Austin, TX (17 December 2010) – Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA, PageSoutherlandPage Principal and a University of Texas at Austin architecture professor and former dean, is the 2011 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education recipient.

This award is the highest honor given to an architectural educator from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The medal honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to architectural education for a decade or more.

Larry joined the faculty of the School of Architecture in 1975 after teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for three years. He was the founding director of the Center for American Architecture and Design from 1982-1990, an associate dean of the school from 1990-1992 and dean of the school from 1992-2001. In 1975, he founded Lawrence W. Speck and Associates, and since 1999 he has been principal of PageSoutherlandPage.

His architecture classes at the University of Texas attract almost 10% of undergraduate students – more than any other professor on the UT campus. Larry is renowned for combining teaching and practice in ways that not only make architecture accessible and vital a wide community of students but also reach emerging generations of architecture clients and investors.

“When I attended my first national meeting of a professional organization as a very young architect, I saw Marcel Breuer receive the Topaz Medallion,” Larry says. “ He was a hero of mine, and I thought at the time how incredible it would be to win that award.  I never seriously dreamed I really would, but strange things happen. I am both surprised and honored to have been selected for this award.”

Larry has authored two books, the most recent of which is Technology, Sustainability and Cultural Identity.  He has edited or co-edited four publications, has contributed chapters in eleven books by others, and has written over 50 articles in professional journals including Architecture, Urban Land, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, and Architecture Australia.

Larry has been lead designer for projects such as the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the Austin Convention Center, the architecture at Discovery Green in Houston and the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, as well as private residences, multi-family residential towers and government buildings commissioned under the U.S. General Service Agency’s Design Excellence program.  His work is noted for its technological sophistication and for its responsiveness to climate, culture and landscape character.

Previous teaching awards include the 2009-2010 University of Texas System Regents Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2007 Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship, the 2005 Chancellor’s Council Teaching Award (the highest award for undergraduate teaching given by The University of Texas System), the 2005 Edward J. Romieniec Award given by the Texas Society of Architects to an outstanding architectural educator and the 2004 Outstanding Teaching Award in the School of Architecture.

The Topaz Medallion will be presented at the 2011 AIA National Convention and Design Expo in New Orleans and at the ACSA annual meeting in Quebec.

Additional information on the award can be found on the American Institute of Architects and The University of Texas websites.

Media Contact: Nancy Acker Fleshman - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it