Jurors
Michael Chavez NOMA, NCARB, LEED AP Architect (CHAIR)
principal & co-founder
Social Impact Collective
James Bennett II
arts & culture reporter
WGBH
Heather Bosch
executive director
IDEO Boston
Yanel de Angel Salas FAIA
managing director
Perkins + Will
Kara Elliott-Ortega
chief of arts & culture
City of Boston
Katie Faulkner FAIA, LEED AP
founder & principal
West Work
Lou Jones
owner & photographer
Lou Jones Photography
Amy Longsworth
executive director
Boston Green Ribbon Commission
John Messervy AIA
senior director of design & construction, real estate
Partners Healthcare
Rose Mary Su
principal consultant
Acentech
Jury Overview
The process of awarding this year’s Harleston Parker Medal involved many discussions about the relationship between beauty and purpose; beauty and impact; beauty and function; beauty and access; beauty and timelessness.
The jury this year was composed of a diverse group of architects, engineers, sustainability leaders, innovation makers, photographers, and culture directors who—as in past years—begin the jury process by sharing their personal reflections on beauty and concluded it where they began: by asking “What is the role of beauty?”
Is it about the aesthetics of a building as an object, or is it derived from what a structure can achieve? The answer is yes to both questions. Beauty is found in the artisanship of textural details hidden in Back Bay; in a library that transforms a neighborhood and fulfills a mission to be “Free to All” in Roxbury; in a framework for young people to flourish and learn with joy in Cambridge; in technology and innovation shaping a well-choreographed human experience in Allston; and in all the ways buildings use artistic license to preserve a memory in time.
With respect to the differing opinions, the jury came to the conclusion that beauty is about an ephemeral joy that renews our collective attitudes towards the past and what is possible throughout the city in the future.
A valuable part of the Harleston Parker Medal experience is practicing the art of listening—the qualities of beauty are hard to articulate; sometimes it takes witnessing the pleasure of others to recognize it. At its core, beautiful architecture moves you.