"World Monuments Fund (WMF) is an independent organization dedicated to safeguarding significant places that enrich people's lives and foster mutual understanding across cultures and communities. Since 2008, the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize has been a biennial award recognizing outstanding achievements in the conservation of buildings emblematic of the modernist architectural movement. The prize honors individuals and organizations that revitalize modern built heritage through innovative and sensitive architectural interventions."
"On January 22, 2026, WMF and Knoll announced the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus as the recipient of the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for its conservation of the United Nations' Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The jury recognized the project for reestablishing a significant work of African modernism as an active venue for diplomacy and cultural exchange."
"Once regarded as the vanguard of architectural innovation, many modernist buildings are increasingly subject to deterioration, public apathy, and misperception as obsolete. As a result, they are often demolished or altered in ways that compromise their architectural integrity. Many modern structures are also too recent to qualify for landmark designation and statutory protection, making them particularly vulnerable. The prize seeks to elevate the cultural value of modernist architecture and to support the technical and institutional frameworks necessary for its long-term care."
World Monuments Fund and Knoll awarded the 2026 Modernism Prize to Architectus for conserving the United Nations' Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa and reestablishing its diplomatic and cultural functions. The jury also granted a Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes to Paul Rudolph's Umbrella House in Sarasota. Many modernist buildings face deterioration, public apathy, misperception as obsolete, demolition, or compromising alterations, and often lack statutory protection due to recency. The prize aims to elevate modernist architecture's cultural value and bolster technical and institutional frameworks for long-term care. The 2026 selection prioritized restorations from the last ten years that addressed degradation, obsolescence, abandonment, or adverse changes in use.
Read at ArchDaily
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