James Wines, professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, has been awarded the Premio di Architettura ANCE, an annual honor presented to an international architect by Associazione Nazionale Construttori Edili (National Association of Builders in Italy).
In a letter informing Wines of the award, Andrea Vecchio, president of Edilstampa srl, referred to the architect, artist, educator and author as an “emblematic figure in the panorama of international architecture.” Wines’ seminal contributions to the field and growth of environmental design resonated with a group that envisions architecture as a functioning unit of its surroundings.
“Ours is an association of builders and we, as part of it, want to think of our buildings as work that absorbs the external stimuli and permeates into the environment that surrounds it, in harmony with that environment,” Vecchio wrote.
The ceremonies will take place in Catania, Sicily, on July 15, at the Giardino Bellini, a park that is the emblem and symbol of the city of Catania. Art college students and beginning architects and engineers are vying for the opportunity to design a work to be placed on the garden’s hill, and Wines’ visit is being billed as a chance to hear from an internationally renowned leader.
“I am certain that these young people need your advice,” said Vecchio in his letter. “They should, at least, all get to know your idea of ‘green architecture.’ They should learn how to ‘read’ nature.”
Wines is looking forward to returning to Italy, a country where he has resided, lectured, and built architectural projects. Since the late 1960s, he has taught in various design schools there, including La Sapienza Roma, Domus Academy, Universita di Calabria, Politecnico di Milano, Universita di Firenze, E.N.E.A, and Universita did Salerno.
He is particularly appreciative of this ANCE award because of his long-term involvement with Italian education and cultural activities. He also hopes, as a result of this special recognition, to continue his interaction with the country’s next generation of architects and designers.
Wines is founder, president, and creative director of SITE, a New York City-based, multi-disciplinary architecture and environmental arts organization located in the Wall Street area of Manhattan. The studio is internationally known for its contributions to "environmental thinking," as well as its site-specific projects integrating buildings with their surrounding environments. The purpose of SITE is to create architecture and public spaces that respond to social, psychological, cultural, and ecological information.
In the course of his career Wines has put his stamp on more than 150 corporate and municipal projects that incorporate architecture, environmental art, interior design, public space, and landscape architecture.