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Antoine Predock, FAIA, Selected to Receive The 2006 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., December 8,
2005 — The Board of Directors of The American Institute of Architects
(AIA) is pleased to announce that architect Antoine Predock, FAIA,
is the recipient of the 2006 AIA Gold Medal.
The AIA Gold Medal, given annually, is the highest honor the AIA
confers on an architect. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose
significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory
and practice of architecture. The award will be presented at the
American Architectural Foundation Accent on Architecture Gala,
February 10, 2006 at the National Building Museum in Washington,
D.C.
“I was thinking, is this happening? Am I dreaming?” said
Predock when notified by AIA president Douglas L Steidl, FAIA,
MRAIC, that he had been selected for the award. “I am deeply
honored. In some ways I feel like my career is just starting, this
is the ultimate. Thank you so much. I can really put the pedal to
the medal now!”
Predock is the 62nd AIA Gold Medalist, joining the ranks of such
visionaries as Thomas Jefferson (1993), Frank Lloyd Wright (1949),
Louis Sullivan (1944), LeCorbusier (1961), Louis Kahn (1971), I.M.
Pei (1979), Cesar Pelli (1995) and last year’s recipient,
Santiago Calatrava. In recognition of his legacy to architecture,
Predock’s name will be chiseled into the granite Wall of Honor
located in the lobby of the AIA headquarters in Washington,
DC.
In nominating Predock for the award, Thomas S. Howorth, FAIA,
chairman, AIA Committee on Design Gold Medal Committee, explained,
“Arguably, more than any American architect of any time,
Antoine Predock has asserted a personal and place-inspired vision
of architecture with such passion and conviction that his buildings
have been universally embraced.” Howorth continued,
“Antoine Predock designs buildings that grow out of their
unique landscapes, creating, at the same time, symbols that are
fearlessly expressive and sincere, simultaneously complex and
guileless.”
His approach to design is born out of his geographic surroundings,
the American West, an open desert full of history and expansive
space. The scale of Predock’s work ranges from the famed
Turtle Creek house, built in 1993 for bird enthusiasts along a
prehistoric trail in Texas, to a $285 million ballpark for the San
Diego Padres that reinvents the concept of a stadium as a
“garden” rather than a sports complex. His influence also
reaches international sites, namely the new National Palace Museum
in Taiwan. Additionally, his masterful integration of contemporary
work in historical context, a skill for which he is well-known, is
apparent in his buildings at Stanford and Rice Universities.
Physical interaction with the land plays a vital role in his design
process and he is known for making the voices of his clients ring
clearly throughout the entire project. It has been said by many
that Predock’s work joins the “mind” of architecture
with the “body,” and embeds both with a sense of
spirituality that connects the land, the space, the client, and
society together seamlessly.
Predock’s concentration of award-winning projects in the
American West and throughout the United States are a testament to
his unique ability to design highly contextual works. His list of
national awards include: the American Architecture Award, Pima
Community College Learning Center, Green Valley, AZ (2005); GSA
Design Award, U. S. Federal Courthouse, El Paso, TX (2004); the
Tucker Architectural Awards, Shadow House, Santa Fe, NM (2004); the
AIA Western Mountain Region Honor Award, Robert Hoag Rawlings
Public Library, Pueblo, CO (2004); USITT, Spencer Theater for the
Performing Arts, Alto, NM (2004); and the AIA/New Mexico Honor
Award, Shadow House, Santa Fe, NM (2004).
Predock attended architecture school at the University of New
Mexico and graduated from Columbia University. Rather than trends
or reactions, Predock’s approaches to architectural design,
such as listening to the land, building with environmental
sensitivity, and embracing all facets of a site’s culture,
have shaped his philosophy from the beginning of his career. His
spiritual connection to his work is credited as the reason that he
has been, and continues to be, a legendary American architect. He
currently practices from his home base just off historic Route
66.
About The American Institute of Architects
For almost 150 years, members of The American Institute of
Architects have worked with each other and their communities to
create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings
and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people,
knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such
resources and access, they help clients and communities make their
visions real. www.aia.org
Note to Editors: High-resolution images and a fact sheet are
available for download, please contact Cara Battaglini in the AIA
media relations office at 202.626.7462 or email carab@aia.org for
more information.
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