In presenting the award, Architectural League President Annabelle Selldorf read the following citation:
Renzo Piano pursues architecture as a profoundly humanistic and optimistic undertaking. He understands architecture as both art and science, and the work of the architect as the constant effort to hold in balance a series of inherent dualisms: discipline and freedom, memory and invention, nature and technology. Renzo Piano and the Building Workshop create meaning through the act of making, experimenting continuously with light and materials and structure, guided by a deep awareness that everything crafted by humans is nonetheless embedded in the world of nature. Embracing the full spectrum of human activity, the work of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop ranges from sublime settings for art and music, to buildings that express and support the nobility of scientific inquiry, to places that celebrate and project into the future the historical continuity of societies and cultures.
With deep admiration for this passionate and sustained search and the extraordinary body of work it has produced, The Architectural League awards its 2013 President’s Medal to Renzo Piano.
Click on the image at the top of the page to launch a slideshow of photographs from the event.
![]( "Programs with sketches of iconic Renzo Piano Building Workshop projects | © Joan Cuenco")
Programs with sketches of iconic Renzo Piano Building Workshop projects | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Anne Rieselbach, Ken Smith, and Priscilla McGeehon | © Joan Cuenco")
Anne Rieselbach, Ken Smith, and Priscilla McGeehon | © Joan Cuenco
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Joe Mizzi and Joseph Ienuso | © Joan Cuenco
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Susan Chin | © Joan Cuenco
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Robert Silman and Kenneth Frampton | © Joan Cuenco
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Thomas Jessell, Erik Kandel, Richard Axel and friends | © Joan Cuenco
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Thom and Blythe Mayne | © Joan Cuenco
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Stella Betts and David Leven | © Joan Cuenco
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Mark di Suvero and Leslie Koch | © Joan Cuenco
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Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Marion Weiss, and George Miller | © Joan Cuenco
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Cinthya Melgar and Carol Patterson | © Joan Cuenco
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Denzil Gallagher, Graham Wyatt, and Kirk Mettam | © Joan Cuenco
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Bill Sharples, Elise Pettus, and Jonathan Marvel | © Joan Cuenco
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Louise Neri and Peter Fleissig | © Joan Cuenco
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Rusty O’Kelley, John Haskins, Angela Sun, Ate Atema, and Patrick Murphy | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Dina Griffin and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Dina Griffin and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Margot and Tom Pritzker with Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Margot and Tom Pritzker with Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
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Barbara Pine, Gregory Melitonov, Patrick Hazari | © Joan Cuenco
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Brian Regan, Arthur Cohen, Susan Rodriguez, Charles Stone, and Jamie Rose Devenger | © Joan Cuenco
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Wendy Evans Joseph, Jeffrey Ravetch, and Marion Weiss | © Joan Cuenco
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John Gagnier and Craig Schwitter | © Joan Cuenco
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Robert A.M. Stern, Nicholas Stern, and Judith DiMaio | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Antonio Monda and David Thurm | © Joan Cuenco")
Antonio Monda and David Thurm | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano and friend | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano and friend | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Anne Rieselbach, Tom Phifer, Lawrence Carty, James Corner, and Eva Franch | © Joan Cuenco")
Anne Rieselbach, Tom Phifer, Lawrence Carty, James Corner, and Eva Franch | © Joan Cuenco
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Frances Halsband and Robert Kliment | © Joan Cuenco
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Rachel Judlowe and Ted Loos | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "The guest book | © Joan Cuenco")
The guest book | © Joan Cuenco
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Gregg Pasquarelli, Billie Tsien, Tod Williams and friends | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Jeffrey Murphy and Jean Phifer | © Joan Cuenco")
Jeffrey Murphy and Jean Phifer | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Steve Hogden and Franco Pagano sign the guest book | © Joan Cuenco")
Steve Hogden and Franco Pagano sign the guest book | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Mahadev Raman, Alastair Guthrie, Deborah Nevins | © Joan Cuenco")
Mahadev Raman, Alastair Guthrie, Deborah Nevins | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Amanda Burden, Tom Outerbridge, and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco")
Amanda Burden, Tom Outerbridge, and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Bill Lacy and Ann Orcutt | © Joan Cuenco")
