{"id":428038,"date":"2026-01-23T12:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/428038\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:38:19","slug":"conservation-of-africa-hall-wins-2026-world-monuments-fund-knoll-modernism-prize-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/428038\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservation of Africa Hall wins 2026 World Monuments Fund\/Knoll Modernism Prize | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a name=\"entry\" id=\"EntryAnchor\">anchor<\/a>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/7c\/7ckw91eb2v6ow8sf.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"4529x3623\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/7ckw91eb2v6ow8sf.jpeg\" border=\"0\" class=\"Cover\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/14\/14i6ozgu9ousicjr.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"3600x4500\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/14i6ozgu9ousicjr.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/lb\/lbfk053ur14r0yty.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"3599x4500\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/lbfk053ur14r0yty.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall was designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi as the headquarters of the <a href=\"https:\/\/archinect.com\/news\/tag\/49104\/united-nations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">United Nations<\/a> Economic Commission for Africa and as a diplomatic venue for newly independent African nations. The building played a central role in continental politics, hosting the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, a predecessor to the African Union. The design of the scheme is noted for its reinforced concrete structure, expansive views across Addis Ababa, and interior materials including Carrara marble, locally sourced Ethiopian stone, and monumental stained-glass windows by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/ch\/chn44kynegnnyazi.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"4500x3600\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/chn44kynegnnyazi.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/71\/716nuqy3d3e84aog.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"4500x3584\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/716nuqy3d3e84aog.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>From 2014 to 2024, Architectus led a comprehensive renewal of the building. The project combined archival research into Mezzedimi\u2019s original design with upgrades required for contemporary diplomatic use. Key architectural and artistic elements were reinstated, including mosaic finishes, structural components, and Tekle\u2019s stained-glass windows, which were conserved by the artist\u2019s grandson. More than 500 pieces of bespoke furniture designed by Mezzedimi were also restored and returned to their original layouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/up\/upo1arzigp4425q5.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"3600x4500\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/upo1arzigp4425q5.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/la\/la7ybkoanb5fohny.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" data-size=\"3600x4500\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/la7ybkoanb5fohny.jpeg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" alt=\"Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s prize received 73 submissions from 28 countries, with Africa Hall becoming the first site on the African continent to receive the award. The prize will be formally presented on February 18, 2026, during Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/tj\/tj1quv2dtixpwt76.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Robert Connor\" data-size=\"576x359\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tj1quv2dtixpwt76.jpg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Robert Connor\" alt=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Robert Connor\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Umbrella House. Image credit: Robert Connor<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/ya\/yaib071fychj9sb8.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" data-size=\"720x404\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/yaib071fychj9sb8.jpg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" alt=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the main award, the jury introduced a new Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes, recognizing the rehabilitation of the Umbrella House in Sarasota, Florida. Designed by <a href=\"https:\/\/archinect.com\/news\/tag\/112649\/paul-rudolph\/15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Paul Rudolph<\/a> in 1953 and restored by Hall Architects, the project focused on reconstructing the home\u2019s long-lost shade structure and preserving its role as a key example of Sarasota School modernism.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/o0\/o0bxp6ln2vc3p8y7.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" data-size=\"460x576\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/o0bxp6ln2vc3p8y7.jpg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" alt=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"floatbox\" href=\"https:\/\/archinect.gumlet.io\/uploads\/ru\/ruxcqekgvcnbmos6.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" data-size=\"576x566\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ruxcqekgvcnbmos6.jpg\" border=\"0\" title=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" alt=\"Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO\" width=\"514\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Umbrella House. Image credit: Anton Grassl \/ ESTO<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<br clear=\"all\" \/>&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tSome current competitions on <a href=\"http:\/\/bustler.net\/\" target=\"_target\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bustler<\/a> that may interest you&#8230;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"item competition-listing\" href=\"http:\/\/bustler.net\/competitions\/10333\/\/rome-rain-rooms\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769171897_623_p13wzrp2d3mnwiv0.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"img-responsive competition-banner\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-title\">Rome Rain Rooms<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-registration\"> Register by Thu, Mar 12, 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-submission\"> Submit by Mon, Jun 29, 2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t  \t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t  \t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"item competition-listing\" href=\"http:\/\/bustler.net\/competitions\/10230\/\/2026-concrete-masonry-competition\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rh1gqo7ntafbqug7.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"img-responsive competition-banner\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-title\">2026 Concrete Masonry Competition<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-registration\"> Register by Wed, Apr 8, 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-submission\"> Submit by Wed, Jun 3, 2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t  \t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t  \t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"item competition-listing\" href=\"http:\/\/bustler.net\/competitions\/10281\/\/iceland-slow-sauna\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/v3ze1i0gv8rt1bas.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"img-responsive competition-banner\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-title\">Iceland Slow Sauna<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-registration\"> Register by Wed, Jan 28, 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-submission\"> Submit by Mon, May 11, 2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t  \t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t  \t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"item competition-listing\" href=\"http:\/\/bustler.net\/competitions\/10268\/\/the-home-of-shadows-edition-4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mijndic4qmoj3t66.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"img-responsive competition-banner\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-title\">The Home of Shadows \/ Edition #4<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-registration\"> Register by Mon, Mar 2, 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"competition-date-submission\"> Submit by Mon, Apr 13, 2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t  \t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t  \t  \t\t\t\t\t  \t  \t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br clear=\"all\" \/>&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br clear=\"all\" \/>&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; anchor&#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; Africa Hall. Image credit: Rory Gardiner &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-428038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}