Archello is pleased to announce the first group of its esteemed jurors for the newly launched Archello Awards 2025 program. Read on to learn more about Francine Houben, Isabel Van Haute, Stephan Chevalier and DaeWha Kang.
Register for the Archello Awards here today before the registration deadline on April 30 2025.
Francine Houben is the founding partner of Mecanoo and has led the firm to success in the Netherlands and abroad, amassing a portfolio of work since the firm was first established 1984 that is wide-ranging, inspired by global challenges, and views society through a sustainable lens. Mecanoo combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and interior design to produce unorthodox design solutions born from a strong sensitivity to context and a highly interdisciplinary design process. Mecanoo's Perth Museum project was named the Archello Awards 2024 Cultural Building of the Year by public vote.
Francine holds Honorary Fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and was granted lifelong membership to the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, as well as receiving the International Honorary Fellow Award from the Architecture Institute of Taiwan.
In 2014, Francine was named Woman Architect of the Year by the Architects’ Journal, and in November 2015, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands presented her with the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prize for her wide-ranging career. Francine was awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Université de Mons, Belgium, and Utrecht University. She has received the BNA Kubus Award for her oeuvre; the International Prize, Prix des Femmes Architectes, and was distinguished as the TU Delft Alumnus of the Year. In 2024, King Willem-Alexander appointed Francine Houben as a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
Isabel Van Haute is a Flemish Belgian architect and Founding Partner of Paris-based Coldefy, where she oversees general management and artistic direction. Her winning entry, alongside Thomas Coldefy, for the Hong Kong Design Institute, completed in 2011, brought the firm international recognition. She emphasizes the importance of human-scale experiences in projects and her meticulous attention to the design of architecture, including exterior and interior spaces, adds richness and diversity to Coldefy projects.
Prior to joining Coldefy, Van Haute worked for renowned architecture offices in Paris and New York. Her international experience fosters a dynamic and diverse team environment. Isabel frequently delivers lectures, and Coldefy's work is the subject of publications and exhibitions both in France and internationally. She was the recipient of the 2018 Perspective's "40 under 40" Award and is a selected resident for the Villa Albertine in 2025. Isabel holds a degree in architecture from the Saint-Luc School of Architecture in Ghent and is a registered architect in Belgium.
Coldefy's Maroquinerie de la Sormonne, Ardennes project was named the Archello Awards 2024 Industrial Building of the Year by jury vote.
Stephan Chevalier co-founded the architectural firm Chevalier Morales in 2005 with Sergio Morales. The firm has since won and been nominated in more than twenty national and international architectural competitions and projects, including the Saul-Bellow Library in Lachine, the Maison de la littérature in Quebec City, the libraries in Drummondville and Pierrefonds in Montreal, the Agora des Arts in Rouyn-Noranda, and the cultural center in Beaconsfield. The firms project Agora des Arts was named the Archello Awards 2024 Theatre Building of the Year by public vote.
Chevalier is currently serving as co-designer for the new central library in Saskatoon. The firm's work has been recognized with several awards and Grand Prizes in architecture given by the Ordre des Architectes du Québec, two Governor General's Medals in Architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and multiple Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence. In 2018, the firm received the Emerging Architectural Practice Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and in 2022, its project "Architectures pré-occupées" was a finalist for Canada's official representation at the 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture.
A graduate of the University of Montreal, Chevalier previously worked for Patkau Architects and Busby + Associates in Vancouver. He has been a teacher and guest critic at architecture schools in Montreal, Quebec City, Dalhousie, Ottawa, and Cornell University. Since 2017, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Private Practice Architects of Quebec (AAPPQ). He has also served as a jury member for several architectural competitions and awards, including the Canada Council for the Arts' Prix de Rome, the Emerging Architect Award, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Gold Medal.
DaeWha Kang has spent the last twenty-five years studying, designing, and building architecture worldwide. He worked for ten years with Zaha Hadid Architects before founding his award-winning practice, DaeWha Kang Design. His design reach is global and his specific competencies and industry leadership include parametric design, digital fabrication, adaptive reuse, and working within challenging heritage contexts. His project The OWO Pavilion and Grand Courtyard was named the Archello Awards 2024 Pavilion of the Year Award by jury vote.
Kang's teaching activities include leading design studios at Yale University School of Architecture, The Bartlett School of Architecture, and Istituto Marangoni London. He serves on juries at the Architectural Association, The Bartlett School, and architecture schools in the United States, including Columbia, Pratt Institute, and NYU. Kang also contributes to industry and academic publications, including AD Magazine and the Perspecta architectural journal.