Stefano Boeri has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth edition of the Madrid Design Festival. According to the organizers, this recognition pays homage to a “great figure in design”. It acknowledges the significance of his contributions to the disciplines of architecture and urban planning, as well as publishing and academia. The award ceremony, held at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE), was conferred by the architect Rafael Moneo, who personally handed the award to Stefano Boeri.
During the ceremony, Beori also underlined the importance of receiving the award “from the hands of Rafael Moneo,” as he was one of the most significant figures to influence the early career of Boeri. The two first met in 1982 in Madrid and later in Harvard, during Moneo’s lectures in Milan and at the Triennale. “I will never forget the kindness with which I was received by Rafael and his lucid analysis of the Italian architectural situation, which he obviously knew very well. And he knew the competition between the Roman and Milanese schools of architecture, not all that different from the one then underway between the Madrid of Moneo and the nascent Barcelona of Bohigas, two cities that became capitals of global architecture.”
The day after the ceremony, Beori held a lecture entitled “Green Obsession”, where he presented the design principles and guidelines that influence the work of Stefano Boeri Architetti. He talked about the multidisciplinary approach needed to implement complex projects such as the Vertical Forest of Milan, as well as the many projects led by the office which aim to implement urban forestation strategies all over the world.
I am both excited and embarrassed to receive this award today. First of all because, like all awards to an individual, there is always a reason for injustice in the exclusion of all those who deserve with me to share it, having shared years and years of projects, ideas and experiences with me. I actually feel like a good editor-in-chief, capable, perhaps above all, of choosing the people who work with me well and putting them in the best conditions to express their incredible talent. Perhaps it is true that paradoxically the best form of selfishness is generosity. - Stefano Boeri
Many of Stefano Beori’s buildings have achieved international recognition, among which Il Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Milano, shortlisted for the RIBA 2018 International Prize, or the Rehabilitation Centre in Shenzhen, China, a project won following an international competition. Boeri is also involved in sustainable and regenerative initiatives. In 2022 his office was selected to redevelop an important archeological site in Albania, following his expertise in working with archeological heritage, as expressed through projects like the Domus Aurea in Italy and the archaeological park of Ostia Antica. He is also involved in developing Rome’s ecological transition strategy and he was among the first architects to sign the San Marino Declaration for Sustainable and Inclusive Architecture.
During the inauguration of the Trudo Tower in Eindhoven, ArchDaily’s Christele Harrouk had the chance to interview Stefano Boeri. During the interview, the architect focused on the theme of nature, which underscores the majority of his projects. The conversation also tackled the four vertical forests under construction throughout Europe. During Salone del Mobile 2021, ArchDaily had another chance to speak with Boeri, the curator of the event, to discuss important themes such as the democratization of design, environmental quality, and the relationship between the city of Milano and Salone.
Watch the full awards presentation video:
