At an event in Medellín, Colombia earlier this month, organizers of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) College of Architecture’s Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) announced the six finalists for the 2023 award. Among the shortlisted projects is the remodeled and expanded Anahuacalli Museum, the Menil Drawing Institute by Johnston Marklee, and an arts center in Canada.
The biannual prize is given to a built work in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico that responds sensitively to its environment. For the 2023 Americas Prize, eligible projects had to be completed between December 2018 and June 2021.
The six finalists revealed this month were whittled down from 39 jury-selected projects. Unlike other juries, who judge projects solely through renderings and drawings, the jury visited all of the selected projects before choosing the six finalists. For this round of the Americas Prize, Sandra Barclay (chair), Mónica Bertolino, Dirk Denison (ex officio), Alejandro Echeverri, Julie Eizenberg, and Philip Kafka served on the MCHAP jury.
“We knew going into this trip that we would be visiting projects that demonstrate the relevance of a simple idea, but one that is so crucial right now: doing more with less,” Dirk Denison said in a press release. “The finalist projects all exhibit a radical generosity, giving their communities so much with the most targeted of interventions.”
The winner will be announced at an IIT symposium on March 24. In addition to receiving $50,000 in R&D money for the publication of their work, the 2023 Americas Prize winner will serve as MCHAP Chair in IIT’s College of Architecture.
Take a look below at the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize finalists. All project descriptions are courtesy of MCHAP.
Anahuacalli Museum remodeling and expansion
Taller | Mauricio Rocha
Mexico City
A sensitive dialogue with an existing museum in an ecological reserve, forging a new public space that extends Diego Rivera’s vision for the site.
Guadalupe Market
Colectivo C733
Tapachula, Mexico
A framework for everyday exchanges that leverages prefabricated and local materials to prioritize comfort, safety, and a fluid connection with [the] landscape.
The Menil Drawing Institute
Johnston Marklee
Houston
An addition to a historic arts campus that meets strict conservation requirements while offering intimate, direct encounters with works on paper.
Park in the Prado Neighborhood
Mayor’s Office of Medellín – Secretary of Infrastructure
Medellín, Colombia
A succession of terraces that thoughtfully engage the activities of animals, qualities of soil, and existing materials to shape a living urban landscape.
The Polygon Gallery
Patkau Architects
North Vancouver, Canada
A studio-like exhibition space (pictured at top) that reestablishes a relationship between city residents and a dynamic, independent arts center.
Valois Housing Building
José Cubilla
Asuncion, Paraguay
An apartment building that explores the urban possibilities of rammed-earth construction, integrating vegetation and ventilation without imposing on the surrounding neighborhood.
