International Academy of Architecture - IAA

03/02/2025

Diriyah Art Futures Contemporary Art Hub / Schiattarella Associati is Nominated for the ArchDaily 2025 Building of the Year Awards in the Cultural Architecture Award Category.

Vote for Diriyah Art Futures Contemporary Art Hub / Schiattarella Associati

09/03/2023

Richard England awarded Freedom of the City of London

The IAA Vice President Richard England has been honoured by the Court of Aldermen presided by the Lord Mayor of London, by the granting of the Freedom of the City of London. The Freedom of the City of London initiated in the 13th century is one of the oldest traditional honours to be bestowed on individuals for their achievements and contributions to various sectors, public, social and artistic. Among those who have received this honour are Royalty, Prime Ministers, American Presidents, artists, authors and actors. These include such personalities as Pavarotti, Domingo, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates, Lord Norman Foster, Dame Judi Dench, and more recently the England woman’s football team which won the European 2022 Championship.

Richard England’s Freedom of the City was granted pre his also being appointed a member of the Architect’s Company, a Livery of the City of London which honours international architects of distinction. The citation states that he is being granted the Freedom of the City of London for “a lifetime achievement and significant contribution to architecture, art, poetry and imagery”. The Gowning Ceremony is scheduled for the 11th July 2023 at the Chamberlain’s Court at the London Guildhall, to be conducted by the Clerk of the Court followed by the July 12th Awards Dinner.

https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-03-05/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Richard-England-awarded-Freedom-of-the-City-of-London-6736250101

31/12/2022

22/12/2022

The Academic Council of the International Academy of Architecture would like to remember the Honorary President - Acad. Georgi Stoilov with the words written by the Vice President - Acad. Richard England

*****

IN MEMORIAM
GEORGI STOILOV
(An appreciation by Richard England)

When a personality, who has left a leviathan contribution to his profession and an indelible mark in his country, it is difficult to find adequate words to pen an apt post-demise appreciation. The task becomes even more arduous when the individual concerned was a long-lasting cherished and much-loved friend. Such is the case of Georgi Stoilov, prominent citizen of his native Bulgaria, paramount figure in the world of architecture and on a personal level a much-loved confidant, valued peer and esteemed mentor. What Georgi achieved with his founding and years of Presidency of the International Academy of Architecture is beyond measure. His bringing together to his natal town of Sofia, even in periods of tension and political divide, international masters of architecture was demonstrative proof of not only his chimerical qualities as an outstanding catalyst, but also of his determination, resolve and steadfastness in achieving his aims. Through his staunch and sturdy, yet always affable approach, and the international esteem he enjoyed, he was able to lure great architectural personalities from all over the world to engage in fruitful intellectual, cultural and architectural interchange.

From the first Interach meeting, the scene was set. With participants of the stature of Pierre Vago, Felix Candela, Georges Candilis, Bruno Zevi, Denys Lasdun and others attending, under Stoilov’s leadership the IAA immediately established itself as a paramount, much esteemed platform, for the discussion and evolution of novel ideas for the development of an architecture and philosophy pertinent to the period. Later Stoilov was also able to lure a new and younger generation of up-and-coming architects, soon themselves to become IAA professors and academicians and acclaimed international masters. Amongst these, one can mention Massimiliano Fuksas, Daniel Libeskind, Santiago Calatrava, Ricardo Legoretta among others. The presence of such personalities also provided inspirational tutorage to young Bulgarian architects and students together with others who attended the IAA Triennales and Biennales, thus passing on to new generations novel and stimulating philosophical ideas.

Also, on an educational level, Stoilov’s organization of many workshops both in Bulgaria and other countries manifested the Academy as a strong pedagogical tool. I personally have fond memories of workshop sessions led by Stoilov particularly those held in the monastic enclave of Santo Kiriko, especially the one held in the company of my late lamented friend Denis Sharp and also of the workshop held in Mahachkala Dagestan, where under Georgi’s guidance I led a group of some forty visiting architects to develop extensive tourist projects on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Particularly memorable were our visits to the citadel fortress of Derbent and the Caucasus mountains with the abandoned village of Gamsuti and the aul of Chokh in order for the design team to study and comprehend the vernacular architecture of the region. Yet above all, the mnemonic retentions I harbour most fondly are the shared coveted meetings and close friendship conversations with Georgi during the IAA sessions I attended. Post these meetings I emerged emotionally and intellectually fulfilled.

Although, Georgi was perhaps to the general public and to those who did not know him closely, read as a single minded energetic and forceful determined leader, rarely relenting on matters he pursued; on a personal level he was a most pleasant, convivial and genial personality. I consider myself particularly privileged to have shared with him a long lasting, much cherished and valued friendship. It is also a truism to say that the friendship and close relationships that I today share with many of the world’s leading architects were initiated by Georgi.

