The Prize is the Beginning

The Exhibition

The prize is only the beginning. MCHAP’s goal is to lay groundwork for these conversations to continue growing on their own, contributing to a greater understanding of how architecture impacts the vibrant, complex world around us.

Presented in collaboration with the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP), an affiliate of IIT, this exhibition highlights leading-edge contemporary architecture from across the Americas as recognized by the juried biennial Americas Prize and Emerge awards. The selected work reveals a wide range of functions and cultural contexts and underscores that there is more than a single accepted definition of design excellence.

"The exhibition marks an important moment of recognition and assessment for the work of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. Collaborating with CAC has been a new and valuable opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned, with the curatorial team re-reading the projects through resonant themes, and at the same time, the partnership is a conduit to reach a larger audience who is interested in architecture and the quality of the built world, outside of the professional and academic communities." - Dirk Denison, Director, MCHAP

The exhibition explores how MCHAP straddles borders to help foster greater appreciation for the diversity and dynamism of North, Central, and South American architecture, while underwriting research and publication and supporting emerging practices. The selected work reveals a wide range of typologies and cultural contexts and underscores that there is more than a single accepted definition of design excellence. Through interviews, testimonials, and local narratives, the exhibition goes beyond a simple survey of nominees and award-winners to tell a richer story of impact over time—of buildings within their communities, and of MCHAP on academia and the international design profession.

Project Categories

Going Beyond the Brief
Generosity, in the sense of a built work enriching place and community, is practically a given for MCHAP nominees. However, some buildings and landscapes go the extra mile for their users and for the public good, far “beyond the brief.”
Photo: Ecoparque Bacalar, Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2-23. Architects: Colectivo C733. Photo by Rafael Gamo.
Adaptation & Reinvention
Cities and the needs of urban communities are constantly changing. In this age of rapid urbanization and stifling inequality, urban planners, architects, and developers must creatively meet the moment. These notable new works, big and small, represent inspired and sustainable adaptations of our built environment.
Photo: Clínica Veterinaria Guayaquil, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina August 2022. Architects: adamo-faiden. Photo by Javier Agustín Rojas.
Going Beyond the Brief
Generosity, in the sense of a built work enriching place and community, is practically a given for MCHAP nominees. However, some buildings and landscapes go the extra mile for their users and for the public good, far “beyond the brief.”
Photo: Centro de Investigación Mar de Cortés, Sinaloa, Mexico April 2023. Architects: Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO Mazatlan. Photo by Juan Manuel McGrath, Iwan Baan, Rodrigo Chapa.
Individuals & Institutions Making a Difference
Sometimes meaningful impact arrives because an architect or client—or both—wills it into existence. In the case of these outstanding project examples, each with strong champions, the local community emerged as the winner.
Photo: Pumphouse, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada December 2023. Architects: 5468796 Architecture. Photo by: James Brittain.
Embracing our differences
What does it mean to learn from one another through a design or development process, or from the experience that a building provides? These exemplary case studies show how authentic partnership, co-creation, and cultural immersion can foster deeper understanding and a sense of shared ownership.
Photo: Thaden School, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States 2022. Architects: EskewDumezRipple and Marlon Blackwell Architects + Andropogon Associates. Photo by Timothy Hursley, EskewDumezRipple.