carrée for the Virginia State Capitol, Jefferson now chose to echo the Roman Pantheon; the library, which would later be named the Rotunda, is built to one-half the scale of its antecedent. Although Jefferson admired the Pantheon as the height of spherical architecture, he could not emulate its cavernous interior in Virginia. Instead, the Rotunda is divided into three floors: the lower two contained classrooms and lecture halls, while the third served as the university library. This space, ringed by columns and crowned by a domed ceiling, was the greatest built expression of Jefferson’s rational, Neoclassical ideals.[8]

The plan of the Pantheon on the left can be compared to the ground and third floor plans of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia; differences in scale and material required the reduction of the number of columns supporting the front pediment. ImageCourtesy of Wikimedia user Ibn Battuta (Public Domain)

As construction proceeded, Jefferson had to make a number of revisions to his master plan. In 1819, he expanded the initial U-scheme to include two additional rows of housing, known as the Ranges, separated from the original pavilions by a series of gardens with serpentine walls formed of the same red brick as the rest of the campus buildings. The gardens themselves were later divided into halves, allowing residents and guests in the Ranges greater privacy outdoors. After Jefferson’s death on July 4, 1826 and the completion of construction the following September, the Village and the Ranges were left practically unaltered; the Rotunda, which caught fire in 1895, was the only structure to be significantly remodeled.[9]

An elevation of Hotel C, one of the buildings set in the Ranges; it’s covered arcade was inspired by Thornton’s suggestion. ImageCourtesy of US Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Although the countryside around it has radically transformed since the early 19th Century, the Academical Village at the University of Virginia continues to serve its original function. The Rotunda was restored to its original Jeffersonian design in the 1970s, allowing its creator’s vision to live on after two full centuries.[10] Time may have weathered the bricks of the University of Virginia, but its unique blend of European historical reference and early American rationalism remains as potent a symbol as it ever was. Thomas Jefferson did not choose to note his time served as President of the United States on his tombstone; instead, he elected to be remembered as the author of the Declaration of Independence, the creator of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and the Father of the University of Virginia.[11]

© Larry Harris

References

[1] Richard R. Beeman et al. “The United States from 1816 to 1850.” Encyclopedia Britannica. November 9, 2016. [access].
[2] Roth, Leland M., and Amanda Clark. American Architecture: A History. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001. p4-33 – 4-37.
[3] Lay, K. Edward. The Architecture of Jefferson Country: Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2000. p281.
[4] “T. Jefferson’s Plan for the University of Virginia–Reading 2.” National Parks Service. Accessed November 25, 2016. [access].
[5] Brant, Lydia Mattice. “The Architecture of the University of Virginia.” Encylopedia Virginia. April 21, 2016. [access].
[6] Edwards, Brian. University Architecture. London: Spon Press, 2000. p15-16.
[7] “T. Jefferson’s Plan for the University of Virginia–Reading 3.” National Parks Service. Accessed November 25, 2016. [access].
[8] Brant.
[9] Brant.
[10] “Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed November 26, 2016. [access].
[11] “T. Jefferson’s Plan for the University of Virginia–Reading 3.”

• Architects: Thomas Jefferson
• Location: 1826 University Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States of America
• Architect: Thomas Jefferson
• Consulting Architect: Benjamin Henry Latrobe
• Project Year: 1825
• Photographs: Larry Harris, Courtesy of Wikimedia user Fæ, Courtesy of US Library of Congress, Courtesy of Wikimedia user Ibn Battuta

http://ift.tt/2hngHT2

© Hertha Hurnaus

• Architects: feld72
• Location: 39030 Olang, Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy
• Area: 950.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Hertha Hurnaus

• Collaborators: Marino Fei, Carl Friedrich, David Kovařík, Therese Leick, Gerhard Mair, Edoardo Nobili
• Engineering Consultancy: Ingenieurteam Bergmeister

© Hertha Hurnaus

From the architect. Nestling within the village structure of Valdaora di Sotto in South Tyrol, the kindergarten building communicates the interplay between tradition, contemporary life and nature. The third kindergarten made by feld72 aligns itself within its tranquil background without being subordinate to it. Self-evident and uncontrived. Embedded sensuously in its location, the building responds to the dominant aura of the parish church with the cemetery chapel and the elementary school in the centre of Valdaora di Sotto. The timber building sits as though in an encasement within the massive surrounding wall, lending security.

