Sean Godsell, founder of Melbourne-based studio Sean Godsell Architects, is the recipient of the 2022 Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal, the highest honor awarded by the AIA. The jury stated that Godsell’s work demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to excellence in design, allowing everyone to experience “the expression of an intense master craftsman”.
Sean Godsell was born in Melbourne in 1960 and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1984. After traveling to Japan and Europe, he worked in London for a few years. He formed Sean Godsell Architects in 1994. He obtained a master’s degree in architecture from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1999 with a thesis titled “The Appropriateness of the Contemporary Australian Dwelling.” In 2013, he delivered the UNESCO Chair Open Lecture at MantovArchitettura and was visiting professor at the IUAV University in Venice. He later received the Papal Silver Medal for the chapel he designed on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, one of the ten that made up the Vatican Chapels Pavilion of the Holy See at the 2018 Venice Biennale. He is professor of architecture at Deakin University. His work has been published in the most important international architecture journals, and he has lectured all over the world. Godsell has received over 50 local and international awards.
Central to Godsell’s work is the theme of the dwelling, with a particular focus on pathways, materials, and light. He draws his inspiration from the wild landscape of Australia and its variegated hues. Some of his most notable works are Kew House, Carter Tucker House, Peninsula House, St Andrews Beach House, and House in the Hills. His design of the RMIT Design Hub in association with Peddle Thorp received the 2013 Victorian Medal, awarded annually by the Victorian Chapter of the AIA.
In awarding the prize to Sean Godsell, the Gold Medal Jury, chaired by Tony Giannone, director of Tectvs, stated:
“Godsell’s architecture reflects an Australian architect responding to a deeply moral and territorial ethos. It is as unwavering as it is singular. His projects constitute an assembly of intricate detail, free of expectation. His work is at once personal, rigorous and relevant, and each project is envisioned from its specific context”.
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