RIBA Gold Medal-winning architectural historian dies aged 98

Joseph Rykwert, The well-known architecture critic, historian and recipient of the 2014 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Royal Gold Medal has died at the age of 98.

He is one of the few non-practising architects to be awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal.

Born in Warsaw in 1926, Rykwert and his family fled to London after the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. Rykwert began his architectural studies in London, studying at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. Later, I enrolled in the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

After completing his studies, Rykwert worked in practice for a short time, but found himself constantly drawn to the field of architectural academia. He began accepting academic teaching positions at various institutions, such as the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom. He has since taught at some of the world’s most respected architecture schools, including Cooper Union (USA), Harvard Graduate School of Design (USA), University of Sydney (Australia) and Institut d’Urbanisme (France). .

During his career Rykwert wrote many influential texts. The Necessity of Artificiality (1982) and Seduction of Place (2002) – these are acknowledged to have significantly shaped the way architects and planners perceive and approach urban design. But this was his 1963 book. The Idea of a Town: Anthropology of Urban Form in Rome, Italy, and the Ancient WorldThis was considered his most important text on urban design.

RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said Rykwert “reframed the conversation about our environment, sense of place and society not just once but throughout his decades of work”.

“He received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2014 for the enormous and lasting impact of his ground-breaking ideas on architecture and design. As one of the few architects to receive this honour, he demonstrates the extraordinary impact of these ideas, especially on the role of architects, buildings and cities. I have no doubt that they will remain relevant in the future,” Oki added.

“My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those whose lives he enriched.”