The bold, yet seemingly simplistic geometric structures designed by architects Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen of Pezo von Ellrichshausen are turning heads internationally, as the Chilean firm has been announced as the recipient of the fourth annual Spotlight Award. Presented by the Houston-based non-profit Rice Design Alliance (RDA), the international award spotlights “exceptionally gifted” architects during the early phase of their professional careers.
Spotlight Committee Member and Harry K. & Albert K. Smith Professor of Architecture at Rice University John Casbarian said, “I was struck by the power of their bold abstract compositional forms which exist simultaneously in harmony and in contrast with the context. This tension, coupled with the inventive use of stark materials underscores the visual impact of their unique and simply stunning architecture.”
Established in Concepción in 2002, the firm has been awarded at the IberoAmerican Biennial, the Chilean Architecture Biennial, and at The AR Awards for Emerging Architecture, among others. They teach regularly in Chile and have been visiting professors at the University of Texas in Austin and Cornell University in New York.
As this year’s award winners, Pezo von Ellrichshausen will receive a cash prize and an invitation to lecture at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.
The lecture will take place on Monday, November 12, 2012 at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston at 7:00 p.m. The event is free for RDA Members, students and a lucky few who may receive a complimentary ticket should they choose to join RDA at a pre-lecture wine reception. Seating is limited and tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Find all the details here.
Browse through Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s projects here on ArchDaily.
