The 2024 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture has been announced, celebrating Professor Lesley Lokko as its recipient. The accolade, which is awarded annually by the RIBA to recognise exceptional contributions to the built environment field, will be presented this year to Lokko for her work to 'democratise architecture', hailed by the 2024 RIBA Honours Committee as a 'clarion call for equitable representation in policies, planning, and design that shape our spaces'.
Lesley Lokko: 2024 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture winner
Lokko has had a busy few years, full of fruitful activity in all her fields of interest. The Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, author and curator successfully delivered the highly acclaimed 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, and her main show, themed Laboratory of the Future; she also worked on launching the Africa Futures Institute, a new architecture research institute and school, which is currently being set up from scratch.
She has also been working on fiction writing and academic work in parallel. Her numerous existing achievements and recognitions include an OBE (awarded in 2023), and the RIBA Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education (2020).
'Not only is Lokko the first African woman to receive this honour, but she also now takes her place among architecture’s defining figures,' states the 2024 Royal Gold Medal selection committee, which was chaired by RIBA president Muyiwa Oki and comprised of 2023 Royal Gold Medal recipient Yasmeen Lari; architect and senior partner at RSHP Ivan Harbour; head of school and chief executive at the London School of Architecture Neal Shasore; and architect and partner at Walters & Cohen, Cindy Walters.
On hearing the news, Lokko said: 'It came as such a surprise to me. This was never on the cards. I’m delighted to be considered alongside some of the great past winners of the Royal Gold Medal. Although this is a personal award, this isn’t merely a personal triumph, this is a testament to the people and organisations I have worked with that share my goals.
'I came into architecture seeking certainties, looking for answers. Instead, I found questions and possibilities, far richer, more curious, and more empathetic ways to interpret and shape the world. Architecture gave me language, in all its forms – visual, written, built, performed – and that language, in turn, has given me such hope.'
RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said: 'A fierce champion of equity and inclusion in all aspects of life, Lesley Lokko’s progressive approach to architecture education offers hope for the future – a profession that welcomes those from all walks of life, considers the needs of our environment, and acknowledges a broad range of cultures and perspectives. A visionary agent of change, Lesley has dedicated her life to championing these values, not only through academic endeavours, but through her work as an author and curator. She remains a humble revolutionary force, with her ambition and optimism etching an indelible mark on the global architectural stage.'
The 2024 Royal Gold Medal will be formally presented to Lesley Lokko in London on 2 May 2024.
-
A tale of two Audis: the A5 saloon goes up against the A6 Avant e-tronIs the sun setting on Audi’s ICE era, or does the company’s e-tron technology still need to improve?
-
Inside Christian de Portzamparc’s showstopping House of Dior Beijing: ‘sculptural, structural, alive’Daven Wu travels to Beijing to discover Dior’s dramatic new store, a vast temple to fashion that translates haute couture into architectural form
-
A music player for the mindful, Sleevenote shuns streaming in favour of focused listeningDevised by musician Tom Vek, Sleevenote is a new music player that places artist intent and the lost art of record collecting at the forefront of the experience
-
Arbour House is a north London home that lies low but punches highArbour House by Andrei Saltykov is a low-lying Crouch End home with a striking roof structure that sets it apart
-
A former agricultural building is transformed into a minimal rural home by Bindloss DawesZero-carbon design meets adaptive re-use in the Tractor Shed, a stripped-back house in a country village by Somerset architects Bindloss Dawes
-
RIBA House of the Year 2025 is a ‘rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness’Topping the list of seven shortlisted homes, Izat Arundell’s Hebridean self-build – named Caochan na Creige – is announced as the RIBA House of the Year 2025
-
In addition to brutalist buildings, Alison Smithson designed some of the most creative Christmas cards we've seenThe architect’s collection of season’s greetings is on show at the Roca London Gallery, just in time for the holidays
-
In South Wales, a remote coastal farmhouse flaunts its modern revamp, primed for hostingA farmhouse perched on the Gower Peninsula, Delfyd Farm reveals its ground-floor refresh by architecture studio Rural Office, which created a cosy home with breathtaking views
-
A revived public space in Aberdeen is named Scotland’s building of the yearAberdeen's Union Terrace Gardens by Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design and LDA Design wins the 2025 Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award
-
A refreshed 1950s apartment in East London allows for moments of discoveryWith this 1950s apartment redesign, London-based architects Studio Naama wanted to create a residence which reflects the fun and individual nature of the clients
-
In this Cotswolds home, drama meets minimalismCotswolds home Hiaven house, with interiors designed by McLaren Excell, is a perfect blend of contemporary chic and calm, countryside drama
