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Louis I. Kahn Award
Since 1983, the annual Louis I. Kahn Award has honored the most influential and accomplished architects from around the world. Awardees present a talk in Philadelphia, open to the public, in which they discuss their innovative designs, their inspirations, and their motivations.
This event celebrates recipients' achievements in memory of Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn [1901-1974], whose monumental designs have influenced generations of architects. Kahn designed such famous structures as the Salk Institute in La Jolla California; the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and the Richards Medical Research Laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was also a renowned teacher at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and Princeton.
This event is a fantastic way to learn about the design process architects use to shape the world around us and to be inspired by the most influential minds in the field of architecture alive today. This event also serves as a fundraiser for DesignPhiladelphia's K-12 programming. The program introduces students to the design process and various design careers through in-classroom and out-of-school activities, fostering their creative development and opening doors to exciting opportunities.
DesignPhiladelphia is thrilled to present the 37th Louis I. Kahn Award to Weiss/Manfredi. The award-winning firm, founded by Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, has consistently pushed boundaries in architectural design, with projects ranging from cultural institutions to urban masterplans – and demonstrating a deep understanding of context, sustainability, and human experience, resulting in architecture that resonates both aesthetically and functionally. Notable examples of their work the Seattle Museum of Art's Olympic Sculpture Park, Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania, Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park on the East River in New York. In 2021, the firm broke ground on two much-anticipated projects, U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India expected to open in 2027 and Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience—a sweeping reimagination of 17 acres of Longwood Gardens Conservatory and grounds, opening in fall 2024.
Architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of a New York-based architectural design firm — will present a talk in acceptance of the award. The ceremony will take place at the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Anthropology and Archeology at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. A VIP reception with light hors' d oeuvres and beverages will take place in the Chinese Rotunda from 5:30 - 6:30 pm.
2024
Weiss/Manfredi
2023
Herzog & de Meuron
2021
Stephen Kieran, FAIA & James Timberlake, FAIA
2019
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
2018
Sir David Adjaye
2017
Jeanne Gang
2016
Bjarke Ingels
2015
Lord Norman Foster
2014
Steven Hall, FAIA
2013
Ted Flato, FAIA
2011
Bernard Tschumi, FAIA
2010
Peter Bohlin, FAIA
2009
Thom Mayne, FAIA
2008
James Polshek, FAIA
2007
Billie Tsien, AIA
and Tod Williams, FAIA
2006
David Chipperfield, RIBA
2005
Moshe Safdie, FAIA
2004
Daniel Libeskind, BDA
2003
Sir Nicholas Grimshaw,
RIBA, Hon FAIA
2002
Robert A. M. Stern, FAIA
2001
Tadao Ando
1999
Peter Eisenman, FAIA
1997
Rafael Vinoly, FAIA
1996
Rafael Moneo, FAIA
1995
James Ingo Freed, FAIA
1994
Cesar Pelli, FAIA
1993
Joseph Esherick, FAIA
1992
Christopher Alexander
1991
Antoine Predock, FAIA
1990
Fumihiko Maki, Hon FAIA
1989
Frank O. Gehry, FAIA
1988
Charles W. Moore, FAIA
1987
Vincent J. Scully, Jr.
1986
Robert Venturi, FAIA
1985
Paul Goldberger
1984
Dr. Jonas Salk
1983
Romaldo Giurgola, FAIA
