To honor the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Gottfried Böhm, the city of Cologne, Germany, and his family have created a scholarship program in his name through the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Technischen Hochschule Köln e.V. (Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Technical University of Cologne e.V.).

“Gottfried Böhm has shaped our city with his buildings and through his works, he carried Cologne’s building culture into the world. By naming the scholarship after him, we honor the high esteemed Cologne architect for his life’s works. Gottfried Böhm combined aspects of urban planning with those of sculpture building and architecture like no other. In this spirit, the scholarship is intended to enable architects of a new generation to deepen their interest in this connection in a focused way and to deal with our city in a creative and visionary way for a year,” said Cologne’s Lord Mayor Henriette Reker, a shepard of the scholarship, in a press release.

Gottfried Böhm died in 2021 after a storied career practicing architecture, particularly in Germany. He was well-known for his sculptural approach to building design, as seen in many of his works, in particular in his first independent building, the Cologne chapel referred to as “Madonna in the Rubble.” He spent much of his life living and working in Cologne, leaving his mark on the fabric of the city itself.

The Gottfried Böhm Scholarship is set to be awarded to postgraduate architects from around the world, and offers them the chance to spend a year developing a creative and visionary urban planning project for Cologne and the surrounding region.

The scholarship will grant its recipient free accommodations for their year in Cologne, a workplace in the Forum of the Foundation for Art and Architecture, and a monthly grant that totals $2,700 (2,500 euros). Upon completion of their project recipients will give a presentation hosted by the Lord Mayor and showcase their work in an exhibit at Cologne City Hall, or Spanish Building.

The family of Bohm has secured funding from a number of supporters, including from architects, the city, educational institutions, and law offices, to keep the scholarship going for at least the next ten years.

“A long-term, high-quality scholarship with international appeal was important to us,” said Professor Paul Böhm, son of Gottfried Böhm, in a press release. “Our father always thought long-term and conceived his buildings for the generations after him. He was always interested in new forward-looking developments, even into his old age. We hope that his visionary thinking will inspire future fellows.”

A number of other past Pritzker Prize recipients have recently had scholarships established in their name, including Kevin Roche and the 2022 laureate Francis Kéré.

The application period for the Gottfried Böhm scholarship is open through August 31, and the scholarship itself will begin in October.