66 years ago a set of awards was born, seeking to applaud architectural design for itself, its concept, and the innovation behind it, even on paper, with no alterations during its construction. With this in mind, the Progressive Architecture Awards recognize projects, which have not been built yet, but whose design boasts excellence and offers a new and different proposal.
As its name suggests, progress is one of the most important values behind the architectural vision of these awards and, since progress does not come without risk, the jury is always looking to find those architects who took these challenges to propose the next step for the industry, so they are not limited to the concept. Even though they are not built yet, projects shall have a construction plan, to really recognize those who are willing to take the next step in space creation, and not solely think about them.
The weight and inspiration behind them have gone even beyond their original creators. In 1954, the awards were established through Progressive Architecture magazine and carried out annually until 1996, when the magazine closed. Architecture magazine rescued them until 2007, when it closed as well, but the ceremony continued, now carried out by the Architect publication, which this year presented their number 66 edition.
Awards without borders
Unlike other awards, which maintain their invitation within the same area or limit it to those creative people or firms with great careers, this ceremony does not distinguish between frontiers or curriculum. The jury chooses 10 projects based on well-thought designs, which provoke changes in their environment, and which are progress oriented and focused on a different way of coexisting with spaces.
In the 66th edition (which took place on February 2019) around 200 projects were received from different regions and sizes. The 10 winners were divided into categories, which recognized their fresh approach to facing problems, their spaces, and the original way to solve them. The top two are the most prestigious, followed by three with high distinction acknowledgments, and five honorable mentions.
This year, one of the most important projects belongs to a Mexican architectural firm. The space was created in collaboration with Young & Ayata (based in New York) and Michan Architecture (established in Mexico City). The apartment complex named DL 1310 was acknowledged by J. Franco Violich, one of the jury members, through the following statement:
“While design trends follow lightness and transparency, I like that this project resists it. It offers a feeling of thickness and depth, which is very clever and highly effective”
The building with concrete finishes plays with geometric shapes, like trapezoidal windows, to offer a dynamic perspective and provide each apartment with a unique touch.