© Hertha Hurnaus

Boundaries and fences determine the village structure. The clear spatial margins divide the village into private and public spaces. Meanwhile, the architectural intervention of the kindergarten alludes to the theme of different boundary intensities and continues it further as a multi-layered circumferential wall. There is a successful contextual interweaving of elements that are typical of the location.

© Hertha Hurnaus

Section

© Hertha Hurnaus

Because of the surrounding boundary wall, the kindergarten articulates clear spatial margins in the village ensemble. The unity of building and kindergarten yard is embedded in the traditional context and imparts to the kindergarten the architectural conditions for nest security, as well as for freedom. As a compact edifice this is located on the northern boundary of the property, endowing space for a sunny garden. The free space for children is optically and functionally separated from the road by the surrounding building structure.

© Hertha Hurnaus

The wall alternates between concepts of materiality and volume, thus it changes from garden fence to boundary wall for the building, just as much an interpretation of what already exists as it is a further elaboration of the existing stock. The wall on the kindergarten yard side is completely of wood and in a friendly gesture embraces the children’s garden. Roofed, weather-protected areas are set up as you pass over to the building. A playful way of handling the element of the wall unfolds. Architecture and playground fuse. The traditional element of fencing-in a property gains in complexity and in quality as somewhere to linger – it shelters, frames, hides, invites everyone to play and presents views not only towards the outside world but also inside. The building itself remains clearly modelled and yet has a multi-stratified effect.

Floor plan

Uniform materiality conveys simplicity. Rendered masonry and wood in the innards of the kindergarten create feelings of identity and belonging. A subtle and warm atmosphere is generated within the interiors thanks to the subtly complex treatment of local timber.

© Hertha Hurnaus

For the children, the group rooms represent the starting point of their daily explorations. The rooms are designed to be unpretentious and modest, providing scope for individual changes. Small areas for retreat are offered by the large window recesses and accessible partition furniture leading to the cloakroom. The assembly room and multi-function rooms can be adapted as connecting room structures or, if required, used singly. The suggested spatial concept thus enables attractive variations on both levels in realising the educational scenario.

© Hertha Hurnaus

A house for children and the village takes shape as intermediary between tradition and modernity. The familiar and the unusual simultaneously find a home in Valdaora di Sotto.

http://ift.tt/2gdq9aO

© Börje Müller

• Architects: Beck + Oser Architekten
• Location: 8354 Hofstetten, Switzerland
• Architects In Charge: Martin Beck, Roger Oser, Niklaus Stöcklin
• Area: 200.0 m2
• Project Year: 2013
• Photographs: Börje Müller

© Börje Müller

From the architect. The two houses “Im Wygärtli” are located in a villa garden on the southern hillside of Hofstetten. The buildings are situated across the slope and are accessed from the north on the upper floor level, which offers a beautiful view towards the first hills of the Jura Mountains. The curved shape of the roof creates its own topography, which connects the two floors and turns the location on a slope into a part of the design concept. On the inside, a single-flight staircase provides the spatial connection between the entrance hall on the upper living floor and the sleeping floor below. The dynamic and open staircase creates a strong reference between the two floors. It also allows daylight into the translucent bathroom cubes – which are built out of glass blocks and divide and structure the lower floor. 

© Börje Müller

Section

© Börje Müller

The effect of the curved ceilings in the interior is enhanced by the reduced and honest choice of materials; concrete ceilings, dyed concrete floors and white plaster walls. Also on the outside, the facades were developed to support the volumetric concept. The curved ceilings are indicated with hard concrete bands – the light filling in between is composed of ceiling-high windows and curtain walls covered with translucent polycarbonate panels. An economical and considerate use of housing space contributes to sustainability, as well as the use of uncoated materials and efficient building services with heat pump, thermal solar panels and comfort ventilation.

Floor Plan

Floor Plan

The project is an example of a modest densification of villa plots in rural living areas. The relation between the new buildings, the existing villa and the landscaped grounds were essential. The design of the two houses, inspired by the topographic particularities of the site, allows optimal integration into the existing estate and leaves enough presence, space and views for the villa.

© Börje Müller

Product Description. The lightwave polycarbonate boards are the filling between the ceiling foreheads of concrete. This supports the volumetric concept of waves and curved forms as a reaction to the slope of the plot.

