Akron Art Museum wins 2008 RIBA International Award

Sherman Oaks, CA - June 10, 2008
The Akron Art Museum was one of five projects to be selected for the 2008 International Awards by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), as announced today.

IBE Consulting Engineers worked with architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au on the approximately 85,000 sf museum building, which is adjacent to and also hovers above the original museum, a post office building dating back to 1899. The expansion includes permanent and temporary galleries, a gift shop, a café, and an auditorium. IBE implemented radiant heating and cooling for the lobby and galleries, making the Akron Art Museum one of the first museums in the United States to use this energy-saving method.

The RIBA International Awards reward excellent work being done by RIBA members around the world. Winners of the awards form the shortlist for the Lubetkin Prize, which is awarded to the most outstanding building outside the European Union by a RIBA member.

The other winning projects are: Casa Kike in Cahuita, Costa Rica, designed by Gianni Botsford Architects; the Contemporary Museum Denver, designed by Adjaye Associates; the Gardiner Museum in Ontario, Canada, designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects; and the New British High Commission in Kampala, Uganda, designed by Cullum & Nightengale Architects.

Click here for the RIBA International Awards Web page.