Peter Wilson, co-founder and director of Bolles+Wilson, was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal, their highest accolade, at a ceremony last month in Canberra. The Institute bestows the medal upon architects who have designed, or executed, exceptional buildings, promoted the knowledge of architecture, or have made some defining contribution to the field.
Wilson was born in Melbourne in 1950 and studied architecture at the University of Melbourne before moving on to the AA in London in 1972, where he met Julia Bolles-Wilson. The two founded a firm together in London in 1980, which eventually became Architekturbüro Bolles+Wilson based in Münster, Germany.
Wilson received the medal in light of his contributions to both built architecture and architectural theory. The jury noted that, as director of Bolles + Wilson, he has been at the helm of many outstanding designs, such as the Suzuki House, Tokyo and the European Library in Japan. Aside from his success in cracking the notriously difficult European market, special mention was given to his work in education and theory, as the institue highlighted that "Wilson is also dedicated to teaching, and has inspired students and architects by giving his time generously to provocative, articulate public lectures overseas and in Australia."
The Gold Medal is one of many accolades won by Wilson; recently Bolles + Wilson recieved the Brick Award 2012, by the Brick Development Association, for their design of the Raakspoort Haarlem. Moleskine also featured them in their series of six monographs detailing the works of key figures in contemporary architecture.
