Jury Citation

The jury selected Michael Graves as the 2012 Driehaus Laureate with the recognition that his work can often appear to diverge from what many people would define as "traditional" architecture. The Driehaus Prize was not created to honor replication, however, but creativity: to stand as proof that all architecture relies to some extent on the past, and that a deep understanding of the past can only enrich the creative process. While Graves may be less literal in his interpretation of history than some Driehaus Laureates, classicism informs every design decision he makes. He has used his knowledge of the past, and his love of classical ideas and principles, in all of his work, from campuses to office buildings to houses to household objects. He has instilled his respect for the past in two generations of architecture students, and he has done the same for the countless people who have used his remarkable works of product design, which like his buildings are brilliant combinations of tradition and imagination.