© Börje Müller

http://ift.tt/2ge15Fk

© Dirk Weiblen

• Architects: Linehouse
• Location: Shanghai，China
• Area: 250.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Dirk Weiblen

© Dirk Weiblen

Linehouse was commissioned to create the Brand Creative Studio for electric car company NextEV in Xintiandi, Shanghai. NextEV sought a design to reflect its NIO brand in a space that enabled collaboration and creative development by a wide range of design disciplines.

© Dirk Weiblen

Floor Plan

© Dirk Weiblen

Linehouse inserted an inhabitable wall into the centre of the space. This oak wood structure fluidly shifts to create different pockets that can be occupied. The central enclosure forms the studio’s primary working area. The surrounding negative space can be inhabited as meeting rooms and for social engagement. This wood apparatus operates as desks, shelving, and a screening mechanism, offering privacy and transparency between the private and public areas of the studio.

© Dirk Weiblen

A glass skin is layered on the timber shell, the location of the skin shifts from the interior to the exterior of the structure, allowing the occupiable side of the wall also to alternate. The glass is etched with a white vertical gradient from opaque to translucent, this creates a weightlessness that reflects the brands promise, Blue Sky Coming. The gradient also offers privacy for users, occupying the lower half at desk level, and clear sightlines at higher level. The glass screen provides an ephemeral quality to the office allowing light to filter through, and shifting perspectives throughout.

© Dirk Weiblen

http://ift.tt/2gd1OSc

© Sun Namgoong

• Architects: JOHO Architecture
• Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Architect In Charge: Jeonghoon Lee
• Design Team: Gaehee Cho, Il-Sang Yoon, Bong-gwi Hong, Junhee Cho, Moonyoung Jeong
• Area: 2173.6 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Sun Namgoong

• Structure : PRIME ENC
• Engineering : ACE Engineering
• Lighting : ALTO
• Landscape : Garden In Forest
• Construction : JEHYO Construction & Engineering
• Exterior Finish : Mohse, THE ONE PLANT
• Client : TAEJIN International (Yongjun Jeon)

© Sun Namgoong

From the architect. Platform-L Contemporary Art Center is located in a residential area of the Gangnam district in Seoul, South Korea. The sites irregular geometry – an irregular trapezoid – and being surrounded on three sides by street presented was a unique design challenge. The Laws of Architecture on the proposed site limiting building ratio to be no more than 60% of the total site area was a key focus to the design of Platform-L. This restriction typically leads to most projects designating parking to be on grade with a large mass covering the rest of the site. Platform-L situating the parking to be underground allows for a voided space on grade. The design of two independent masses with a central courtyard opening to the west proved to be the most efficient use of space. The north end mass is comprised of the museums entrance, two exhibition spaces, VIP lounge, as well as featuring a roof terrace looking out towards the cityscape. On the south end of the site a cafe / restaurant and office spaces are located. The exterior façade design inspiration came from Louis Quatorze fashion design company. This company is the sponsor for Platform-L and ideology is based on Louis XIV. The use of basic geometries of Louis XIV was reinterpreted to become the design for the façade of Platform-L. This design stands as a new symbol for the company and its high regard for fashion and culture.

© Sun Namgoong

Platform-L Contemporary Art Center in Seoul is situated in a secluded area near the Segwan Seoul Customs intersection in the Nonhyeon-dong neighborhood of Gangnam District. Its uniquely shaped footprint—an irregular trapezoid—necessitated utilizing innovative design elements in response to the unique challenges presented by its unconventional dimensions. Although urban planning in Gangnam generally adheres to a grid system, Platform-L enjoys street access on three sides, a distinguishing feature of the site and one of its many assets. The site is also classified within a general residential zone rather than a commercial zone, subjecting it to increased restrictions concerning building coverage rate and floor area ratio. With these considerations in mind, a more compact plan for the building was prioritized. 

Diagram

This geometry implies Louis XIV’s wishes to be recognized as an absolute royal entity rather than a mediator between god and man. The circle, square and octagon were utilized extensively in the geometric plan of the famed Gardens of Versailles executed during Louis XIV’s reign. These symbols served as physical embodiments of heaven, earth and the authority of the king, respectively. The exterior façade of Platform-L reinterprets the historical notion of absolute authority, particularly with regard to the site’s unconventional plan and its surrounding roads on three sides. The application of this concept is the transformation of the octagon into widened lattices which highlight the building’s horizontality and imply infinite expansion toward the horizon. The appropriation of this geometry within the context of local culture is realized through the use of tenon joints to bind materials, a practice typically seen in traditional Korean windows. In total, three separate louvers were fitted together to form Platform-L’s lattice of intersecting sight lines and create building’s striking exterior.

