Architects of Campus Icons Win Awards

Wang Campus Center and Davis Museum Architects Honored

The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt 2012 National Design Award (NDA) for architectural design has been awarded to Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, the firm that designed the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center at Wellesley.

In its citation, the NDA said, "The firm’s diverse body of work is uniquely characterized by profound rigor tempered by childlike innocence. It has been recognized with numerous awards and publications and has been shown at museums such as The Museum of Modern Art and The Walker Art Center."

According to its website, The National Design Awards program celebrates design in various disciplines as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence, innovation, and lasting achievement.

Meanwhile, in Spain, architect Rafael Moneo, who designed The Davis Museum at Wellesley, has received the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award. The award jury described Moneo's architecture as "serene and meticulous," and said, "Moneo leaves his own mark on each of his creations, at the same time as combining aesthetics with functionality, especially in the airy interiors that act as impeccable settings for great works of culture and the spirit."

According to its website, The Asturias Award is "bestowed to an individual, institution, or group of individuals or institutions whose work in cinematography, theatre, dance, music, photography, painting, sculpture, architecture, or any other form of artistic expression constitutes a significant contribution to mankind’s culture heritage."

The Davis was Moneo's first North American commission.