Alberto Campo Baeza Awarded the Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal

While Heinrich Tessenow (1876-1950) may not be a household name outside of his native Germany, the namesake medal has been given to many recognizable architects since 1963: Eduardo Souto de Moura, Peter Zumthor, and Sverre Fehn (all Pritzker Prize winners), as well as David Chipperfield, Heikkinen and Komonen, and Roger Diener. The recipient of the 2012 Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal is Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza.

In a statement from Baeza on the award, Tessenow is quoted as saying, "the simplest form is not always the best, but the best is always simple." This sentiment is echoed in buildings designed by Baeza, such as the Offices for Junta Castilla León, Zamora, pictured. In the same statement the award is described as "conferred on architects whose architectural oeuvre is as uncompromising, sober and essential as that proposed by the work, the projects and the writings of Heinrich Tessenow."