Sean Godsell has been announced as the recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal, described by the Jury as a ‘master craftsman’.

Announced at the AIA’s 2022 National Prizes ceremony, the Gold Medal Jury says Godsell’s career has demonstrated “an extraordinary commitment to excellence in design, detail and resolution, allowing us to experience the expression of an intense master craftsman”.

“To achieve all of this in his practice timeframe is an extraordinary achievement that should be recognised, lauded and celebrated,” the citation reads.

Born in 1960, Godsell graduated from the University of Melbourne with first-class honours in 1984, before travelling to Japan and Europe. He eventually took up a role in London working under the tutelage of English architect Sir Denys Lasdun from 1986 to 1988.

Godsell’s notable projects include the likes of Carter Tucker House, Peninsula House, St Andrews Beach House and House in the Hills. His RMIT Design Hub (in association with Peddle Thorp) received the 2013 Victorian Medal. The architect has delivered lectures across the globe, and gave the keynote address at Finland’s Alvar Aalto symposium in 2006.

He was nominated by architect Sir Kenneth Frampton for the inaugural BSI Swiss Architectural Award for architects under 50, and was the recipient of the 2016 Detail Prize in Germany for the 2014 MPavilion. Additionally, Godsell was awarded the Papal Silver Medal for his Vatican Chapel on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

The Jury says Godsell’s service to Australia’s built environment ultimately won him the prestigious honour.

“Godsell’s body of work, publications, exhibitions, and speaking and teaching engagements have been accoladed in Australia.

“For a small practice that has completed a relatively small number of dedicated projects, his level of international recognition is unparalleled. Godsell’s work has contributed significantly by expressing, on a global stage, an architectural response to Australia’s unique landscape.

“Godsell’s architecture reflects an Australian architect responding to a deeply moral and territorial ethos. It is as unwavering as it is singular. His projects constitute an assembly of intricate detail, free of expectation. His work is at once personal, rigorous and relevant, and each project is envisioned from its specific context.”

Godsell gifted AIA gold

Jarrod Reedie

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