Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind, B.Arch. M.A. BDA AIA is an international figure in architectural practice and urban design. He is well known for introducing a new critical discourse into architecture and for his multidisciplinary approach.

His practice extends from building major cultural and commercial institutions, including museums and concert halls, to convention centers, universities, housing, hotels, shopping centers and residential work. He also designs opera sets and maintains an object design studio.

In 1989, Mr. Libeskind won the competition for the Jewish Museum Berlin, which opened to the public in September 2001 to wide public acclaim. In July 2002, the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, England opened to the public. The Graduate Student Centre at the London Metropolitan University opened in March 2004, and the Danish Jewish Museum opened in Copenhagen in June 2004.

Most recently, the Glass Courtyard, an extension to the Jewish Museum Berlin, which covers the original Courtyard, was completed in the Fall 2007. The Ascent at Roebling's Bridge, a residential high-rise in Covington, Kentucky opened in March 2008. The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, California opened in June 2008 and Westside, the largest shopping and wellness center in Europe opened in October 2008, in Bern, Switzerland.

Upon winning the World Trade Center design competition in February 2003, Daniel Libeskind was appointed as master plan architect for the site in New York City. Memory Foundations is now under construction.

Mr. Libeskind has taught and lectured at many universities worldwide. He has received numerous awards, including the 2001 Hiroshima Art Prize - an award given to an artist whose work promotes international understanding and peace, never before given to an architect.

He was awarded the 1999 Deutsche Architekturpreis (German Architecture Prize) for the Jewish Museum Berlin; also the 2000 Goethe Medallion for cultural contribution; the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Architecture in 1996 and, in the same year, the Berlin Cultural Prize.

He was also awarded a membership in the European Academy of Arts and Letters in 1990; then, in 1997, an Honorary Doctorate from Humboldt Universität, Berlin; also, in 1999, an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Arts and Humanities, Essex University; in 2002, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh and an Honorary Doctorate from DePaul University, Chicago, and, most recently in 2004, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Toronto. Also in 2004, Mr. Libeskind was appointed the first Cultural Ambassador for Architecture by the US Department of State as part of the CultureConnect Program.

Information adapted from: daniel-libeskind.com