Georgi Stoilov was also responsible for his native Sofia boasting works by celebrated architects such as Kisho Kurokawa, and it was also due to his initiative that Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana today harbours Manfredi Nicoletti’s Concert Hall masterwork; the result of a 2008 invited competition which Stoilov had organized. Yet, Georgi was not only an inventive initiator of notable buildings by other architects; he himself was also responsible for the design of a number of excellent edifices including numerous hotels in Sofia and the impressive Transport Admin Building at Sofia airport. To my mind, however, his master work remains the earlier Buzludza Pantheon, to commemorate the ninetieth anniversary of the Bulgarian Socialist Movement. To this day, even in its ruined state, it remains one of the paradigm edifices of Brutalist architecture. Also worthy of note, as they are in complete contrast to the daring audacity of the Buzludza structure and many of his architectural works, were his delicate diaphanous water-colour art works.
For his many achievements Stoilov was the recipient of innumerable accolades from practically all international architectural unions, institutions and universities. He was also President of the International Union of Architects between 1985 and 1987, during which period he founded Architecture Day celebrated each year on 1st July. On a political level he was also mayor of Sofia between 1967 – 1971 and minister of Bulgarian architecture.

With his demise the world of architecture has lost an apotheosis figure. Few have left such a legacy. It is now the duty of every Academician and Professor of the Academy to ensure that it will continue to survive, live-on and flourish. On my part, it is my ardent desire both as current Vice President and more so as a privileged friend to ensure the protraction and continuation of Georgi’s dream, in order for it to continue its influential and educational activities.

NOW THAT HE IS GONE
IN
SORROW BEYOND SENTIENCE
WE WHO LOVED HIM DEARLY
CAN LONG FOR HIS RETURN
MOURN HIS LOSS
AND
RECALL
HIS LEVIATHAN MARK
OR
WE
CAN
AS HE WOULD SURELY WANT US DO
REMEMBER
HIM
AND
ENSURE
THAT
THE
AFTERGLOW
HE HAS LEFT BEHIND
IS
NOT
EXTINGUISHED
AND
THAT
HIS
LEGACY
WILL
CONTINUE
TO
LIVE
ON
AND
FLOURISH.

RICHARD ENGLAND

16/12/2022

IN MEMORIAM

With deep sadness we announce the departure of our Honorary President Acad. Georgi Stoilov. With him disappears the main founder of our Academy and a great figure of the international culture of Architecture.

*****

Georgi Stoilov was born on April 3, 1929. He graduated in architecture from the Moscow Institute of Architecture in 1954 and specialized in urbanism in Paris in 1965. Having devoted years to the Union of Architects in Bulgaria, Georgi Stoilov dedicated his life to the development of Bulgarian and world architecture. He was the President of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in the period 1985-1987 which was in recognition of his consistent activity in the international organization of architects and acknowledgment of the appreciable contribution of Bulgaria to development of the world culture and architecture.

He was the main founder of the International Academy of Architecture and a Honorary President since 2018, having established the World Biennial and later Triennial of architecture INTERARCH which brought many most prominent world architects, stars of the world architecture of the second half of the 20th century, demonstrated the projects of the modern masters and creative search of the architects of different generations, schools and nationalitites.

Georgi Stoilov was architect designer with extensive practice, comprising one of the best realizations of contemporary Bulgarian architecture. He was awarded numerous distinctions as the Great Medal of the French Academy of Architecture, the Schinkel Gold Medal, “Stara Planina”medal. He was academician of the International Academy of Architecture, French Academy of Architecture, Russian Academy of Architecture, Honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Doctor of Moscow Institute of Architecture (MARCHI) and member of most prestigious professional organizations in architecture worldwide.

Like any artist, Georgi Stoilov was a rich, complex and multifaceted personality. An erudite specialist who passionately moves from architectural and plastic problems to those of aesthetics and sociology. He always worked actively for the benefit of the world architectural community and was guided by the brightest principles of the International Union of Architects - professionalism, collegiality, tolerance for different cultures, religions and political views.

Arch. Georgi Stoilov has always lived with the drive of tomorrow, with the pathos of new ideas and undertakings, many times ahead of their time. What he achieved today is already history for him. A creator with incredible energy, a constant generator of new ideas, an inspirer of initiatives, an organizer of significant architecture forums, turning them into a celebration for all of us - this is GEORGI STOILOV for Bulgarian and world architecture.

08/12/2022

The IAA Professor Odile Decq designed a minimalist glass pavilion for the 2022 Paris+par Art Basel art fair

The IAA Professor Odile Decq was commissioned by Galerie Philippe Gravier to create a functional art piece for the 2022 edition of the Paris+ par Art Basel art fair, which concluded on 5 November.
Designed as a glass pavilion with pyramidal roof, the masterpiece was installed in the Jardin des Thuileries as part of the event.
The venture, which is called “The Green Pavilion”, is an updated version of “The Black Pavilion” that madame Decq created in 2015, which recreated the form of a pavilion found on the castle in Rouen grounds in black one-way glass intended to reflect the surrounding landscape.
For the new pavilion, the creator swapped the black glass for transparent glazing and adapted the design to allow it to function as a greenhouse that evokes the kitchen gardens created on this site in the 16th century.
The glazed structure allowed passersby to view the various delicate and rare plant species housed inside.
At night, candles were lit and the pavilion took on the appearance of a lantern.
The Green Pavilion's pyramidal roof was altered from the earlier design to incorporate openings that were required to ventilate the interior.
A system of hydraulic plungers allowed the glass panels to open automatically in response to rising temperatures inside the greenhouse.
Visitors could enter the pavilion through an arched opening. It featured a minimal, frameless doorway articulated with hinges fitted directly onto the glass wall and door panel. The arched form minimised the potential for damage to any fragile corners.
The pavilion contained shelves covered with plants typically found in traditional orangeries. These large greenhouses were fashionable in Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries and were used to protect fruit trees during the winter.

