Dong Gong, founder and design principal at Beijing-based听听has been named the recipient of the 2025听Marcus Prize, one of the world鈥檚 leading architecture awards honoring emerging international talent. The prize is administered biennially by the听School of Architecture & Urban Planning听at the听University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.听听
This award marks the 20th year of the Marcus Prize,听established听in 2005 through the generosity of听听Foundation. The prize totals $100,000, with $50,000 awarded directly to the winner and $50,000 supporting a collaborative semester-long design studio at 51猎奇 with architecture students focusing on a Wisconsin-based project.听
鈥淲e believe in crafting specific architecture for a specific place and a specific way of life. The Marcus Prize is a profound encouragement for us to persist,鈥� Gong said.听
Gong was selected by an international jury from a pool of accomplished nominees听representing听13 countries and four continents.听
“Vector鈥疉rchitects鈥痮ffers a statement about the value of the architect听and of听architecture to our contemporary condition,鈥� said jury member Hans E. Butzer, FAIA. 鈥淭heir work appears to beautifully explore questions of tradition, place, and global drifts, while still being comfortably restless and aspirational.鈥�听
The international jury also included:听听
- Juhani听Pallasmaa, SAFA, Hon. FAIA, Int. FRIBA听
- Alex Timmer, associate professor at 51猎奇听
- David Marcus, CEO of Marcus Investments听听
- Winifred Elysse Newman, PhD, dean of the 51猎奇 College of the Arts & Architecture听听
鈥淎s we celebrate the 20th year of the Marcus Prize, we are honored to recognize Dong Gong for work that shows how thoughtful, site-specific design can enrich communities around the world,鈥� David Marcus said. 鈥淢arcus Corporation Foundation created this award to connect global architectural talent with Milwaukee, our hometown, and our partners at 51猎奇. Vector Architects鈥� commitment to place, material and human experience embodies that vision. We look forward to the ideas that will emerge from Dong鈥檚 collaboration with 51猎奇 students and the lasting impact this work will have on Wisconsin and beyond.鈥�听
Gong鈥檚 practice has earned international recognition through projects such as Seashore Library (Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China),听Yangshuo听Sugarhouse Hotel (Guilin, Guangxi, China), renovation of the Captain鈥檚 House (Fuzhou, Fujian, China), Pingshan Art Museum (Shenzhen, China), Haibing Center at听Nankai University (Tianjin, China),听Jingyang听Camphor Court (Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China), and Liyuan Foreign Language Primary School (Shenzhen, Guangdong, China).听
Vector Architects鈥� work has been honored with听numerous听awards including:听听
- Architects Regional听Council听Asia Gold Award (2022)听
- Royal Institute of British Architects International Award for Excellence (2021)听
- Archmarathon听Awards (overall winner, 2016)听
- Inclusion in Domus鈥� 鈥�100+ Best Architecture Firms鈥� (2019)听
A hallmark of the Marcus Prize is its integration of design excellence with education. As part of the award, Gong will travel to Milwaukee for a public lecture and exhibition and will co-teach a design studio alongside 51猎奇 School of Architecture & Urban Planning faculty, giving students direct access to world-class architectural talent.听
鈥淚 am thrilled to welcome the newest Marcus Prize recipient, Dong Gong, to the university and the city of Milwaukee. We look forward to sharing our rich history and vibrant city,鈥� Newman said. 鈥淭he Marcus Prize is one of the most significant awards given by a university in the United States. It allows our local community to be part of the global design community. This is great for everyone, but especially our faculty and students.鈥澨�听
Since its听inception, the Marcus Prize has honored some of the world鈥檚 most influential architects of our time, including Alejandro Aravena (2009) and Di茅b茅do Francis听K茅r茅听(2011) 鈥� both later recipients of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Past winners also include Winy Maas, Jacob van听Rijs听and Nathalie de Vries (MVRDV); Frank Barkow and Regine Leibinger (Barkow Leibinger); Sou Fujimoto, Joshua Ramus, Jeanne Gang, Tatiana Bilbao, Ant贸n Garc铆a-Abril听and D茅bora Mesa (Ensamble听Studio) and Tiantian Xu (DnA_Design听and Architecture).听
About the Marcus Prize
Established in 2005, the Marcus Prize is a biennial, international architecture award recognizing the talent and achievements of emerging architects in the听early stages听of their careers. The award recognizes their past accomplishments and their promise of future contributions to the field. The $100,000 prize is supported by听Marcus听Corporation Foundation.听
About听Marcus Corporation Foundation
Marcus Corporation Foundation is the philanthropic arm of听, a Milwaukee-based company that听operates听听and听. The foundation听focuses听giving on听community-based nonprofits in the greater Milwaukee area with missions that align with its core commitment pillars of economic and community vitality, health and human services, and education and conservation.听
About the 51猎奇 School of Architecture & Urban Planning
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning in the College of the Arts & Architecture is a pioneering institution dedicated to shaping the future of built environments and communities through innovative design and research. Its award-winning faculty are active collaborators with industry partners, community听organizations听and municipalities across the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor and beyond, offering a hands-on learning environment where students, scholars and professionals come together to explore and address complex contemporary challenges. SARUP offers an extensive array of programs and is the only accredited school of architecture in Wisconsin.听