We are delighted to announce that Moshe Safdie, the world-renowned architect who designed Crystal Bridges, has been awarded the 2015 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects.

The AIA’s announcement notes that “The AIA Gold Medal, voted on annually, is considered to be the profession’s highest honor that an individual can receive. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.”

Aerial view of Crystal Bridges. Photo: Timothy Hursley

This is a great honor for Safdie, and also for Crystal Bridges, as our Museum was mentioned in the press release announcing the award as one of Moshe Safdie’s “most notable” works.

It is likely no surprise that Frank Lloyd Wright was himself a recipient of this prestigious award in 1949. Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House, which is being reconstructed on the Museum grounds over the next several months, is due to open to the public sometime during the year ahead.  When that happens, Crystal Bridges will be very pleased to be able to offer our guests an opportunity to view buildings by two AIA Gold Medal winners.

The Frank Lloyd Wright pavilion under construction.

Yesterday, a group of students from the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas were on the grounds, installing a pavilion they have designed and built especially for the Bachman-Wilson House site.  The structure will serve as an entryway to the House and its surrounding gardens and provide interpretive materials on architecture at Crystal Bridges. We are very grateful to the students, who have put in many hours of research and labor to ensure that this pavilion honors the architectural heritage of both Frank Lloyd Wright and Moshe Safdie, and works in harmony with the landscape of Crystal Bridges.

The pavilion will be viewable from the walkway along the east side of the Museum’s South Lawn when the construction fence comes down.