Richard Rogers

The Golden Lion for lifetime achievement was awarded during this year’s Biennial – an edition that was clearly inclined towards urbanism – to an architect known for his deep concern for the sustainability of cities within the global context of rapid urbanization. At the age of seventy and still in the midst of several projects: Heathrow’s Terminal 5, the skyscraper that will occupy part of Ground Zero, and the multi-purpose Campus of Justice in Madrid; Rogers is preparing the succession in his Hammersmith studio, which was renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in mid 2006. This was an uplifting year for his entire team, thanks to the Stirling Prize for the expansion of the Barajas airport, which can be added to Roger’s many other awards including the RIBA Gold Medal in 1985 and the Praemium Imperiale in 2000. Author of the Lloyd’s Building, the Channel 4 Headquarters and the Millennium Dome, all in London, his most popular piece is likely the Pompidou Center in Paris, with Renzo Piano. With more than one-hundred million visitors since its inauguration in 1976, the center is organizing for 2008 an exhibition of his work.