Lesley Lokko is the first woman of African heritage to win the Royal Institute of British Architects’ top honor since its founding in 1848, according to the BBC.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has nominated the Ghanaian-Scottish architect, author, and educator to receive the coveted RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2024. She becomes the first single female Royal Gold Medalist in RIBA history, following Yasmeen Lari, who won the honor last year.
She was awarded for her work surrounding justice causes and other works seeking to “democratize architecture”, Euronews reported. Known for her work as an architecture teacher and academic in various institutions around the world, the 60-year-old was praised by RIBA for her “unwavering commitment to advancing architectural education and redressing imbalances by amplifying the voices of underrepresented people in shaping our built environment.”
In 2021, she established the educational African Futures Institute (AFI) in Accra, Ghana, to explore the complicated relationship between architecture, identity, and race.
Lokko’s influence in the architectural world is shown in her positions as dean of the CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture and founding director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg. She has also taught at universities in the UK, the United States, and Africa.
In 2023, she was granted an OBE for her contributions to architecture and education. She also became the first black curator of the International Architecture Biennale in Venice.