Francis Kéré, Paul Goldberger, Theaster Gates are among the winners The American Academy of Arts and Letters, an honor society founded in 1898 of 250 members that include architects, artists, composers, and writers, has announced the recipients of its 2017 architecture awards.
Awarded annually since 1955, the $10,000 cash prizes are given to American architects whose work is characterized by a strong personal direction, or who explores ideas in architecture through any medium of expression. The Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize of $20,000 is awarded to an architect of any nationality who has made a significant contribution to architecture as an art.
This year?s recipient of the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize is Diébédo Francis Kéré, the Berlin-based founder of Kéré Architecture. Kéré, who was born in Gando, Burkina Faso, is known for structures that incorporate local materials and technology that reflect the site?s environmental and economic contexts, like the acclaimed Gando Primary School. Kéré will also be designing this year?s Serpentine Pavilion, which will open in Kensington Gardens, London, in June.
Courtesy Hood Design Studio
A design by Walter Hood.

Installation artist Theaster Gates and critic Paul Goldberger received the two $10,000 prizes for their exploration of ideas in architecture. Based in Chicago, Gates founded the Rebuild Foundation, a non-profit that supports artists and strengthens communities by providin...