The award recognizes “private-sector architects who have established a portfolio of accomplishment in the design of architecturally distinguished public facilities (category 1); public-sector architects who manage or produce quality design within their agencies (category 2); and public officials or other individuals who by their role of advocacy have furthered the public’s awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence (category 3).”
Follow us after the break for more on the recipients.
Recipient of the Category 1 prize for Public Architecture is Alexander Cooper, FAIA.
Alexander Cooper is partner at Cooper, Robertson & Partners, a New York-based firm established in 1979. As co-founder, he and the company had a big influence on the post-9/11 issues of Lower Manhattan. They prepared a security plan that permitted 30,000 workers to return safely to work. Also, as part of the plan, they selected a site for the memorial and planned which the streets along the affected area. Cooper began his career in public service for New York City with a degree in architecture from Yale. He has also served as director of design at the New York City Housing and Development Administration and director of the Urban Design Group within the city’s planning department. More about Alexander Cooper, FAIA, can be found here.
Recipient of the Category 2 prize for Public Architecture is Daniel Feil, FAIA.
Daniel Feil is currently the executive architect on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission. He began as a planning architect for the U.S. Navy, where he developed master plans and site studies for facilities and infrastructure. Aside from his role as architect, he has been an active campaigner of the U.S. policies in regards to the job classification standards of architects. Between 1986–1996, he organized a campaign that resulted in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management standards to allow architects to qualify for federal managerial positions. Feil has also served as National Airport site design manager with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, overseeing the redevelopment of the 860-acre Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport campus and renovation of its historic terminal as well as the design of a new terminal. More information about Daniel Feil, FAIA, can be found here.
Recipient of Category 3 prize for Public Architecture is Robert Peck, Hon. AIA.
Robert Peck is currently the Commissioner of Public Buildings at the US General Services Administration. He supported the agency’s Design Excellence Program to attract and select the best architects for capital construction projects. He has also served at the Office of Management and Budget, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Federal Communications Commission, associate counsel to the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works and Chief of Staff to the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Peck holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and was a Visiting Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Peck served as a Special Forces officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a past president of the D.C. Preservation League, and has served on numerous other public and nonprofit boards. More information about Robert Peck, Hon. AIA, can be found here.
Biographies courtesy of the AIA.