Photo by Stefan Tuchila

https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/21/studio-odile-decq-minimal-glass-pavilion-greenhouses/?fbclid=IwAR1L2sYkZtuJsXIOk8uX1bTimPu6S-qe-6NHCyafnsN1SBwmcAMOH3ujgQk

30/11/2022

Lina Ghotmeh selected to design the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion

The IAA Professor Lina Ghotomeh has been selected to create a timber pavilion sheltering a low circular table for the 22nd Serpentine Pavilion. Ghotomeh’s Pavilion will be installed in London's Kensington Gardens in June 2023 with Goldman Sachs supporting the annual project for the 9th consecutive year.

With her project titled “À table”, the Lebanese-born french architect calls for people to sit down together at a table and alludes to a sense of unity with the form of the pavilion’s structure and an organic design of a table as well as seating formation inviting human interactions. Inspired by nature and echoing the grounds and canopies of the trees and its surroundings, the idea of togetherness and community will take centre stage in Ghotmeh’s structural architecture.

The IAA Professor Lina Ghotmeh said:
“À table is an invitation to dwell together, in the same space and around the same table. It is an encouragement to enter into a dialogue, to convene and to think about how we could reinstate and re-establish our relationship to nature and the Earth.
The Earth that embraces us is our first source of sustenance; without it, we living beings, could not survive. Rethinking what and how much we eat – how we ‘consume’ and how we weave our relationships to one another and the living world – moves us towards a more sustainable, eco-systemic communion with the Earth. Our ‘cuisine’ grounds us home; it reminds us how linked we are to the climates in which we grew up. As a Mediterranean woman, born and raised in Beirut, and living in Paris, I feel a deep belonging to our ground, to what it contains, and to what it embraces: from the buried yet weathering archaeologies of past civilisations to the embedded living world that spurs green life to sprout from every crack in the streets.

In my practice as an architect, I excavate to design (and learn) from the traces of the past and I listen to the voices of my ancestors as well as those of our living world. These voices vividly resonate with future structures as ways to influence and challenge tomorrow’s architecture.

In today’s changing times, this Pavilion offers a celebratory space. It is endowed with a table, around which we will sit together in a modest, low structure and in an atmosphere reminiscent of Toguna huts of the Dogon people in Mali, West Africa, designed to bring all members of a community together in discussion. Here we can eat, work, play, meet, talk, rethink, and decide.

Built with bio-sourced and low-carbon materials, the structure appears like a skeleton. Sustainably sourced timber ribs are arranged to support a suspended pleated roof. Echoing the structures of tree leaves, the Pavilion embraces the nature of the park in which it emerges. Reminding us of the many lives blossoming beneath our feet, the concave lines of its perimeter are drawn from the forms in the stems and canopies of adjacent trees.
While rooted in its place and welcoming the space of the park with its open gallery-like envelope, the Pavilion grows as an adaptable system. It can be disassembled and reassembled, allowing it to live beyond its Serpentine site, while holding the memory of its original ground.”

“We are thrilled to present Lina Ghotmeh’s first structure in the UK here at Serpentine next summer. Her design for À table draws on natural elements that reflect its surroundings in Kensington Gardens and expands on our mission of creating connections between architecture and society by promoting unity and togetherness in its form and function. We are endlessly grateful to our loyal partners and supporters, for making Ghotmeh’s brilliant concept for a Pavilion built from state-of-the-art sustainable materials into an inspiring reality, for the people of London and for our visitors from around the world to enjoy all summer. As Etel Adnan once told us, The world needs togetherness, not separation. Love, not suspicion. A common future, not isolation.”, said Bettina Korek, Chief Executive, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director

This pioneering and prestigious commission, which began in 2000 with Zaha Hadid, has presented the first completed UK structures by some of the biggest names and emerging talents in international architecture. The Pavilion has evolved over the years as a participatory public and artistic platform for the Serpentine’s innovative, experimental, interdisciplinary, community and family live programmes.

https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/23/lina-ghotmeh-2023-serpentine-pavilion/
https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/about/serpentine-pavilion/
Image © Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture Courtesy: Serpentine

18/11/2022

https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/an-interview-with-architect-richard-england/

World-renowned post-modernist architect Richard England reflects on a career of designing beloved regionalist buildings – including lots of churches.