The following is a Nov. 14 press release from the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design in Philadelphia naming the New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro the recipient of its 2022 Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), the pioneering New York-based design studio led by Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro, and Benjamin Gilmartin, has been selected to receive the 2022 Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture, and Suisman Urban Design and the iQuilt Partnership have been selected to receive the 2022 Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning for Hartford400, a comprehensive plan to make Hartford, Connecticut a sustainable, multi-modal region and capital city by its 400th anniversary in 2035. Two of three professional honors bestowed annually by the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, they will be presented at a February 21, 2023 ceremony which raises funds for student scholarships. The event will take place at The Shed, the independent, nonprofit cultural venue in Midtown Manhattan West designed by DS+R and opened in 2019.
“American cities of all sizes are facing once-in-a-generation challenges, but they are still our best engines for innovation and equity,” said Frederick Steiner, dean and Paley Professor at Weitzman. “Both Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Hartford400 illustrate the opportunity for designers and urban planners to harness the built environment’s dynamism and complexity to improve the quality of life for all.”
The Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture was established in 2017 through a gift from Penn alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), a member of the Board of Advisors at Weitzman, and her partner and fellow Penn alumnus William P. Lauder, who holds a bachelor of science in economics from the Wharton School and is a Penn trustee. The Medal honors an architect or firm that has changed the course of design history, with a particular focus on the areas of energy conservation, environmental quality, and/or diversity.
The Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning was established by William Witte (C‘73, MCP‘75), an alumnus of the Weitzman School, and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto, to recognize a firm, team, or professional for an exemplary plan that advances plan making in at least four of the following areas: social equity, environmental quality, design, public health, mobility, housing affordability, and economic development.
Selected from a list of nominees submitted by Weitzman students, DS+R and Hartford400 join previous medalists Tod Williams and Billie Tsien (2018); A. Eugene Kohn (2019); the Fourth Regional Plan, Regional Plan Association (2019); Peter Eisenman (2020); GreenPlan Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia (2020); MASS Design Group (2021); and the City of Minneapolis (2021).
In conjunction with the professional medals, the Weitzman School selected two outstanding students entering their final year of study to receive a $50,000 scholarship each for the 2022 - 2023 Academic Year. The recipient of the 2022 Kanter Tritsch Prize in Energy and Architectural Innovation is Kyle Troyer (MArch’23) and the recipient of the 2022 Witte-Sakamoto Family Prize in City and Regional Planning is Jasmine Siyu Wu (MCP’23). In addition, based on the outstanding submissions received, Harsana Siva (MArch’23) has received the Weitzman Architecture Honorable Mention and a $10,000 scholarship for the 2022 - 2023 Academic Year. Helen Lea (MCP’23) has received the Weitzman City and Regional Planning Honorable Mention and a $10,000 scholarship for the 2022 - 2023 Academic Year.
The juries for the Kanter Tritsch Prize and Medal were chaired by Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and chair of architecture at Weitzman, and founding partner at Archi-Tectonics. The juries for the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal and Prize were chaired by Lisa Servon, the Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and chair of city and regional planning at Weitzman.
Learn more about the winners, past and present, on the Weitzman Awards website.
