by: AIA New York
On April 20, 2018, AIA New York brought together over 700 members of the architecture community to celebrate design excellence at its annual Honors and Awards Luncheon, held at Cipriani Wall Street. The Luncheon celebrated the teams behind the 30 winning projects of the 2018 AIANY Design Awards, and recognized three distinguished honorees for demonstrating that design matters.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Inga Saffron, received the Stephen A. Klimen Oculus Award, conferred on individuals who communicate the value of architecture to a wider community. While Saffron’s weekly column, “Changing Skyline,” is Philadelphia-focused, AIANY 2018 President Guy Geier, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP, noted, “her thoughtful, forceful journalism reverberates beyond her city, pushing the boundaries of traditional architectural criticism to investigate the forces – economic, political, and cultural – that shape our cities and our lives.”
AIA New York presented Ai Weiwei with the 2018 Award of Merit, which recognizes non-architects for supporting design in NYC, for creating art that incites action and challenges us to reconsider our public realm. Activist and artist Ai Weiwei uses a wide range of media, including architecture, to examine society and its values. Last year, New York City hosted “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” a multi-site exhibition organized in collaboration with the Public Art Fund that examined issues of territory, borders, and immigration by actively engaging the city and its built environment.
The Luncheon’s final honoree was Claire Weisz, FAIA, who received the 2018 AIANY Medal of Honor for her immense contributions to the public and civic spaces of New York City. According to Geier, “From waterfront resiliency plans for the Rockaways and the East River, to a widely-acclaimed, crystal-like salt shed for DSNY, the work of Claire Weisz, FAIA, both large and small, shows her commitment to elevating the public realm by creating vibrant, equitable, and well-designed spaces for all.”
Thank you to all our members and supporters who joined us to celebrate the achievements of our honorees and the Design Awards winners.
The 2018 AIANY Design Awards project winners are also showcased in an exhibition at the Center for Architecture, on view through June 24.