The Driehaus Prize is awarded to an architect whose work embodies the principles of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society.
Demetri
Porphyrios takes it as the highest praise when observers cannot tell
the difference between a much older building and one of his designs.
"It's a compliment when people don't know which of the buildings are new and which of the buildings are not new," Porphyrios told an audience at the University of Notre Dame while discussing his work in Europe, the Mediterranean and the United States. "Who cares what is authentic and what is not? People only care about what is beautiful."
The School of Architecture's 2004 recipient of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize, Porphyrios delivered the prize's annual lecture, titled "Classical Architecture," on campus November 15.
Porphyrios said subtle regional idiosyncrasies are important for architects to incorporate into their designs.
"Architecture comes out of the culture in which one works," Porphyrios said. "You need to recognize what makes Spetses different from Barbados---the placement of windows, the pitch of the roof---it's the little issues that grasp the character of a place."
In the debate between classical architecture and modernism, Porphyrios said, "we need to bring modern architecture into classical architecture with some sort of collaborative venture."
New urbanism, "an American phenomenon," helps bridge that gap he says.
Projects Porphyrios discussed included a major complex of buildings at Princeton University, his alma mater. The project is currently being built in an area of campus that previously housed 1960s-era buildings, which the university razed because they were difficult to maintain, he said.
Porphyrios Associates received the commission because Princeton believed it was the only firm that could guarantee a traditional collegiate Gothic result.
Porphyrios is currently working on another major commission, a master plan for the area surrounding King's Cross Station in London.
