Connor McKell Bingham has been named the winner of the Architect’s Prize For Excellence in Architecture. The Prize, given by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Arts, with The King’s Foundation and INTBAU, is awarded to an emerging architect whose work exhibits a holistic understanding of the principles of classical design, and whose projects show a demonstrable excellence in their design.

Connor McKell Bingham is a principal and co-founder of Pierre McKell Architects with active projects spanning coast to coast.

Prior to starting his own firm with business partner, Jacques Pierre Levet, Connor had a decade-long tenure with Historical Concepts’ president, Andrew Cogar, who accentuated Connor’s passion for bespoke design and attuned his business acumen. As an architect with Historical Concepts, Connor designed and managed several award-winning projects which have been published in Architectural Digest, LUXE, Ocean Home Magazine, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, and others.

Connor received a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and was the final undergraduate student to live, work, and study in Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes and studios—Taliesin and Taliesin West. He then obtained a graduate degree from the University of Colorado Denver where he simultaneously earned the Certificate in Classical Architecture offered by the ICAA. His blended educational background aptly prepared him for practice with immersion in both the classical and contemporary traditions.

Now as an owner and principal at Pierre McKell Architects, Connor is committed to supporting the firm’s guiding design philosophy of excellence, which is rooted in referencing historical precedents, collaborating with leading artisans, sourcing natural materials, and sensitively responding to context. Connor McKell Bingham is driven to design buildings that truly enrich the lives and day-to-day experiences of his clients.

About the Awards for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition

The Awards for Emerging Excellence are a suite of prizes that recognizes exceptional talent exhibited by young professionals in architecture, landscape, and craftsmanship. The Awards seek to highlight emerging talent that engages with classical design, demonstrating a thoughtful use of precedents from the past in projects that are forward-looking, creative, and holistically demonstrate their talents.

The relevance and importance of these skills grows each year, as the rise of homogeneous standardization threatens our individual cultures, vernacular design traditions, and historic crafts and trades. Additionally, classical design offers singularly impactful solutions to the most pressing issues facing our built environment at this current moment, from sustainability to preservation, from housing equity to community walkability. The Awards for Emerging Excellence aim to shine a light on exceptional talent and reward young people excelling in their chosen fields.

The Architect’s Prize For Excellence in Architecture, given by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art with the King’s Foundation and INTBAU, is awarded to an emerging architect whose work exhibits a holistic understanding of the principles of classical design, and whose projects show a demonstrable excellence in their design. Awardees’ portfolios will have a clear, individual vision of the role classical design can play in the creation or preservation of our current built environment.

Additionally, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art awards two additional categories: The Bunny Mellon Prize For Excellence in Garden Design and The Maker’s Prize for Excellence in Craftsmanship.

The Awards for Emerging Excellence are open to applicants from around the world aged 35 or under working in the building crafts, urban design and planning, architecture, landscape architecture, garden design, or any allied arts. Launched in 2017, The Awards began as a collaboration between the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA), The King’s Foundation (KF), and the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism (INTBAU). It has grown to include multiple prize categories and partners, including the Bunny Mellon Prize in Garden Design, The Maker’s Prize for craftsmanship, and The Architect’s Prize given with INTBAU and KF.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.classicist.org/honors/award-for-emerging-excellence/

Images and text courtesy of the ICAA.