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Talk

Beyond the Prize

How Architecture Awards Can Catalyse Meaningful Change

Dates


Location
Ocean Space
Admission fee
Free of charge
Information

Hosted by a consortium of prestigious international architecture awards, in collaboration with TBA21–Academy's Ocean Space

Language

The event will be held in English

Bookings

Free admission without reservation until maximum capacity is reached

"Beyond the Prize" unites a consortium of six prestigious international architecture awards — the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, the EUmies Awards, the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, the OBEL Award, and the Ammodo Architecture Award — alongside six globally renowned architects to critically reflect on the evolving role of architectural recognition.

Set against the backdrop of the Venice Biennale 2025 and its theme of collective intelligence, this moderated discussion critically reflects on the purpose, impact and trajectory of awards amid pressing planetary, social and environmental challenges.

This unique forum marks a pivotal moment — it’s an invitation to rethink and examine the role of prize-giving today to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time. From ethics and long-term impact to fostering global collaboration, "Beyond the Prize" emphasises the urgent responsibility of architecture awards to transcend mere recognition and serve as catalysts for meaningful change. The conversation calls on award bodies to work together, share knowledge and raise standards to ensure meaningful, lasting change.

Speakers

  • Farrokh Derakhshani, Director, Aga Khan Award for Architecture
  • Ivan Blasi, Director, EUmies Awards
  • Dirk Denison, Director, Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize
  • Laura Viscovich, Executive Director, Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
  • Jesper Eis Eriksen, Executive Director, OBEL Award
  • Marleen van Driel, Director of Architecture, Ammodo Architecture Award
  • Xu Tiantian, Founding Principal Architect, DnA_Design and Architecture
  • Mohsen Mostafavi, Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design and Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
  • Kjetil Thorsen, Co-founder, Snøhetta
  • Marina Tabassum, Principal Architect, Marina Tabassum Architects
  • Rozana Montiel, Founder and Director, Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura
  • Andrés Jaque, Founding Principal, Office for Political Innovation, Dean Columbia University GSAPP

Moderated by: James Taylor-Foster, Writer, Cultural Critic, and Curator of design and digital culture