© Sun Namgoong

Section

© Sun Namgoong

Courtyard 

One of the foremost aims of the project was that it retain a sense of outdoor space throughout; this concept guided the formulation of a design which addresses Korean construction regulations in an unexpected way. Platform-L achieves this by interpreting the outdoors as a mediating space and platform serving to extend and link the various functions of the building, including programs in the galleries and events in the Live Hall as well as visitor experiences in the art shop and cafe. A void space in the form of a courtyard set in the center of the building visually resembles a Western courtyard, though from a functional standpoint it operates more like a traditional Korean courtyard—namely, as a buffer zone and resting place. This space performs a key role in the overall design of Platform-L, connecting the building’s two separate wings and providing a shared free space.

© Sun Namgoong

Live Hall

The Live Hall is an underground multipurpose venue which can accommodate diverse programming for larger audiences. Utilizing basement levels in the design of Platform-L was essential in order to overcome floor area ratio limitations and make use of all available space as efficiently as possible. This spacious setting features eight-meter ceilings and is equipped with full A/V capabilities as well as reconfigurable seating which increases its versatility in facilitating various performances and events. Its interior is also finished as a white cube space in order to offer additional gallery space as needed to complement the building’s upstairs galleries. A moving wall system further enhances the space’s compatibility and allows it to be configured as a box theater, cinema or auditorium. Its removable seating and adjustable stage structure also provide additional opportunities for events such as fashion shows, weddings and other ceremonies.

© Sun Namgoong

Product Description. Its façade covered with anodized aluminum panels helps to create an unique atmosphere responded to urban context. Due to the materials feature, Platform-L’s façade reveals the mischievously dual nature of aluminum, with its uncanny mass-to-volume ratio.

© Sun Namgoong

http://ift.tt/2h4Tk1t

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

• Architects: People's Architecture Office
• Location: Changchun Jie, Beijing，China
• Principal: He Zhe, James Shen, Zang Feng
• Project Team: Chen Yihuai, Zhang Zhen
• Client: Mrs. Fan
• Roof System: Beijing Jianzhong New Material and Technology Co.
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

Mrs. Fan is from a traditional Chinese family. Newlyweds like her are expected to purchase a car and move into a new house in the suburbs to start the next phase of their life. But for people in their early 30’s who wish to be financially independent, the astronomical price of real estate in Beijing makes buying a house on their own nearly impossible.

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

Diagram

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

Mrs. Fan was born and raised in the Changchun Jie Hutong neighborhood in the center of historic Beijing. By the time she was in high school her family had moved to the suburbs while her old neighborhood, with outdated infrastructure and overcrowding, continued to descend into slum-like conditions. But Fan never got accustomed to suburban residential towers, preferring the intimacy of the close knit community she came from.

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

Section

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

The affordability of the Plugin House, thirty times less than the cost of buying a typical apartment, made moving back to where Mrs. Fan grew up a practical reality. The living standard and energy efficiency of a Plugin equals or exceeds that of new apartment towers. And her daily commute to work is now reduced from four hours to one. The Plugin replaces part of the old house and adds new functions such as a kitchen and bathroom. The Changchun Jie neighborhood has no sewage system, so public toilets are usually the only option. But an off-the-grid composting toilet system integrated into the plugin makes Hutong life much more convenient.

Floor Plan

The Plugin House is custom designed for Mrs. Fan. The living room ceiling extends upwards to provide a double height space with skylights on either side. Sunlight is channeled in from above to flood the previously dark interior with light. To relieve Mrs. Fan of her claustrophobia the small bathroom also has a skylight but receives reflected sunlight from a blue privacy screen. Even on gloomy days the bathroom is covered in a blue tint. A roof deck gives her breathing room from the dense surroundings and private social space.

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

PAO’s proprietary prefabricated Plugin Panels makes the Plugin House very affordable. Originally developed for the Courtyard House Plugin for “house in house” renovations, the new Plugin House System is waterproof and can be used outside of an existing structure. These prefabricated modules incorporate insulation, interior and exterior finish into one molded part. Plugin Panels attach to each other with an integrated lock making construction a task simple enough to be completed by a couple of unskilled people and one tool in one day. Wiring and plumbing are integrated into the molded composite panels.

