Kenneth Frampton

Kenneth Frampton (London, 1930) was in May awarded the Golden Lion of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale. In the words of the exhibition curators, Grafton Architects, the British historian and architect represents the “humanistic component” of “the various ‘movements’ and trends... in architecture in the 20th and 21st century,” an argument sustained by the Biennale president, Paulo Martins Barata, who has said that this award is also “intended to be a recognition of the importance of the critical approach to the teaching of architecture,” a value that Frampton embodies like few others in the field. Trained at the Architectural Association School of Architecture of his city, Frampton is one of the most important architectural historians of the 20th century. His books, from Modern Architecture: A Critical History to Studies in Tectonic Culture, aside from countless articles, have helped understand the complexity of architecture through concepts like ‘critical regionalism.’ Today, at almost 90 years of age, Frampton continues teaching as Ware Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.