Joshua Prince-Ramus, founding principal and president of REX, image via pe2.samondeo.com

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning Announces the Recipient of the 2015 Marcus Prize. Joshua Prince-Ramus of the internationally acclaimed architecture firm REX has been awarded the sixth Marcus Prize, an architectural prize offered worldwide to recognize architects ‘on a trajectory to greatness.’ This $100,000 award, supported by the Marcus Corporation Foundation (the philanthropic arm of the Marcus Corporation, a lodging and entertainment company headquartered in Milwaukee) and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, includes a cash prize to the recipient and supports a design studio at the school that will be collaboratively led by Mr. Prince-Ramus.

Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington,  image © Ramon Prat

The jury members, Blair Kamin, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune; Tom Fisher, former Dean and Director of the Metropolitan Design Center at the University of Minnesota; Philip Hamp, FAIA, Principal, Vinci/Hamp Architects and Robert Greenstreet, Dean, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning met on Friday, September 11, 2015, when they reviewed the portfolios, CVs and work statements of a pool of international nominees from 4 continents, all who were required to demonstrate at least ten years of proven, exceptional practice.

After a day of considerable deliberation, the jury noted that REX’s “exuberant yet carefully-considered designs possess a broader cultural significance” and praised the “typological invention” of their projects. “They symbolize and help drive the millennial generation’s rediscovery of the city,” said Blair Kamin. “We eagerly anticipate Joshua’s interaction with, and influence on, the design and real estate communities of Milwaukee and the upper Midwest.”

Joshua Prince-Ramus is the founding principal and president of REX, where he leads the design of all projects. Joshua was the founding partner of OMA New York—the American affiliate of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture/Rem Koolhaas—until he rebranded that firm as REX in 2006. While REX was still known as OMA New York, Joshua was partner-in-charge of the Seattle Central Library and the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas, among many other cultural projects.

The Necklase Residence, image © Luxigon (see project on WA)

A former member of the TED Brain Trust, Prince-Ramus has been credited as one of the “5 greatest architects under 50” by The Huffington Post, one of the world’s most influential young architects by Wallpaper*, and one of the twenty most influential players in design by Fast Company; he was also listed among “The 20 Essential Young Architects” by ICON magazine and featured as one of the “Best and Brightest” by Esquire magazine. He is a frequent contributor to architectural academia, convinced that—if architecture is to evolve—professionals have a responsibility to improve the profession from within. He has been Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at Yale University and Cullinan Visiting Professor at Rice University, and has been a visiting professor at Columbia University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Syracuse University. He lectures frequently in universities and symposiums around the world.

Vakko Fashion Center, image © REX Architects (see project on WA)

During the spring 2016 academic semester, Prince-Ramus will make scheduled visits to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning, leading a graduate studio in collaboration with Adjunct Assoc. Prof. Matt Jarosz, dealing with specific challenges in architecture that will have enduring benefits to Milwaukee’s urban fabric. He will also be invited to participate in public workshops and lectures.

“The Marcus Prize is a part of our ongoing commitment to support the growth and development of Milwaukee,” says Steve Marcus, CEO of the Marcus Corporation and a director of the Marcus Corporation Foundation, adding that excellence in design has a large impact on the reputation of the city.

> via www4.uwm.edu/sarup