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

The architectural form of the Plugin is defined not by limitations imposed from regulations but instead the negotiated demands from surrounding neighbors. On all sides of the Plugin the structure cannot block sun light, air circulation, and views of the people next door. Even as the structure was built, new demands came about. The Plugin Panel material makes accommodating these changes practical, chopping off entire sections of the building can be done on site.

© Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

As an expression of intersecting social forces the Plugin House is a new urban vernacular born from local conditions. For original residents like Mrs. Fan to move back to these historic parts of Beijing is rare. Through improving living standards for an affordable price within given social constraints the Plugin House attempts to breathe new life into old neighborhoods.

http://ift.tt/2gckIhf

http://ift.tt/2hhZoa2

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

• Architects: HIBINOSEKKEI, Youji no Shiro
• Location: Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan
• Area: 871.0 m2
• Photographs: Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

• Site Area : 3238 m2
• Surface Area: 1193 m2

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

From the architect. Nara province where the site located has 8 world heritage architectures. So this city has a lot of history. On the other side, the site is located at the center of the industrial residence in Yamatokoriyama city. Surrounding is a special sight with simple and no color factories.  This project is to reform an old kindergarten at that site.

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

We were trying to make a positive kindergarten at such a negative environment.

And, by explain the “Factory” where can create stuffs and product things, we made the “Dream and creativity making factory” as our concept.

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

Plan 1

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

About the surface, by consider the urban landscape, we made the designed that had hard texture feeling like a factory.  At the same time, through the courtyard to set up a lot of greens, to create a soft atmosphere. In order to cultivate the kids’ curiosity.  And about the indoor, the places where usually be hidden were deliberately exposed, to create atmosphere like the factory. At the same time, through the ventilator of the piping made of transparent, and put the propeller inside, so that children can learn how the wind flow. By exposed the pipe of washbasin, let the kids know how the flow of water working inside the drain-pipe 

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

Through the design of trampling generating plant, let the children learn how electricity is flowing. Like these, many discover places has been designed. Kindergarten is a place for education and growth, not a place with noble color and toys, as a kindergarten, let the children through their own thinking to create like what we respect is one of the results of our design.

© Ryuji Inoue / Studio Bauhaus

http://ift.tt/2gbVfV0

LAX Theme Building, 1961. Image © Flickr user thomashawk. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced Paul Revere Williams, FAIA as the posthumous winner of the 2017 AIA Gold Medal. With a portfolio of nearly 3,000 buildings over five decades, Williams’ career was notable for breaking boundaries within the profession as the first black member of the AIA.

Paul Revere Williams. Image Courtesy of AIA

“This is a moment in our Institute’s history that is so important to recognize and acknowledge the work of a champion,” said Phil Freelon, FAIA, Managing and Design Director at Perkins + Will, who presented to the AIA Board of Directors on behalf of Williams. “It’s been many decades but Paul Williams is finally being recognized for the brilliant work he did over many years.”

La Concha Motel, Las Vegas, 1961 (now Neon Museum). Image Courtesy of AIA

A native of Los Angeles, Williams was known for his many schools, public buildings, and churches in a variety of styles, notably the Palm Springs Tennis Center (1946) and the space-age LAX Theme Building (1961). Eight of his buildings have been named to to the National Register of Historic Places.

Guardian Angel Cathedral, Las Vegas, 1961. Image Courtesy of AIA

“Our profession desperately needs more architects like Paul Williams,” wrote William J. Bates, FAIA, in his support of William’s nomination for the AIA Gold Medal. “His pioneering career has encouraged others to cross a chasm of historic biases. I can’t think of another architect whose work embodies the spirit of the Gold Medal better. His recognition demonstrates a significant shift in the equity for the profession and the institute.”

LAX Theme Building, 1961. Image Courtesy of AIA

As the 73rd AIA Gold Medalist, Williams joins an esteemed list of winners including Frank Lloyd Wright (1949), Louis Sullivan (1944), Le Corbusier (1961), Louis I. Kahn (1971), I.M. Pei (1979), Thom Mayne (2013), Julia Morgan (2014), Moshe Safdie (2015). Last year, the prize was given to Denise Scott Brown & Robert Venturi, the first time the Gold Medal was given to a pair of architects.

Read more about Williams’ nomination here.

News via AIA.

http://ift.tt/2gDBHoQ