American Architectural Foundation Honors David M. Childs

Tonight the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) honors David M. Childs as the inaugural recipient of the George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Childs, chairman emeritus and consulting design partner at SOM, designed One World Trade Center and Seven World Trade Center. As former chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission and a former member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the press release states that Childs "has a long and distinguished record of work on public architecture projects with substantial impact in both the United States and abroad. Among his many projects that have shaped the public realm are: the Washington Mall Master Plan and Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C.; Moynihan Station in New York City; the Northeast Corridor Improvement Plan; the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada; the Washington Metropolitan Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C.; the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Federal Courthouse in Charleston, W. Va.; Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport; and Toronto’s Pearson International Airport."

Tonight's program at the Building Museum includes a panel discussion on urban design and architecture in the public realm and the role of the architect in the design of the city with Childs; Philip Enquist, partner in charge of Urban Design and Planning at SOM; and Robert A. Peck, director of workplace consulting for the Southeast Region at Gensler (and former head of the General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service). Walk-in registration is based on availability.