Michael Graves wins 2012 Driehaus Prize

Image provided by MICHAEL GRAVES & ASSOCIATES

By Karissa Rosenfield — from ARCHDAILY

Michael Graves has been chosen as the 2012 Driehaus Laureate, honoring his lifetime contributions to classical and traditional architecture in the modern world. The jury praised Graves for his “brilliant combinations of tradition and imagination” within his architecture and product design, stating that his deep understanding and respect of the past allows him to enrich the architectural process.

“Michael Graves has enhanced not just the architecture profession with his talent and scholarship, but everyday life itself through his inspiring attention to beautiful and accessible design,” says Michael Lykoudis, Driehaus Prize Jury Chair and Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. “The quality and scope of his work have enhanced how people work, live, and interact in public and private realms, making a profound impact on American life.”

View ArchDaily’s interview with Michael Graves here and continue reading for more information on the Driehaus Prize.

Established in 2003 through the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, the Richard H. Driehaus Prize represents the most significant recognition for classicism in the contemporary built environment.

“Beauty, harmony, and context are hallmarks of classical architecture, thus fostering communities, enhancing the quality of our shared environment and developing sustainable solutions through traditional materials,” says Richard H. Driehaus

Recipients receive $200,000 and a bronze miniature of the Choregic Monument of Lysikrates. Graves will be honored during a March 24 ceremony in Chicago. Past winners include Léon Krier, Allan Greenberg, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany, Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil, and Robert A.M. Stern.

The Jury:

• Adele Chatfield-Taylor (President of the American Academy in Rome)
• Robert Davis (Developer and Founder of Seaside, Florida)
• Richard H. Driehaus (Founder and Chairman of Driehaus Capital Management)
• Paul Goldberger (Architecture Critic for The New Yorker), Léon Krier (Inaugural Driehaus Prize Laureate)
• Michael Lykoudis (Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture)
• Witold Rybczynski (Meyerson Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania and Architecture Critic for Slate)

Reference: University of Notre Dame