For his beneficial influence in government circles, particularly on issues of sustainability, for his support of architectural education and for the commissioning of award-winning architecture.

David Adamson currently works for the Higher Education Funding Council for England in the area of sustainable procurement and teaches post-graduate studies at Cambridge, Reading, UWE and Yale Universities. Adamson was previously Director of Construction in HM Treasury/Office for Government Commerce and was responsible for construction and development policy, including sustainability issues relating to government expenditure. Prior to this he was Director of Estates at the University of Cambridge, during which time he worked with the RIBA to set up the Higher Education Quality Design Forum and chaired the Association of University Directors of Estates. Adamson has commissioned many RIBA award-winning buildings, including the Centre for Mathematical Sciences by Edward Cullinan in 2003. He is a fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers.

Photograph courtesy of David Adamson

For her invaluable support for the art and practice of architecture through her practice of the art of photography.

Hélène Binet is a French Swiss architectural photographer. After studying Photography in Rome she worked for two years as a photographer at the Grand Théatre de Genève before turning to architectural photography. Binet has worked with contemporary architects including Caruso St.John, David Chipperfield, Zvi Hecker, John Hejduk, Coop Himmelblau and sauerbruch hutton but is best known for her work with Daniel Libeskind, Peter Zumthor and Zaha Hadid. She has also produced publications on the architecture of Alvar Aalto, Sigurd Lewerentz, Dimitris Pikionis and Le Corbusier. She was awarded the Wissenschaft fur Leben Scholarship in 2004 from the Olympus Europa Stiftung and the Redaksjonell Fotografi from VISUELT in 1997. Her work has been exhibited and published in books and magazines internationally and she currently lives and works in London.

Photograph courtesy of Hélène Binet

For his innovative support for architects and engineers and for pushing the boundaries of both disciplines.

Sean Billings is a cladding consultant with over 30 years experience in design and manufacturing of components and systems for building facades. After going to Germany in 1960 to undertake an apprenticeship in a new aluminium fabrication process, he set up his own company in 1965, Aluminium Systems. Billings was commissioned to design and manufacture the components for two private houses for British architects, Michael Hopkins and Ian Ritchie, projects which led to a series of larger commissions such as Trinity College Arts Block in Dublin with Ahrends Burton Koralek, the Allied Irish Bank Headquarters in and Irish Life Headquarters in Dublin for Robinson Keefe & Devane Architects. In 1984 he set up Billings Design Associates, a company specialising in the design and development of building facades, which has worked with many leading architects such as Grimshaw, Future Systems and Foster + Partners on projects around the world.

Photograph courtesy of Billings Design Associates

For his innovative and prodigious thinking and practice across a wide range of design disciplines.

Thomas Heatherwick founded Heatherwick Studio in 1994. Fourteen years on, the studio comprises a forty-five strong team which includes architects, landscape architects, designers and engineers. Work is carried out from a combined studio and workshop where concept development, detailing and prototyping take place. Significant works include the ‘Rolling Bridge’ at London's Paddington Basin, the flagship store for French luxury brand Longchamp in Soho, New York, and East Beach Café, a seafront restaurant in Littlehampton in the UK. Heatherwick is a Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art and a Royal Designer for Industry. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Sheffield Hallam, Dundee University and Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2006 he won the prestigious Prince Philip Designers Prize, traditionally a lifetime achievement award. At 36, he was the youngest ever winner of the prize, which recognises a lasting contribution to design for business and society.

Photograph: Charles Glover

For advancing the cause of women and the conservation of the environment in Africa and throughout the world and for her campaigning for the cancellation of third world debts.

Wangari Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree and became chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy in 1976 and an associate professor in 1977. In both cases, she was the first woman to attain those positions in the region. Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya from 1976 and was its chairman between 1981 and 1987, when she developed a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is to work with women’s groups in planting trees to conserve the environment and improve the quality of life. In 1986 they founded a Pan African Green Belt Network, helping to establish tree planting initiatives in other countries. In 1998 she launched the Jubilee 2000 Coalition campaign and acted as co-chair of the Jubilee 2000 Africa Campaign, which sought to cancel the debts of poor countries in Africa. Maathai and the Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. In 2002 Maathai was elected to the Kenyan parliament, being subsequently appointed assistant minister of the environment. In 2008 the Guardian declared her one of the 50 people would could save the planet.

Photograph: Martin Rowe

For his major contribution to the regeneration of inner cities and to the work of the RIBA as both a professional and public body.

