Wednesday, October 5
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Mark Shoemaker accepts the 2005 Louis Sullivan Award on behalf of Cesar Pelli from BAC President John J. Flynn. |
The Louis Sullivan Award for excellence in masonry architecture, BAC’s highest design commendation, was awarded to architect Cesar Pelli, FAIA, in October 2005.
Mark Shoemaker, FAIA, Associate Principal of Cesar Pelli & Associates, accepted on behalf of Pelli, who was unable to attend. Shoemaker conveyed Pelli’s deep appreciation for the honor, and informed delegates of the architect’s generous contribution of $10,000 to the BAC Disaster Relief Fund, saying, “Our hearts go out to all those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”
In his acceptance address, Shoemaker compared Pelli’s relationship with his associates to that of our Union, likening it to “the great tradition of master and apprentice.” Shoemaker said this collaborative process extends to other disciplines throughout every phase of construction, noting the team effort between architects and craftworkers.
Pelli’s design philosophy, as described by Shoemaker, juxtaposes an allegiance to enduring building traditions with “pushing architecture further along” in an attempt to “seek out the soul or essence of the place.” Shoemaker’s presentation, which illustrated selected Pelli & Associates’ works from large projects to institutional and academic structures, gave added dimension to these design principles, particularly in his use of masonry to its best advantage.
Cesar Pelli was born in Argentina, where he earned a diploma in Architecture from the University of Tucumán and served his apprenticeship in the offices of Eero Saarinen. In 1977, Pelli became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture, the same year he founded Cesar Pelli & Associates. He resigned his post as Dean in 1984, but continues to lecture on architecture at the university.
In 1991, Pelli was named one the 10 most influential architects. In 1995, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal, and in 2004 he received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Recent Pelli projects include Yale University’s Engineering Research Building, the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin, Grinnell College’s Bucksbaum Center, and the University of Chicago’s Ratner Athletic Center.
| Born in Boston in 1856, Louis Sullivan is credited with creating some of the most influential structures in American architecture. Examples of his work include the Auditorium Building in Chicago (1889), the Wainwright Building in St. Louis (1891), the Stock Exchange Building in Chicago (1893) and the Guaranty Building in Buffalo (1895). Through these structures, Sullivan demonstrated how well masonry’s aesthetic traditions could be applied to the modern skyscraper. Through his famous axiom, “form follows function,” Sullivan’s balancing of ornamentation with the whole of building design resulted in a building exterior reflective of its interior structure and functions.
Past recipients of the Louis Sullivan Award include Stanley Tigerman, FAIA (2000), William Rawn (1995), Hammond/Beeby/Babka (1989), Benjamin Thompson (1985), Robert Venturi (1983), Philip Johnson (1975), and Ulrich Franzen (1970). Special posthumous awards were made to Louis Kahn and O’Neil Ford.
For more information on Cesar Pelli, visit www.cesar-pelli.com. For more information on the Louis Sullivan Award visit, www.bacweb.org.
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