Practicing architect Peter Zumthor, a professor at the Academy of Architecture within the University of Italian Switzerland, will receive the 2006 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture at the Founder's Day ceremony April 12.
Zumthor will give a speech the following day.
The award is given by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which operates Monticello. The foundation also presents an equivalent award in law, which was awarded to Ronald Dworkin the same day.
The selection committee for the award consists of the dean of the Architecture School, a representative from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a representative from the American Institute of Architects and member chosen by the dean of the Architecture School, said Derry Wade, director of publications for the Architecture School.
Though there are no specific criteria for selection, the winner must have achieved an international reputation within the field of architecture, Wade said. The winners are almost always from outside the University community, Wade added.
Past winners include architects Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Mies Van Der Rohe, I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry.
Zumthor is most well known for his design of the thermal baths at the Swiss city of Vals, which integrate architecture and water into a visually cohesive and minimalist space. Other works include the Protective Housing for Roman Archaeological Excavation in the city of Chur.
Zumthor has received many other awards recognizing his architectural achievements, including the Calsberg Architectural Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Prize for European Architecture, Wade said.
The architect's style of design is unique, Architecture Prof. David Rifkind said.
Zumthor's work "is very delightful and inwardly focused, with marvelous concern for detail," Rifkind said. "He has the ability to create another world within which to experience art."
Zumthor also has a reputation for the successful integration of materials and location.
"The place is very important to him, and has a phenomenological way of approaching his work," Architecture Prof. Jenny Lovell said. "His material and the way he uses material is very important to him, and exploring the material in ways that might not necessarily be traditional."
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