Bustler's Top Prize-Winning Architects of 2016

Not a year goes by without one — or maybe 10 — of today's reputable architects becoming the latest laureate of a leading institution's most honorable architecture award; not to mention the debate that normally ensues in the design community and beyond. Whether through practice, scholarly research, teaching, or expertly juggling all three, these architects have made their lasting mark.

Bustler put together a round-up of our top award-winning architects from the past year, in no particular order. Check out our 2016 list below.

In case you missed it, here's our list of 2016's Top Prize-Winning Projects.

Alejandro Aravena - Pritzker Prize

Not only was Alejandro Aravena the director to the 2016 Venice Biennale, he became the first Chilean architect to win the Pritzker this past January — plus, he is one of the youngest laureates. Reactions to Aravena's selection were generally positive, though also conflicted.

Paulo Mendes da Rocha

2016 was a golden year for Paulo Mendes da Rocha. In four months' time, the 2006 Pritzker laureate received three lifetime achievement awards: the Venice Biennale Golden Lion, the Praemium Imperiale Award, and then the 2017 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. How about that.

Jeanne Gang - Architect of the Year,Architectural Review's Women in Architecture Awards

The Architectural Review chose Jeanne Gang as their Architect of the Year in the 2016 Women in Architecture Awards in time for Women's History Month in March. Known for creating bold, sustainability-minded buildings like the Aqua Tower, Gang was honored for her Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, Michigan.

Scott Merrill - The Driehaus Prize

The Driehaus Prize jury cited Scott Merrill for his skillful combination of classical and vernacular forms of architecture. The Driehaus Prize is a lifetime achievement award for architects whose work has created a positive cultural impact, while also “maintaining the highest standards of classical architecture in contemporary society”.

Níall McLaughlin - RIBA Charles Jencks Award

Níall McLaughlin received RIBA's Charles Jencks Awards for his significant contributions to both contemporary architecture theory and practice. McLaughlin won the 2015 Stephen Lawrence Prize and also designed the 2012 Olympic Athletes' Housing in London and the stunning Bishop Edward King Chapel.

Anna Puigjaner - Wheelwright Prize

Out of four shortlisted architects, MAIO co-founder Anna Puigjaner won the Harvard GSD's prestigious $100,000 travel research grant for her timely-as-ever proposal “Kitchenless City: Architectural Systems for Social Welfare”. Puigjaner will spend the next two years studying collective housing models in various countries, aiming to find new solutions that address persisting housing issues.

Paul Revere Williams - AIA Gold Medal (posthumous)

The AIA Board of Directors bestowed a posthumous 2017 Gold Medal to the iconic Paul Revere Williams, the first African-American recipient. Williams — who passed away in 1980 — was the first black architect to join the AIA and to be elected in the Institute's College of Fellows. To say the least, it's about time the trailblazing architect became a Gold Medalist.

Steven Holl - Daylight Architecture Award

Without a doubt, Steven Hollis surely a worthy winner of the Daylight Award for Architecture, whose roster of laureates includes Jørn Utzon, Henning Larsen, SANAA, Peter Zumthor, and more. The prize honors distinguished practitioners who have created buildings or urban landscapes that illustrate a unique use of daylight. (On a side note, still no Pritzker for Holl.)

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects - AIA Architecture Firm Award

San Francisco-based Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects recently won the AIA's highest accolade for an architecture practice. The AIA acknowledged LMSA for a diverse, impactful portfolio of projects that reflects their steadfast dedication to social consciousness and environmental responsibility.

Phyllis Lambert

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin presented the 2016 Wolf Prize to Phyllis Lambert this past summer. To get an idea of the Wolf Prize's level of prestige, Wolf recipients are typically considered as potential candidates for the Nobel Prize. Before that, Lambert won the notable Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for her influential contributions to architecture as an art.

Frank Gehry - Harvard Arts Medal

Frank Gehry returned to Harvard University to accept the Harvard Arts Medal, and was the very first architect to win the school's distinguished arts achievement award. The medal's star-studded list of winners includes cellist Yo-Yo Ma, actors Tommy Lee Jones and Matt Damon, writer Margaret Atwood, playwright Christopher Durang, and more.

Be on the lookout for more 2016 year-end lists on Bustler! In case you missed it, here's our list for 2016's Top Prize-Winning Projects.