Nicholas Grimshaw received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2019. The award recognised an architectural career associated with the expressive use of structure, technical coordination and large public programmes. It is a historical award story, rather than an announcement of a new honour.
Nicholas Grimshaw and the 2019 Royal Gold Medal
The useful way to study this work is to look beyond the label “high-tech.” Ask how structural repetition organises space, how joints accommodate change and how building systems contribute to the experience of the whole. Technical expression is strongest when it explains what the building does, rather than simply displaying complexity.
Learning from structure and enclosure
A large enclosure must reconcile different scales. The overall span may define the image of a building, but occupants encounter entrances, edges, surfaces and daylight at close range. A precedent study should therefore connect a structural diagram with a person’s route through the building. That prevents engineering and architectural experience from being treated as separate subjects.
For a portfolio or studio project, the lesson is to make the construction logic readable. Show the repeating unit, the exception at an edge and the connection that allows the system to work. Explain how the design can be inspected, maintained or adapted. An award provides a starting point for that investigation; it is not a substitute for studying the work itself.
Turn a focused precedent study into a clear portfolio explanation with our architecture portfolio guide: building an architecture portfolio.
Key takeaways
- Keep the award date explicit.
- Read structure, enclosure and servicing together.
- Use details to explain how an architectural system works.
Related reading on Arch2O
- The 2023 Royal Gold Medal Recipient Is the Acclaimed Yasmeen Lari
- Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha has won the 2017 RIBA Royal Gold Medal
Sources and further reading
Ruba Ahmed, a senior project editor at Arch2O and an Alexandria University graduate, has reviewed hundreds of architectural projects with precision and insight. Specializing in architecture and urban design, she excels in project curation, topic selection, and interdepartmental collaboration. Her dedication and expertise make her a pivotal asset to Arch2O.