The Alvar Aalto Medal was established in 1967 by the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), and the Finnish Architectural Society. The Medal has been awarded intermittently since 1967, when the medal was created in honour of Alvar Aalto.[1] The award is given in recognition of a significant contribution to creative architecture. The award was given earlier at the Alvar Aalto Symposium, held every three years in Jyväskylä, Aalto's hometown. Recently the ceremony has been organized on Aalto's birthday, February 3rd, today the Finnish national Day of Architecture.
The Alvar Aalto medal is typically awarded every 3 years in association with 5 organisations: the Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), the City of Helsinki, Foundation for the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Architecture Information Finland, and The Finnish Society of Architecture.[2] The medal, said to be awarded to future star architects; avoiding both currently vogue and the most radical avant-garde work. The medal was last awarded in 2024 to Marie-José Van Hee.[3]
The physical medal awarded to recipients was designed by Finnish architect Heikki Hyytiäinen in collaboration with Alvar Aalto. Its shape resembles a classical amphitheatre, a motif frequently used by Aalto in many of his designs. The medal is cast in bronze.
Recipients of the Alvar Aalto Medal
edit| Year | Recipient | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Alvar Aalto |  Finland
|
| 1973 | Hakon Ahlberg |  Sweden
|
| 1977 | James Stirling |  United Kingdom
|
| 1982 | Jørn Utzon |  Denmark
|
| 1985 | Tadao Ando |  Japan
|
| 1988 | Alvaro Siza |  Portugal
|
| 1992 | Glenn Murcutt |  Australia
|
| 1998 | Steven Holl |  United States
|
| 2003 | Rogelio Salmona |  Colombia
|
| 2009 | Tegnestuen Vandkunsten | Denmark
|
| 2012 | Paulo David | Portugal
|
| 2015 | Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano |  Spain
|
| 2017 | Zhang Ke |  China
|
| 2020 | Bijoy Jain[4] |  India
|
| 2024 | Marie-José Van Hee[5] |  Belgium
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Museum of Finnish Architecture, retrieved 7 March 2010
- ^ Alvar Aalto Foundation (2011). "HE ALVAR AALTO MEDAL – AWARD RULES AND JURY GUIDELINES". Alvar Aalto Foundation. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Alvar Aalto -mitali". Alvar Aalto Foundation | Alvar Aalto -säätiö (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ MFA
- ^ Varis, Anni (2024-08-22). "Alvar Aalto Medal 2024 goes to Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee". Suomen Arkkitehtiliitto SAFA. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
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