The gold medal AIA 2007 was awarded to Edward Larrabee Barnes

On December 7, 2006, the architect who will receive this year's AIA Gold Medal was announced - the highest honor awarded by the American Institute of Architects for significant lifetime achievement impacting architectural theory and practice. The award posthumously went to Edward Larrabee Barnes. His name was nominated by three architectural societies (New York, Chicago, and Kansas City). The selection committee justified this year’s choice as follows: “Barnes was a dedicated creator of elegant, simple, geometric modernism, which he infused with warmth through his designs and material choices.” Barnes was born on April 22, 1915, in Chicago. Under the guidance of Walter Gropius, he studied at Harvard University. After serving in the Navy during the war, he worked for industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss in Los Angeles, who planned prefabricated housing with the help of government funding. In 1949, Barnes moved to New York, where he founded and led his own architectural firm for 45 years. Among his most famous realizations are the IBM headquarters in Manhattan and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Link>