HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese architect Hoàng Thúc Hào will be awarded the Vassilis Sgoutas Prize by the International Union of Architects (UIA) at a ceremony held in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday.

Hào has been nominated by the UIA’s Vietnamese section.

The prize honours an architect or a team led by an architect that has made a significant contribution to improving the living conditions of the poorest - to their habitat, their environment and their well-being.

This year’s UIA gold medal, the highest honour, will be awarded to Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Other awards such as the Auguste Perret Prize, Jean Tschumi Prize and Robert Matthew Prize will go to Russian, Egyptian and South African architects, respectively.

Created in 1961, the UIA prizes honour professionals whose qualities, talents and actions make an international impact on diverse sectors of architectural practice. In 2017, the Secretariat received 46 nominations.

Currently, Hào is a lecturer at the National University of Civil Engineering. He has spent 25 years researching and developing architectural projects for the community. His constructions include Suối Rè Community House in the northern province of Hòa Bình; Tả Phìn Community House in the northern province of Lào Cai; and Nậm Đăm homestay village in the northern province of Hà Giang, all of which are low-budget projects built for ethnic minority communities in mountainous regions using local building material and labour.

UIA chairman Esa Mohamed said the jury has recognised Hào’s commitment to improving the daily lives of under-privileged Vietnamese citizens living in rural, mountainous areas, while respecting the local culture and paying heed to the natural environment.

Till date, Hào has been awarded 35 domestic and 30 international architectural prizes. Last year, he became the first Vietnamese to receive the SIA-GETZ Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia, presented by the Singapore Institute of Architects and Getz Bros. & Co. — VNS