2004

César Pelli was an Argentine-American architect who designed some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. Three of his most notable buildings are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the World Financial Center in New York City, and the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. The American Institute of Architects named him one of the ten most influential living American architects in 1991 and awarded him the AIA Gold Medal in 1995. In 2008, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat presented him with The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award.

Han Tumertekin (b. 1958, Istanbul) is a Turkish architect. B.Arch from Istanbul Technical University; M.Arch in historic preservation from the University of Istanbul. Founded Mimarlar ve Han Tumertekin in Istanbul (1986). Notable for adaptive reuse and material-driven design. Won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2004) for B2 House in Ayvacik. Major works include SantralIstanbul Energy Museum (2007), SALT Beyoglu and SALT Galata (2011), Catalhoyuk Archaeological Museum (2018), the Maiden's Tower restoration (2021–2023), and Rami Library (2024). First Turkish architect invited to the Venice Architecture Biennale main exhibition (2021). Received the Mimar Sinan Grand Prize (2024). Teaching since 1992 at Istanbul Bilgi University (co-founder of graduate program), Harvard GSD, EPFL Lausanne, and Ecole Speciale d'Architecture Paris. Author of "Han Tumertekin: Recent Work" (Harvard University Press, 2006, edited by Hashim Sarkis). Also established Atelier Han Tumertekin in Strasbourg (2014).