Leading architects, planners and design industry representatives will convene in Chicago to honor Marc Breitman and Nada Breitman-Jakov, winners of the 2018 Richard H. Driehaus Prize. Established in 2003, the prize is awarded by the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture to a living architect whose work embodies the highest ideals of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society, and creates a positive cultural, environmental and artistic impact.
The husband and wife team behind Paris-based Breitman and Breitman Architects launched their architecture and urban planning studio in 1989. Their projects range from residences, schools, hotels and commercial blocks to entire neighborhoods.
“In contrast to current conventions of flawed experimentation in public housing, the Breitmans’ work stands out for its beauty and dignity,” said Michael Lykoudis, Driehaus Prize jury chair and Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture. “The public-private partnerships in which the Breitmans have engaged show the power of public officials to transform cities by carefully selecting architects and urban planners who are sensitive to the needs of citizens who experience the built environment on a daily basis.”
Torsten Kulke, chair of the Gesellschaft Historischer Neumarkt Dresden will also being honored at the event as the Henry Hope Reed Award laureate for his outstanding leadership in the reconstruction of the destroyed Neumarkt in Dresden, Germany. When Kulke undertook the project to rebuild the historic city center in 1999, the Neumarkt area had been largely empty for more than 50 years.
The Richard H. Driehaus Prize is one of the world’s largest architectural awards at $200,000. Past honorees include Michael Graves, Robert A.M. Stern and Thomas H. Beeby. The event will be held on March 24 at the John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium in Chicago.
