Written by Mónica Arellano | Translated by Rory Stott
Published on March 15, 2018

With its Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture seeks to recognize the most distinguished works of architecture in the Americas. Every two years, the Prize is awarded at an event that takes place in the masterpiece of Mies van der Rohe, the S.R. Crown Hall, the home of the Chicago-based school.

The jury, comprising Ricky Burdett, Jose Castillo, Ron Henderson, Rodrigo Pérez de Arce, and Claire Weisz, has announced four finalists in the prize's latest version of the MCHAP.emerge award, which covers architecture built in 2016 and 2017. MCHAP.emerge award aims to recognize outstanding built work by emerging practices, offering a prize of $25,000 to the winner.

“Reviewing over 200 projects completed in the Americas in the last two years is a humbling and rewarding task. It reminds us of the exceptional energy, commitment and imagination required by the design professions to respond to even the most modest requirements," stated Ricky Burdett, the chair of the 2018 jury. "Across the board, we witnessed a modesty and authenticity amongst diverse generations of designers operating in complex and diverse contexts. Design ingenuity with profound spatial, social and environmental impact has revealed itself in inner-city small-scale interventions and more demonstrative, yet restrained, architectural statements. The selected projects across South and North America are inspiring and speak of their time: a time of uncertainty, reflection and change. The work of emerging architects shows a rare confidence in the ability of architecture to engage in complex social and cultural processes without compromising intellectual and design integrity.”