Pier Carlo Bontempi to receive Richard H. Driehaus Prize from Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame School of Architecture announced today that architect Pier Carlo Bontempi will receive the 2014 Richard H. Driehaus Prize at a ceremony to be held on Saturday, March 29 at the John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium in Chicago.

Bontempi’s award-winning international work includes a block recovery plan in Parma’s historic center, as well as the Place de Toscane and the “Quartier du Lac” resort in Val d’Europe near Paris. His studio works on new traditional architecture and architectural projects including restoration, rebuilding and town planning. A native of Fornovo di Taro, Parma, Italy, Bontempi studied architecture at the University of Florence and has taught at Florence University, the École Spéciale d’Architecture of Paris, Syracuse University of New York in Florence, the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart and the Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture in London.

“Bontempi’s work illustrates why the idea of the traditional city and its architecture are referred to as ‘the original green,’” said Michael Lykoudis, Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the Notre Dame School of Architecture. “His buildings, seamlessly woven into their urban environments, demonstrate the principles of the new classicism and urbanism. Their durable construction, adaptive interior space and sensitive urban siting make them exemplars of architecture as an art of conservation and investment as opposed to consumption and waste.”

“Bontempi acquired his vast architectural knowledge and versatility by studying the rich fabric of Italy, the cities and landscapes he grew up in,” said Léon Krier, the inaugural Driehauslaureate. “The serenity, robustness, elegance and economy of his considerable built work provide exemplary models for better cities and buildings in the cities and towns of the future.”

Established in 2003 by the Notre Dame School of Architecture, the $200,000 Richard H. Driehaus Prize is awarded to a living architect whose work embodies the highest ideals of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society, and creates a positive cultural, environmental and artistic impact. In keeping with the School of Architecture’s classical andurbanist curriculum, the prize provides a forum for celebrating and advancing the principles of the traditional city with an emphasis on sustainability. Previous recipients of the DriehausPrize include Thomas H. Beeby (2013), Michael Graves (2012), Robert A.M. Stern (2011) and Rafael Manzano Martos (2010).

“I am most pleased with the selection of Pier Carlo Bontempi as the 2014 Richard H. Driehaus Prize laureate,” said Richard H. Driehaus, founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Chicago-based Driehaus Capital Management LLC. “His work has consistently responded to the unique qualities of historic environments as well as to the needs of modern society. Each project has achieved a nuanced balance between traditional principles and worldly cosmopolitanism, a quality lacking in today’s urban settings. His work is a reminder to all of us that great architecture possesses not only confidence and wonder, but that it is born of a humanistic impulse.”

This year’s Driehaus Prize jury was composed of Adele Chatfield-Taylor, president of the American Academy in Rome; Robert Davis, developer and founder of Seaside, Fla.; Paul Goldberger, contributing editor at Vanity Fair; Léon Krier, architect and urban planner; Demetri Porphyrios, principal of Porphyrios Associates; and Witold Rybczynski, Meyerson Professor Emeritus of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania.

Berlin-based David Chipperfield Architects was selected as the winner of the design competition for the new National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The project will modernize and expand the original neoclassical museum designed by Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller (1866-1874) with new spaces that follow the existing topography of the site. It will add approximately 20,000 sm of space to the existing museum, as well as a rooftop park that will be open to the public.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

Watch: DBA Architects' Bryan Moore talks micro communities and the benefits of walkable neighborhoods

What is a micro-community? Where are they most prevalent? What’s the future for micro communities? These questions (and more) addressed by Bryan Moore, President and CEO of DBA Architects.

MetroHealth System The Glick Center Cleveland Photo Nic Lehoux Architectural Photography, courtesy HGA

Healthcare Facilities | Feb 21, 2023

Cleveland's Glick Center hospital anchors neighborhood revitalization

The newly opened MetroHealth Glick Center in Cleveland, a replacement acute care hospital for MetroHealth, is the centerpiece of a neighborhood revitalization. The eleven-story structure is located within a ‘hospital-in-a-park’ setting that will provide a bucolic space to the community where public green space is lacking. It will connect patients, visitors, and staff to the emotional and physical benefits of nature.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

Multifamily housing investors favoring properties in the Sun Belt

Multifamily housing investors are gravitating toward Sun Belt markets with strong job and population growth, according to new research from Yardi Matrix. Despite a sharp second-half slowdown, last year’s nationwide $187 billion transaction volume was the second-highest annual total ever.

New residential and mixed-use buildings in Portland, Ore., must be ready for electric vehicle charging

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

New multifamily housing and mixed-use buildings in Portland, Ore., must be ready for electric vehicle charging

The Portland, Ore., City Council recently voted unanimously to require all new residential and mixed-use buildings to be ready for electric vehicle charging. The move amends Portland’s zoning laws to require all new multi-dwelling and mixed-use development of five or more units with onsite parking to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Morrow High School Ellenwood, Georgia, by Perkins and Will The curving, S-shaped classroom building follows the ridge that runs across the greenfield site, reducing impact on its wetlands.

K-12 Schools | Feb 18, 2023

Atlanta suburb opens $85 million serpentine-shaped high school designed by Perkins&Will

In Ellenwood, Ga., a southeast suburb of Atlanta, Perkins and Will has partnered with Clayton County Public Schools and MEJA Construction to create a $85 million secondary school. Morrow High School, which opened in fall 2022, serves more than 2,200 students in Clayton County, a community with students from over 30 countries.

First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City

Museums | Feb 17, 2023

First Americans Museum uses design metaphors of natural elements to honor native worldview

First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City honors the 39 tribes in Oklahoma today, reflecting their history through design metaphors of nature’s elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. The design concept includes multiple circles suggested by arcs, reflecting the native tradition of a circular worldview that encompasses the cycle of life, the seasons, and the rotation of the earth.

J. Brett Blanton was the 12th Architect of the Capitol, serving 2020-2023. Photo: AOC.gov

Architects | Feb 17, 2023

Architect of the Capitol fired by President Biden after strong bipartisan criticism

Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton was let go this week following alleged abuse of authority, misuse of government property, and wasted taxpayer money.

Qianhai Prisma Towers by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group Rendering Atchain

High-rise Construction | Feb 15, 2023

Bjarke Ingels' 'leaning towers' concept wins Qianhai Prisma Towers design competition

A pair of sloped high-rises—a 300-meter residential tower and a 250-meter office tower—highlight the Qianhai Prisma Towers development in Qianhai, Shenzhen, China. BIG recently won the design competition for the project.

Currently Reading

Pier Carlo Bontempi to receive Richard H. Driehaus Prize from Notre Dame

Tags

Arenas | Feb 23, 2023

Museums | Feb 22, 2023

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

Healthcare Facilities | Feb 21, 2023

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

K-12 Schools | Feb 18, 2023

Museums | Feb 17, 2023

Architects | Feb 17, 2023

High-rise Construction | Feb 15, 2023

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: