AIA College of Fellows Awards 2011 Latrobe Prize for “Public Interest Practices in Architecture”

by Jonathan McGaha | February 15, 2011 12:00 am

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows has awarded the 2011 Latrobe Prize of $100,000 for the proposal, “Public Interest Practices in Architecture.” The study will investigate the needs that can be addressed by public interest practices and the variety of ways that public interest practices are operating.

The grant, named for architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, is awarded biennially by the AIA College of Fellows for research leading to significant advances in the architecture profession.

The 2011 Latrobe Prize Jury included Thomas Fisher, Assoc. AIA, University of Minnesota; Peter Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Shelia Kennedy, AIA, Kennedy Violich Architects; Henry Koffman University of Southern California; Sharon Sutton, FAIA, PhD, University of Washington; Chet Widom, FAIA, Vice Chancellor, College of Fellows and Norman Koonce, FAIA, Bursar, College of Fellows.

The project team is comprised of Bryan Bell, Executive Director of Design Corps; Roberta Feldman, Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Sergio Palleroni, Senior Fellow for the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University and David Perkes, AIA, Director of Gulf Coast Community Design Studio at Mississippi State University.

The research will examine three questions:

What are the needs that can be addressed by public interest practices?
How are current public interest practices operating?
What is necessary for public interest work to become significant segment of architectural practice?

“We admired the relevance of the winning team’s proposal, which will provide practical advice to those who want to pursue careers in public-interest design,” said Jury chair Thomas Fisher, Assoc. AIA. “At a time when billions of people around the world have a dire need for architectural services without the ability to pay the fees, the development of a public-interest practice manual may be one of the most urgent tasks facing the profession. The winners of this year’s Latrobe Prize are among the most experienced people working in this area, and their manual will be an invaluable resource for those who want to follow in their footsteps.”

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