Patrick is interested in the effects of good design on the regeneration of inner city areas and has been involved with pathfinder schemes in Hackney and Birmingham's Eastside cultural quarter. Several of his appointments have included the commissioning of successful building projects. He has been an external non-executive member of the RIBA Board since February 2002, has served on a number of RIBA committees including the ARB working party, and has qualified as a lay member of the RIBA visiting panels that assess schools of architecture. Maddams was appointed Sub-Treasurer of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in 2005, which represents 9,000 barristers, legal students and members of the judiciary. He has thirty years' successful business experience in banking, textile and shipping industries and was Managing Director of the Royal Academy of Music in the early 1990s.

Photograph courtesy of The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple

For his challenging and inspirational promotion of environmental issues, in particular his development of the concept of Contraction and Convergence.

Aubrey Meyer is Director of the think-tank Global Commons Institute (GCI), focusing on policy solutions addressing climate change. He is the chief architect of a policy framework called ‘Contraction and Convergence’ which is based on the idea that everyone has an equal right to emit CO². This means rich countries must cut back on their emissions, allowing poorer countries slowly to increase theirs. He has made an extraordinary impact on international negotiations surrounding climate change, campaigning at UN negotiations to win acceptance for the management of global greenhouse gas emissions through the framework of Contraction & Convergence.

In 1998 Meyer won the Andrew Lees Memorial Award, in 2000 the Schumacher Award, and in 2005 a City of London Lifetime’s Achievement award. C&C is now cited as one of the most important principles governing international relations. Meyer, in a recent edition of the New Statesman, was listed as one of the ten people in the world most likely to affect climate change. In 2008 the Guardian named him as one of the 50 people who could save the planet. He was an inspirational speaker at the RIBA’s 2006 Annual Conference in Venice.

Photograph courtesy of Aubrey Meyer

For his contribution to the improvement of urban design in London.

Daniel Moylan is Deputy Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Conservative Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Housing Policy and co-Chairman of Urban Design London, a group dedicated to improving urban design practice in London's public realm. From 2000 to 2006 he was leader of the Conservative Group on the ALG Transport and Environment Committee. As cabinet member for transport and Deputy Leader of Kensington and Chelsea he initiated a £4m scheme in Kensington High Street aimed at restraining the dominance of the car, adopting the minimalist approach to street safety pioneered by the Dutch traffic engineering guru Hans Monderman. Moylan’s contribution to innovative streetscape design has resulted in personal awards from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and Robert Gordon University’s London Transport Awards. Daniel is Chair of the Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge hub of the inaugural London Festival of Architecture in 2008.

Photograph courtesy of Daniel Moylan

For his contribution to architectural history and the conservation of twentieth century architecture.

Alan Powers studied at Cambridge and has a degree and PhD in History of Art. He works in the area of architectural preservation and as a freelance author and lecturer, publishing books on architecture, art and design, and particularly twentieth century British architecture. He has had a long-standing relationship with the Twentieth Century Society and is a joint editor of their journal Twentieth Century Architecture. Powers is also Chairman of Pollock's Toy Museum. He is currently Professor of Architecture and Cultural History at the University of Greenwich.

Alan’s research into British culture in the 1930s connects art, architecture and design with wider movements of ideas. His books include the first major monograph on Serge Chermayeff, the catalogue of the most recent major retrospective of Eric Ravilious, and Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain. In the series Modern Architectures in History he explores themes through the whole twentieth century, with a focus on architecture and planning as vehicles for achieving social change and spiritual renewal.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Powers

For his major contribution as a client to the urban regeneration of London and to the conservation of historic buildings.

Eric Reynolds is Founding Director of Urban Space Management, a leading developer and manager of speciality retail projects. He has been involved in urban regeneration schemes since the early 1970s, many involving the re-use of historic buildings. In 1974 he started the conversion of Camden Lock, now one of London’s top tourist attractions. He has repeated this success at many other locations, including the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, Spitalfields Market, Greenwich Market, Chelsea Farmers’ Market and Green Park Market in Bath. He also set up schemes in the Leeds Canal Basin, undertook the development of Gabriel’s Wharf and managed the refurbishment of the Bishopsgate Goodsyard.

Reynolds acts as a regeneration advisor, is former Chairman of the London Safer Cities initiative and is a director and member of several other voluntary bodies. He is Chairman of Leeside Regeneration and previously sat on an English Heritage working group on the historic environment. One of Reynolds’ most recent schemes is Container City at Trinity Buoy Wharf, a centre for arts and creative activity. Reynolds continues to develop the concept, design and implementation of this novel form of construction, through his company Urban Space Management, creating workspace, community, health, arts and education buildings using 80% recycled materials.

Photograph courtesy of Urban Space Management