ABOUT THE PRIZE
World Monuments Fund invites nominations for the 2024 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize. The Prize will be awarded to architects or preservationists who have implemented an innovative intervention that preserved and saved a threatened modern building or complex.
Nominated projects must have been completed in the last ten years and must have faced challenges or threats that affected the site before the project implementation. Threats may include deterioration of original materials, obsolescence, abandonment, or inappropriate changes in use, ownership, economic or political conditions surrounding the site.
DEADLINE
The call for submissions opens on July 13, 2023. The deadline for submissions is September 22, 2023 at 5.00 PM EDT and the prize will be awarded in early 2024.
PRIZE
The Prize will include:
- A cash honorarium of $10,000
- A Knoll Barcelona chair
- Round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for the winner to attend the award ceremony in New York City.
SELECTION PROCESS
An independent jury of architectural scholars, conservators, and professionals in related fields will select the prize winner. The jury is chaired by Barry Bergdoll, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. The prize winner will be announced in early 2024.
If you have any questions regarding the nomination process or a site’s eligibility, please email modernism@wmf.org.
WORLD MONUMENTS FUND/KNOLL MODERNISM PRIZE 2024 JURY MEMBERS
Barry Bergdoll, Chairmain
Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology
Columbia University; New York, NY
Courtney J. Martin
Director of the Yale Center for British Art
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Dietrich Neumann
Professor of the History of Modern Architecture and Director, Urban Studies
Department of the History of Art and Architecture
Brown University; Providence, RI
Karen Stein
Critic, Architectural Advisor, and Executive Director of the
George Nelson Foundation; New York, NY
Mabel O. Wilson
Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture,
Planning and Preservation, a Professor in African American and African Diasporic Studies, and the
Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies (IRAAS) at Columbia University; New York, NY
Susan Macdonald
Head, Buildings and Sites
The Getty Conservation Institute; Los Angeles, CA
Theo Prudon
President, Docomomo US and Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation
Columbia University and Pratt Institute; New York, NY
IN MEMORIAM
WMF was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of juror Jean-Louis Cohen in August of 2023. He was a member of the prize jury since its first cycle in 2008 and will be irreplaceable.
To read our full statement on the loss of our dear colleague, click here.
Previous WMF/Knoll Modernism Prize Winners
2021: Preston Bus Station
John Puttick Associates was awarded the 2021 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize, recognizing its thoughtful conservation of Preston Bus Station, located in Preston, UK, a civic monument of central importance that serves as a hub for mass transit.
2018: Karl Marx School
The 2018 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to Christiane Schmuckle-Mollard for the preservation of the Karl Marx School.
2016: Justus van Effen Complex
The 2016 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism prize was awarded to Molenaar & Co. architecten, Hebly Theunissen architecten, and landscape architect Michael van Gessel for the preservation and rehabilitation of the Justus van Effen complex in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
2014: Viipuri Library
The 2014 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to the Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library with the Central City Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg. This restoration project, an international partnership, lasted from 1992 to 2013.
2012: Hizuchi Elementary School
The 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to the Architectural Consortium for Hizuchi Elementary School, for its impeccable restoration of Hizuchi Elementary School in Yawatahama City, Japan. Following serious damage from a 2004 typhoon, the school had been the center of a two-year debate over whether to demolish or preserve the structure.
2010: Zonnestraal Sanatorium
The 2010 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to Bierman Henket Architecten and Wessel de Jonge Architecten for their exemplary restoration of the Zonnestraal Sanatorium (designed 1926-28; completed 1931), a little-known but iconic modern structure in Hilversum, the Netherlands.
2008: ADGB Trade Union School
The 2008 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, headed by Winfried Brenne and Franz Jaschke, for their restoration of the Bauhaus-designed ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau, Germany.
Forward-thinking. Experimental. Bold. Progressive. Innovative. Once recognized for these defining characteristics, significant modern structures around the world often fall victim to material deterioration, perceived obsolescence, and public apathy. These threats repeatedly result in inappropriate alterations or demolition. As many of these modern buildings are too young to qualify for landmark designation and protection, the need for preservation and increased public awareness of these unique resources is urgent.
WMF launched the biennial World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize with founding sponsor Knoll in 2008 to recognize the individuals and organizations that preserve our modern built heritage through pioneering architectural and design solutions. The prize honors contemporary architects and preservationists whose work ensures sustainable futures for at-risk modern heritage.
The prize is part of WMF’s broader programming that addresses these challenges facing modern sites through advocacy, education, and conservation, including the World Monuments Watch. The prize stemmed from WMF’s Modernism at Risk initiative, created in 2006 in response to the increasing threats to buildings representative of the modern movement.
The World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize recognizes outstanding physical interventions to preserve modern heritage. Projects that enhance a site’s architectural, economic, and environmental sustainability while engaging and benefiting local stakeholders are encouraged.
