ANDRES DUANY AND ELIZABETH PLATER-ZYBERK
2008 RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS PRIZE LAUREATES
Duany and Plater-Zyberk to publish books related to
New Urbanism, smart growth and traditional architecture
Richard Driehaus will match funds spent toward publishing ventures
Chicago, March 31, 2008 – Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the husband and wife team who lead the Miami architectural firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), received the sixth annual Richard H. Driehaus Prize during a ceremony March 29 at the John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium in Chicago. At the ceremony, Duany and Plater-Zyberk announced that they would use much of their $200,000 award to publish books related to New Urbanism, smart growth and traditional architecture. The money will be deposited in the not-for-profit Center for Applied Transect Studies (CATS). Chicago philanthropist Richard Driehaus, who established the Prize in 2003, in turn announced that he would match all funds Duany and Plater-Zyberk spend toward their publishing ventures.
Plater-Zyberk said the goal is to “advance the knowledge base of what we do: traditional architecture and urbanism.” The books they will publish “are all related to what is honored with the Driehaus Prize,” Plater-Zyberk said. Planned titles include "Lexicon of the New Urbanism" (currently an online publication), a biography of early 20th century town planner John Nolen, and a book on ecology and traditional architecture.
Two of the most influential and controversial architects and town planners in the country, Duany and Plater-Zyberk received the Driehaus Prize in honor of their efforts to revive the principles of traditional neighborhood design. Plater-Zyberk, who also is the Dean of Miami School of Architecture, describes their work as using successful and sustainable design ideals to address the challenges of modern life. They view traditional town planning as a panacea for social ills ranging from traffic congestion and other environmental threats to the disenfranchisement of the poor and the elderly.
In addition to their architectural and academic work, Duany and Plater-Zyberk are best known for designing cities — street grids, town centers, parks — and for writing architectural and building codes that help revitalize communities. DPZ has completed designs for nearly 300 new towns, regional plans and revitalization projects, including neighborhoods in Naples, Fla., Baton Rouge, La. and Providence, R.I. Plater-Zyberk also leads Miami 21, a project to overhaul city zoning intended to discourage exposed parking garages, create wider sidewalks and build homes where people can live above their businesses.
Among their many design awards and honorary degrees, Plater-Zyberk received an honorary doctorate in architecture from the University of Notre Dame. Duany and Plater-Zyberk met as undergraduates at Princeton and both received master’s degrees from the Yale School of Architecture.
Richard H. Driehaus, the founder and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management in Chicago, endowed the Prize through the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture because of its reputation as a national leader in incorporating the principles of traditional and classical architecture into the task of modern urban development.
Watch a video featuring the 2008 Driehaus Prize Recipients Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany.
