Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture.
Lesley Lokko: Royal Gold Medal 2024 recipient
Professor Lesley Lokko, acclaimed Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, author and curator, will receive this year’s Royal Gold Medal 2024, one of the world’s highest honours for architecture.
Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work and presented on behalf of His Majesty the King, the Royal Gold Medal is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture.
Watch our film below where Professor Lokko is joined by peers, friends, her mentor and RIBA's President to tell the story of her remarkable career.
As the 2024 recipient, Lesley Lokko is being recognised for her commitment to championing diverse approaches to architectural practice and education.
Royal Gold Medal nominations
Did you know you can submit a nomination for the Royal Gold Medal? Nominations are now open for the Royal Gold Medal 2025. If you’re a RIBA Chartered Member, Fellow, or Student, and want us to honour and celebrate a lifetime’s work in the advancement of architecture, now’s your chance to have your say. To learn more about how to nominate a person or group of people, follow the link below. Applications close 1 July.
For over two decades, Professor Lokko has devoted her career to amplifying under-represented voices and examining the complex relationship between architecture, identity and race, profoundly impacting architectural education, dialogue and discourse.
In 2021, Lesley Lokko founded the African Futures Institute (AFI) in Accra, Ghana, aiming to be a new model of education, research and public dialogue that unites the arts, humanities and sciences.
Prior to establishing the AFI, Lokko taught around the world and reframed architecture courses to democratise, decolonise and progress architectural education. Notable roles include Founder and Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg and Dean of The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York.
Lesley Lokko: “It came as such a surprise to me. This was never on the cards. I’m delighted to be considered alongside some of the great past winners of the Royal Gold Medal. Although this is a personal award, this isn’t merely a personal triumph, this is a testament to the people and organisations I have worked with that share my goals.
I came into architecture seeking certainties, looking for answers. Instead, I found questions and possibilities, far richer, more curious, and more empathetic ways to interpret and shape the world. Architecture gave me language, in all its forms — visual, written, built, performed — and that language, in turn, has given me such hope.”
RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki: “A fierce champion of equity and inclusion in all aspects of life, Lesley Lokko’s progressive approach to architecture education offers hope for the future – a profession that welcomes those from all walks of life, considers the needs of our environment, and acknowledges a broad range of cultures and perspectives.
A visionary agent of change, Lesley has dedicated her life to championing these values, not only through academic endeavors, but through her work as an author and curator. She remains a humble revolutionary force, with her ambition and optimism etching an indelible mark on the global architectural stage.”
The RIBA Honours Committee considers the nominations for the Royal Gold Medal and the RIBA Honorary Fellowships. Meet the Honours Committee for 2024, or submit a nomination for a RIBA Honorary Fellowship for 2025. Nominations close on 1 July 2024.