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NEWS AWARDS
‘Fierce champion of equity’ Lesley Lokko to receive RIBA Gold Medal
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Professor Lesley Lokko, the celebrated Dundee-born Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, author and curator – is to receive the Royal Gold Medal 2024 for architecture. Recognising Lokko’s commitment to “championing diverse approaches to architectural practice and education,” said RIBA, the medal will be formally presented in London on 2 May. For over two decades, Lokko has been
“a fi erce champion of equity and inclusion in all aspects of life,” said RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki. He added that Lokko’s progressive approach to architecture education offers was one that offered “hope for the future – as 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.” Lokko’s work to “democratise architecture” has been hailed by the RIBA Honours Committee 2024 as a “clarion call for equitable representation in policies, planning, and design that shape our spaces.”
a variety of locations around the world, and “reframed architecture courses to democratise, decolonise and progress” architectural education, said RIBA. Notable roles she took up included founder and director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg, and dean of The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York. In 2023, Lokko was awarded an OBE for services to architecture and education and was appointed curator of the 18th International Architecture Biennale in Venice. Titled ‘The Laboratory of the Future,’ the exhibition placed Africa at its centre, and included its fi rst ever educational component.
© Debra Hurford-Brown
In 2021, she founded the African Futures Institute (AFI) in Accra, Ghana, aiming to be a new model of education, research and public dialogue that unites the arts, humanities and sciences. Prior to establishing the AFI, Lokko taught in
The 2024 Royal Gold Medal selection committee was chaired by RIBA President Muyiwa Oki, and comprised Royal Gold Medal 2023 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 Cindy Walters, architect and partner at Walters & Cohen.
RIBA issues stakeholder engagement guidance STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
RIBA has published guidance for projects to help ensure that stakeholder engagement is “considered at every stage of planning, designing and constructing buildings and places.”
The Engagement Overlay to the RIBA
Plan of Work is a free guide for built environment professionals that has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Collaborative Design (ACD) and Sustrans, and is supported by the Landscape Institute. The RIBA commented: “Engagement is about actively involving stakeholders – individuals, organisations, special interest groups and communities – in
decision-making processes that affect them.” The organisation continued, saying engagement should take place during the lead-up to planning applications, throughout the design process and in progress updates during the build. Engagement is also “essential during the management and stewardship of completed buildings and places.” Research led by the ACD has revealed
the “pressing need for engagement to be integrated into the design process, rather than treated as an afterthought.” RIBA’s guide outlines best practice to integrate engagement into every stage of the design and construction
process. Advocating a “democratic and collaborative approach,” the Engagement Overlay will “help professionals bring everyone to the table at the right time to make projects inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to the diverse needs and strengths of neighbourhoods.” RIBA concluded: “Using this approach, engagement can be a key driver of positive change.”
RIBA president Muyiwa Oki said: “Engagement isn’t just about ticking boxes – when done properly, it is a powerful tool for making our society better for everyone. Local knowledge and participation are vital.”
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ADF FEBRUARY 2024
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