Cecil Balmond is the recipient of the 2016 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture.  He is professor of practice in architecture and the former Paul Philippe Cret Chair of Architecture in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design.

It is the highest honor bestowed by the  University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello.

Balmond is among four honorees recognized in architecture, law, citizen leadership and global innovation.

Balmond is an internationally renowned artist, architect, writer and structural engineer. Before setting up Balmond Studio in 2011, he was deputy chairman of the international multi-disciplinary engineering firm Arup. He also chaired Arup’s European Building Division and ran the critically acclaimed design group Advanced Geometry Unit. His pioneering work with the AGU and his collaborations with internationally renowned architects brought his design philosophy to the world. At Penn, he founded the Non-Linear Systems Organization, a material and structural research unit, and he designed the Weave Bridge pedestrian overpass at Penn Park