Gene Kohn accepts the Kanter Tritsch Medal for Excellence in Architecture and Environmental Design
KPF co-founder Gene Kohn with President and Design Principal James von Klemperer
The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design has selected the KPF Co-Founder and Chairman as the 2019 recipient of the prestigious award, established in 2017 to honor an architect who has changed the course of design history.
Kohn was recognized at the awards gala on Monday, October 21, 2019, at the IAC Building in New York City, along with the Regional Plan Association (RPA) Fourth Regional Plan, the inaugural recipient of the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal, and two student honorees, who received scholarships for their final year of study at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.
“This is an exciting and challenging time for the allied disciplines in architecture, planning, preservation, landscape architecture and fine arts,” said Fritz Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. “With these honors, we celebrate the pursuit of beauty and efficiency in today’s cross-disciplinary settings.”
The Kanter Tritsch Medal for Excellence in Architecture and Environmental Design was established through a $1.25 million gift from Penn alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), a member of the Board of Overseers at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, 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, to honor an architect who has changed the course of design history, with a particular focus on the areas of energy conservation, environmental quality, and/or diversity.
“Over four decades, Gene Kohn has led one of the most versatile and productive firms of our time, committed throughout to environmental sustainability and boldly humanistic design,” said Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair in the Department of Architecture. “Just as important, Gene inspires a new generation of leaders in architecture.”
“Throughout my 60-plus years of practice, I have sought to create buildings and environments that are sensitive to their contexts and evoke meaning in the lives of their users,” said Kohn (BArch’53, MArch’57), who holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. “It is a great honor to be recognized with the Kanter Tritsch Medal alongside my colleagues and rising talent honored in this year’s program.”
The jury for the Kanter Tritsch Professional Medal included Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture at the Weitzman School, who is also founding principal, Archi-Tectonics, New York; Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), member of the Weitzman School Board of Overseers; Ferda Kolatan, associate professor of practice at the Weitzman School and the founding director of su11, New York; Marc Kushner (BArch’99), cofounding principal, Hollwich Kushner, and cofounding CEO, Architizer; and Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School.
About the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
One of twelve Schools at the University of Pennsylvania, the Stuart Weitzman School of Design prepares students to address complex sociocultural and environmental issues through thoughtful inquiry, creative expression, and innovation. As a diverse community of scholars and practitioners, we are committed to advancing the public good–both locally and globally–through art, design, planning, and preservation. Consistently ranked among the top design schools in the U.S., the Weitzman School enrolls more than 700 students in 13 degree and 16 certificate programs. Among the Weitzman School’s renowned architecture alumni are Cecil Baker (BArch’67, MArch’68), Denise Scott Brown (MCP’60, MArch’65), Stephen Kieran (MArch’76), Barton Myers (MArch’64), Adele Santos (MArch/MCP’68), Mark Shoemaker (MArch’78), James Timberlake (MArch’77), and Charles Waldheim (MArch’89).
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