Bill Lacy and Ann Orcutt | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Table décor | © Joan Cuenco")
Table décor | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Charles Murphy, Firooz Zahedi, and Beth Rudin DeWoody | © Joan Cuenco")
Charles Murphy, Firooz Zahedi, and Beth Rudin DeWoody | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Anna Dyson, Kate Orff, and Gregg Pasquarelli | © Joan Cuenco")
Anna Dyson, Kate Orff, and Gregg Pasquarelli | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Stavros Niarchos and Katerina Dracopoulos | © Joan Cuenco")
Stavros Niarchos and Katerina Dracopoulos | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Tom Pritzker, Amanda Burden, and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Tom Pritzker, Amanda Burden, and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Rosalie Genevro | © Joan Cuenco")
Rosalie Genevro | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Suzanne Stephens and Brenda Cline | © Joan Cuenco")
Suzanne Stephens and Brenda Cline | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Daniel Gortler and Paul Lewis | © Joan Cuenco")
Daniel Gortler and Paul Lewis | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "The dinner | © Joan Cuenco")
The dinner | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Rachel Judlowe and Michael Arad | © Joan Cuenco")
Rachel Judlowe and Michael Arad | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Faith Rose and Mark Wigley | © Joan Cuenco")
Faith Rose and Mark Wigley | © Joan Cuenco
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Cathleen McGuigan, Ted Hathaway, and Laurie Beckelman | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Margaret Sullivan, Rafael Vinoly, and friend | © Joan Cuenco")
Margaret Sullivan, Rafael Vinoly, and friend | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Gregg Pasquarelli, Jay Kriegel, and Vishaan Chakrabarti | © Joan Cuenco")
Gregg Pasquarelli, Jay Kriegel, and Vishaan Chakrabarti | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Mary Ellen Iskenderian, Rusty O'Kelley and Charlotte Morgan | © Joan Cuenco")
Mary Ellen Iskenderian, Rusty O’Kelley and Charlotte Morgan | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco
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Jeremy Berman, Andrea Berman, Vasili Tsamis, and Donna Tsamis | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Adam Weinberg and Milly Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Adam Weinberg and Milly Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Martin Filler, Alexis Quinlan, and Andy Klemmer | © Joan Cuenco")
Martin Filler, Alexis Quinlan, and Andy Klemmer | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Breck Perkins, Frank Sciame, and Jon Maass | © Joan Cuenco")
Breck Perkins, Frank Sciame, and Jon Maass | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano, Karen Stein, and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano, Karen Stein, and Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Marcelo Velez, Victoria Mason-Ailey, Renzo Piano, Erik Kandel, Philip Pitruzzello, and Maxine Griffith | © Joan Cuenco")
Marcelo Velez, Victoria Mason-Ailey, Renzo Piano, Erik Kandel, Philip Pitruzzello, and Maxine Griffith | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "The dinner | © Joan Cuenco")
The dinner | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Joost Elffers and Galia Solomonoff | © Joan Cuenco")
Joost Elffers and Galia Solomonoff | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Eric Lee, Anne Edgar, Rosalie Genevro, and Suzanne Stephens | © Joan Cuenco")
Eric Lee, Anne Edgar, Rosalie Genevro, and Suzanne Stephens | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Hailim Suh, Seung H-Sang, and Kenneth Frampton | © Joan Cuenco")
Hailim Suh, Seung H-Sang, and Kenneth Frampton | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Billie Tsien | © Joan Cuenco")
Billie Tsien | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Grant Marani, Massimo Vignelli, Charles Renfro, and Deborah Nevins | © Joan Cuenco")
Grant Marani, Massimo Vignelli, Charles Renfro, and Deborah Nevins | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano, Bruce Fowle, Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano, Bruce Fowle, Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Tom Pritzker | © Joan Cuenco")
Tom Pritzker | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Jane Lacy and Michael Manfredi | © Joan Cuenco")
Jane Lacy and Michael Manfredi | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Tom Pritzker | © Joan Cuenco")
Tom Pritzker | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Lee Bollinger | © Joan Cuenco")
Lee Bollinger | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Lee Bollinger | © Joan Cuenco")
Lee Bollinger | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Michael Bierut | © Joan Cuenco")
Michael Bierut | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Adam Weinberg | © Joan Cuenco")
Adam Weinberg | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Adam Weinberg | © Joan Cuenco")
Adam Weinberg | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Massimo Vignelli | © Joan Cuenco")
Massimo Vignelli | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Annabelle Selldorf stands to present the medal | © Joan Cuenco")
Annabelle Selldorf stands to present the medal | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco")
Annabelle Selldorf | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano and guests | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano and guests | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
![]( "Amanda Burden and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco")
Amanda Burden and Renzo Piano | © Joan Cuenco
