The Soane Medal continues the mission of Sir John Soane to encourage a better understanding of the central importance of architecture in people’s lives.
Established in 2017, the Soane Medal recognises architects, educators and critics who have made a major contribution to their field through practice, history or theory, and in doing so have furthered and enriched the public understanding of architecture. Previous winners are Hanif Kara, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Phlippe Vassal, Peter Barber, Marina Tabassum, Denise Scott Brown, Kenneth Frampton, and Rafael Moneo.
The winner of the Soane Medal is selected annually by a panel of distinguished architects, critics and curators, which has been led by former Trustee of Sir John Soane’s Museum, Sir David Chipperfield. The recipient of the Medal writes and delivers a lecture at a special event, open to all, and also receives a replica of the original gold medal presented to Sir John Soane by the ‘Architects of England’ in 1835.
We are delighted to share that Dutch artist Madelon Vriesendorp is the 2025 Soane Medal recipient.
Selected by a panel of distinguished judges, comprised of architects, critics and curators, the Soane Medal recognises her lasting contribution to architecture and the legacy of the designs, images and paintings she has created, which continue to influence the architects of today and tomorrow.
Vriesendorp studied at London’s Central St Martin’s before moving to New York in 1972 where she co-founded the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) with Rem Koolhaas and Elia & Zoe Zenghelis. Here she produced paintings in support of the firm’s work that were used for book and magazine covers. Over the decades, her work has given architectural theories playful and memorable identities, helping to explain complex ideas behind Modern and Post-Modern architecture.
We are grateful to Hamish and Sophie Forsyth for their generous support of the 2025 Soane Medal and to ARTscapades for supporting the Soane Medal’s 2025 education programme.
