Washington, D.C., USA – The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have honoured Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, with the 2020 Gold Medal. The Gold Medal honours an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Blackwell is being recognised for his important body of transcendent work in the hills of Northwest Arkansas.

Although he was born in Germany, Blackwell is a product of the American South. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University and a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University. His firm, Marlon Blackwell Architects, is eager to tackle any project type that serves the common good, regardless of scale and budget, and has been widely recognised with more than 120 national and 14 international design awards.

In addition to his exemplary architecture, Blackwell’s influence and achievements as a teacher parallel the successes of his practice. Because of his outstanding leadership as a distinguished professor, the E. Fay Jones chair, and department head of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, Blackwell was named one of DesignIntelligence magazine’s “30 Most Admired Educators.”

Blackwell will be honoured at the 2020 AIA Conference on Architecture, which will be held from 14-16 May 2020 in Los Angeles.