World Monuments Fund (WMF) is an independent organization dedicated to safeguarding significant places that enrich people's lives and foster mutual understanding across cultures and communities. Since 2008, the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize has been a biennial award recognizing outstanding achievements in the conservation of buildings emblematic of the modernist architectural movement. The prize honors individuals and organizations that revitalize modern built heritage through innovative and sensitive architectural interventions.
On January 22, 2026, WMF and Knoll announced the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus as the recipient of the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for its conservation of the United Nations' Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The jury recognized the project for reestablishing a significant work of African modernism as an active venue for diplomacy and cultural exchange. In addition to the main prize, the jury also awarded Paul Rudolph's Umbrella House in Sarasota, Florida, United States, with the Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes.
Once regarded as the vanguard of architectural innovation, many modernist buildings are increasingly subject to deterioration, public apathy, and misperception as obsolete. As a result, they are often demolished or altered in ways that compromise their architectural integrity. Many modern structures are also too recent to qualify for landmark designation and statutory protection, making them particularly vulnerable. The prize seeks to elevate the cultural value of modernist architecture and to support the technical and institutional frameworks necessary for its long-term care.
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Designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi and completed in 1961, Africa Hall was conceived as a diplomatic space for African nations and as the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. In 1963, it hosted the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor of the African Union. Today, the building is widely regarded as a defining work of African modernism, reflecting Mezzedimi's emphasis on functional clarity, symbolic openness, and expansive views over the Addis Ababa landscape. Its interior features Carrara marble, locally sourced Ethiopian stone, and three monumental stained-glass windows by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle.
According to Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund, the renewal led by Architectus honors the original architect's vision while ensuring the building continues to serve as "a vital place for cultural exchange and African unity." Carried out between 2014 and 2024, the project involved a comprehensive restoration that balanced rigorous research into Mezzedimi's design with the operational needs of a contemporary diplomatic institution. The intervention reinstated key architectural and artistic elements, including the reinforced concrete structure, mosaic finishes, and the monumental stained-glass windows, which were conserved by Tekle's grandson. More than 500 bespoke furniture pieces designed by Mezzedimi were also restored and returned to their original configurations.
Africa Hall stands as one of the most important expressions of modern architecture on the continent, a building that brought together international ideas and local identity at a pivotal moment in the region's history of decolonization and national autonomy. From its placement at one of the most prominent sites in the capital of Ethiopia (the only African country never to have been colonized), the architecture combined a functionalist rationality of structure and purpose with the aura of modernism's optimism in the future. The recent restoration has allowed the clarity of Messedimi's design to speak again, revealing the ambition, craftsmanship, and symbolic power that have made the building a landmark of modernism and a continuing stage for African diplomacy.
— Barry Bergdoll, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University and Chairman of the Jury
In addition to the main prize, the jury recognized the Umbrella House in Sarasota, Florida, with the Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes. This distinction, introduced by WMF in 2026, acknowledges exemplary long-term care of modern residential architecture. Designed by Paul Rudolph in 1953 as a notable example of Sarasota School modernism, the Umbrella House is characterized by its climate-responsive design and engagement with regional building traditions. The rehabilitation, led by Hall Architects, restored the home's architectural integrity and reconstructed its iconic shading structure, which had been lost for decades.
The 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize will be formally presented during Modernism Week in Palm Springs on February 18, 2026, alongside a panel discussion addressing the challenges of restoring modernist landmarks while preserving their architectural intent and cultural significance. Other projects that have won the same award in previous editions include the restoration of Amancio Williams' House on the River in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and the Preston Bus Station refurbishment in the United Kingdom by John Puttick Associates. Other recent initiatives to preserve modernist landmarks include the approval of the delivery plan for the renewal of the Barbican Centre in London and five new buildings across the United States receiving critical support from the Getty Foundation's Conserving Black Modernism initiative.
