Steven Holl, Glassell School for the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas, 2018 (Photo: Peter Molick)
Langone Park in the North End neighborhood of Boston, one site out of the 47 miles of coastline that will need to be protected from future flooding, a key strategy in the Climate Action Plan to be completed in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers. (Photo John Wilcox courtesy Boston Mayor’s Office)
The Weitzman School of Design has selected architect Steven Holl to receive the 2026 Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture and the City of Boston’s 2030 Climate Action Plan to receive the 2026 Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning. The awards will be presented at a celebratory dinner on November 10, 2026 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
“Steven Holl has expanded architecture’s expressive potential,” says Fritz Steiner, dean and Paley Professor at Weitzman. “Boston’s 2030 Climate Action Plan demonstrates how cities can connect climate policy to public health, quality of life, and environmental justice. Together, these honorees exemplify the possibilities for design and planning to uplift people in cities around the world.”
Steven Holl is admired worldwide as an educator, scholar, thinker, and architect. Over five decades in practice, he has steadfastly deepened his approach to designing buildings that engage all the senses and inspire reflection, resulting in a global portfolio that includes cultural, civic, academic and residential projects.
The Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture was established in 2017 through a gift from Weitzman alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), a member of the School’s Board of Advisors. The medal honors an architect or firm that has changed the course of design history, with particular attention to energy conservation, environmental quality, and diversity.
Although cities across the United States have adopted climate action plans in various forms, Boston’s ambitious 2030 Climate Action Plan takes an all-of-government approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, articulating concrete strategies and measurable targets across municipal operations as well as housing, transportation, and energy sectors. Decision making and accountability are strengthened by a cross-departmental Climate Council that brought together senior officials who were originally tasked with delivering the Plan.
The Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning was established in 2019 by William Witte (C’73, MCP’75), an alumnus of the Weitzman School, and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto. It recognizes a firm, team, or professional responsible for an exemplary plan that advances at least four of the following areas: social equity, environmental quality, design, public health, mobility, housing affordability, and economic development.
Previous medalists include Tod Williams and Billie Tsien (2018); A. Eugene Kohn (2019); the Regional Plan Association (2019); Peter Eisenman (2020); City of Philadelphia (2020); MASS Design Group (2021); City of Minneapolis (2021); Diller Scofidio + Renfro (2022); Suisman Urban Design and iQuilt Partnership (2022); KoningEizenberg (2023); Field Operations (2023); SANAA (2024); City of Charlotte (2024); Marina Tabassum Architects (2025); and the University of Louisville’s Green Heart Louisville Project (2025).
In conjunction with the professional medals, the Weitzman School has selected students entering their final year of study to receive the 2026 Kanter Tritsch Prize in Energy and Architectural Innovation and the 2026 Witte-Sakamoto Family Prize in City and Regional Planning. Each prize includes a $50,000 scholarship. The recipient of the 2026 Kanter Tritsch Prize is Tony Chen, and the recipient of the 2026 Witte-Sakamoto Family Prize is Weikang Kong. Peng Qi has received the Kanter Tritsch Second Place Prize in Architecture, and Indrajeet Chavan has received the Witte-Sakamoto Second Place Prize in City and Regional Planning. Each second-place prize includes a $10,000 scholarship for the 2026–2027 Academic Year.
The juries for the Kanter Tritsch Medal and Prize were chaired by Rossana Hu, Miller Professor and chair of architecture and co-founding partner at Neri&Hu Design and Research Office. The juries for the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal and Prize were chaired by Megan Ryerson, UPS Foundation Chair of Transportation, chair of city and regional planning, and professor of city and regional planning and electrical and systems engineering.
The 2026 Weitzman School Awards will take place on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. All proceeds from the event—the School’s most important fundraising initiative—support student fellowships. Tickets will go on sale in mid-September. Learn more at awards.design.upenn.edu.
About Steven Holl
Born in Bremerton, Washington, in 1947, Steven Holl studied architecture at the University of Washington, in Rome, and at the Architectural Association in London. He established Steven Holl Architects in 1977.
Widely considered one of America’s most influential architects, Holl is internationally recognized for architecture that combines space and light with a sensitivity to cultural and historical context. His major works include the Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle; the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki; Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art expansion in Kansas City; Linked Hybrid in Beijing; the Visual Arts Building at the University of Iowa; the Lewis Arts complex at Princeton University; the REACH at the Kennedy Center in Washington; Hunters Point Library in Queens; and Meander Housing in Helsinki. At Penn, Holl designed the Platt Student Performing Arts Center, a 37,300-square-foot facility combining performance, teaching, rehearsal, and practice spaces that is currently under construction.
Holl’s previous honors include the 2016 VELUX Daylight Award in Architecture, the 2014 Praemium Imperiale, the 2012 AIA Gold Medal, the 2010 RIBA Jencks Award, and the inaugural arts award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards. He is a tenured professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and he has taught at the University of Washington, Pratt Institute, and Penn.
About the Boston 2030 Climate Action Plan
Released in 2026, the Boston 2030 Climate Action Plan is the City of Boston’s roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening resilience against climate hazards, and advancing climate justice. The plan brings mitigation, resilience, and equity into a single framework intended to improve energy affordability, public health, and quality of life for Boston residents.
The plan calls for a 50% reduction in community-wide greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Its strategies focus on the sectors responsible for most of Boston’s emissions, particularly buildings and transportation, while addressing the city’s principal climate hazards: extreme heat, stormwater and inland flooding, and coastal flooding.
Among its 2030 resilience targets, the plan seeks to reduce heat-related emergency department visits during heat events by 25%, add 300 acres of green infrastructure, protect at least 10,000 residents from projected coastal flood pathways, screen all city capital projects for future climate risk, and establish certified Community Emergency Response Teams across every Boston neighborhood.
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