RAIC distinguishes four international Honorary Fellows for 2018

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada recently named four international Honorary Fellows for 2018: Diébédo Francis Kéré, Odile Decq, William J. Stanley III, and John Sorrenti. The Fellows were selected for their significant contributions to both the profession and society.

“We are thrilled that these exceptional professionals have accepted to become members of the RAIC,” said Diarmuid Nash, Chancellor of the RAIC College of Fellows, in a statement. “Odile Decq is one of the most successful women in architecture and serves as a role model to many. Diébédo Francis Kéré creates inspiring architecture that uplifts communities and helps an exchange of ideas between Africa and Europe. In addition to running a thriving practice, John Sorrenti has devoted countless hours to professional associations, while William Stanley has broken new ground for African American architects in the American South.”

Diébédo Francis Kéré: Born in Burkina Faso, Kéré studied at the Technical University of Berlin, where he founded Kéré Architecture in 2005. He combines traditional building techniques and materials with modern engineering methods in developing innovative construction strategies. He continues to reinvest knowledge back in Burkina Faso, and has undertaken projects in Mali, Germany, and Switzerland. His firm was honored with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004 for his first building, a primary school in his home village of Gando. He has held professorships at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Swiss Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio.

Odile Decq: Founder of Paris-based Studio Odile Decq, Odile Decq is a French architect, urban planner and academic. In 2014, she established her own international school of architecture in Lyon called  the Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture. Her notable projects include the Banque Populaire de l'Ouest in Rennes, the Cargo office building in Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome and the Fangshan Tangshan National Geopark Museum in Nanjing, China. She received the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennial in 1996 and the 2016 Jane Drew Prize from The Architectural Review for promoting women in architecture.

William J. Stanley III: William J. Stanley III is the co-founder and principal for design of the Atlanta-based firm Stanley, Love-Stanley, P.C., which he established with his wife Ivenue Love-Stanley in 1977, and has become the second largest African-American architectural practice in the South. A trailblazer for African-American architects in the region, Stanley was the first African-American graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Architecture in 1972, and was also the South's youngest African American to receive his registration as an architect. He also received the AIA’s 1995 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Citation and was the 2014 Chancellor of the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) College of Fellows, among other awards.

John Sorrenti: John R. Sorrenti is the founder and president of JRS Architect, P.C., an architectural, interior design, and preservation firm in New York City. Throughout his career, Sorrenti has served on dozens of committees for the AIA and NCARB. He has served as the president of the New York State AIA, vice president of the National AIA, and as regional director for NCARB’s national board. He also founded the Peconic chapter of the New York State AIA, and was the 2016 Chancellor of the AIA College of Fellows. Most recently, Sorrenti still serves on the New York State Education Board of Architecture as an extended member, previously serving as chairperson.

The Fellows will be inducted into the RAIC College of Fellows at a ceremony during the RAIC Festival of Architecture, taking place in Saint John, New Brunswick from May 30-June 2. Kéré will deliver the keynote address at the College of Fellows Convocation, while Decq will deliver the keynote at the RAIC Foundation Luncheon.