RIBA honors Royal Gold Medalist Lesley Lokko in London ceremony

Lesley Lokko formally received the 2024 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture at a ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects headquarters in London today. 

The award, which was presented to Lokko on behalf of King Charles by RIBA President Muyiwa Oki, enshrines her dedication and creativity in leading the 2023 Venice Biennale along with other curatorial and educational efforts which have spearheaded a push for professional and academic representation while advancing a narrative about the lessons African and other non-Western architectures can teach the broader profession.

Speaking to the more than 400 attendees gathered in RIBA's 66 Portland Place headquarters, Oki remarked: "Lesley Lokko is a true agent of change who has successfully shifted the dial and pioneered a more equitable approach to architectural education, dialogue, and discourse."

Upon receiving her Gold Medal, Lokko stated: "To be 'seen' across the full spectrum of the discipline, from its margins to its very center, is a special and unique kind of recognition."

Lokko, who is also a noted author and the founder of the Ghana-based African Futures Institute, is the first Black woman to receive the UK's highest architectural honor. Lokko also received an OBE designation as part of the British King's New Year's Honours in January 2023 and has been named to the most recent list of 'TIME100 Most Influential People.' 

Her official RIBA Honours Committee commendation also cites her role in developing the New Architecture Writers program in London and personal "interpretation of architecture as culture, an art form that fosters public dialogue centered on ideas and content rather than only function, democratizes architecture, making it accessible to all."

"This medal honors Lokko’s resounding voice. It is a testament to her unwavering commitment to advancing architectural education and redressing imbalances by amplifying the voices of underrepresented people in shaping our built environment," the commendation reads finally.

Lokko follows Yasmeen Lari, the late Balkrishna Doshi, and David Adjaye as the three most recent recipients of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.