Krakow-based architects Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Łatak of Biuro Projektów Lewicki Łatak have received an honorable mention from the International Union of Architects (UIA) in the Vassilis Sgoutas Prize, awarded for architectural projects that take into account the needs of excluded people.
TheVassilis Sgoutas Prize (former president of the UIA) has been awarded since 2008. It honors architectural realizations that take into account the needs of excluded people, activating users with disabilities. Among the previous laureates are: Arquitectos sin Fronteras, Architectes de l'Urgence, Paul Pholeros, Fabrizio Carola, Carlos Gonzalez Lobo and Huang Thuc Hao.
krakow architects awarded
This year, the jury consisting of Thomas Vonier (UIA president), Victor Leonel (Africa Union of Architects), Eva Jiricna (AI Design), Kai-Uwe Bergmann (BIG) and Nadia Somekh (Conselho de Arquitectura e Urbanismo do Bresil) awarded three main prizes and two honorable mentions. First prize went to David Kaunitz and Ka Wai Yeung, second prize went to Nadia Tromp, and third prize went to Jiansong Lu. Honorable mention went to architect Brinda Somaya and Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Łatak of the Lewicki Łatak Design Bureau in Krakow.
As the justification reads:
Architects from the Lewicki Łatak Design Office create spaces that include people with physical disabilities and make their lives easier in a thoughtful and practical way.
KS Cracovia 1906 hall with Disabled Sports Center
Photo: Wojciech Krynski © Lewicki Łatak Design Office
The Polish studio's designs have been recognized for their rational and natural solutions, which allow the facilities to be used equally by the able-bodied and those with disabilities. Among the most interesting realizations of the Lewicki Łatak Design Office, the UIA mentioned the recently renovated Czartoryski Foundation Museum and KS Cracovia 1906 Hall with the Disabled Sports Center.
During the deliberations held on April 21, the jury also awarded the UIA Gold Medal. It was awarded to Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, author of such buildings as the Chapel of St. Peter in São Paulo, the Brazilian Mube Sculpture Museum and the new headquarters of the National Carriage Museum in Lisbon.
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