Sir Nicholas Grimshaw has been awarded the 2019 Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects. RIBA, the UK’s highest award for architecture, is an annual accolade of a lifetime’s work to a person or group of people, who have had a significant influence either directly or indirectly in the field of architecture. Grimshaw’s acclaimed works include the International Terminal at Waterloo station, London, and the Eden Project in Cornwall.
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The Gold Medal by RIBA is personally approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – who knighted Grimshaw in 2002.
Previous winners of the award include Neave Brown (2018) and Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2017).
The Eden Project in Cornwall. Image © Sealand Aerial Photography
“I am thrilled to hear about the Gold Medal and would like to thank those who supported my nomination. My life and that of the practice has always been involved in the experiment and in ideas, particularly around sustainability,” said Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, reacting to the news of being awarded the Gold medal, “I have always felt we should use the technology of the age we live in for the improvement of mankind. I would like to thank everyone who has ever worked in the office for contributing to our bank of ideas, and for helping to make it an enjoyable and humanistic place.”
Thermae Bath Spa. Image © Jason Hawkes
RIBA President:
RIBA President Ben Derbyshire commented on the news, praising Grimshaw for “an extraordinary number of buildings and infrastructure projects of international significance, and for the continuous development of an architecture which places technology at the heart of the aesthetic.”
British Pavilion Expo ’92. Image © Jo Reid & John Peck
He also said that the recognition for the architect, who founded his practice, Grimshaw Architects in 1980 was “well overdue”.
The professional body for architects in the United Kingdom, RIBA, praised the architect for his modernist style and innovative approach.
He was nominated for the award by Simon Allford of AHMM. Other supporters include Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Jane Priestman, Frank Gehry, Peter Cook, Ted Cullinan, and Antony Gormley.
Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg. Image © Yuri Molodkovets
“For more than half a century, Sir Nicholas’s influence has been exceptional,” added Derbyshire.
International Terminal Waterloo. Image © Jo Reid & John Peck
Sir Nicholas Grimshaw had earlier won the RIBA Stirling Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture for Waterloo Station’s International Terminal. The Gold medal will be presented to Grimshaw at a ceremony in early 2019.
International Terminal Waterloo – Photography: Jo Reid & John Peck
