AKRON, OHIO.-While construction on the Akron Art Museum’s expansion project continues, the new building has already attracted international attention. The design for the new facility has been selected for a prestigious 2005 American Architecture Award presented by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. The new Akron Art Museum, designed by architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au of Vienna, is among 33 projects selected for this year’s honor, and one of only three projects selected that is led by a foreign architectural firm.

The Chicago Athenaeum founded The American Architecture Awards in 1997 in an effort to draw significant international attention to new buildings and planning projects being built and designed in the U.S. Since its inception, The American Architecture Awards has quickly become the nation’s most prestigious awards program for new commercial, institutional and residential design showcasing the most important architectural firms working in America today.

“As a modern art museum, the Akron Art Museum is committed to celebrating innovation in design,” said Fred Bidwell, the Akron Art Museum's capital campaign co-chair and chair of the architect selection committee. “And as a city that has long been a center of international business, Akron is rightly entering the 21st century with dynamic new architecture by one of the world’s leading practitioners.”

"We are thrilled that Coop Himmelb(l)au's forward-thinking design has attracted international attention, and we are equally excited that the building will fulfill the functional needs that the staff and community requested," added museum director Mitchell Kahan. "Creativity and practicality are not mutually exclusive."

A jury of distinguished Norwegian architects selected the 33 corporate, institutional, commercial and residential architectural projects for their design excellence. The jury chose the winning projects from hundreds of new construction, renovation and preservation/restoration projects built during the years 2003 through 2005.

Among the honored projects are structures found in the U.S., Great Britain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Denmark, China and Spain. Foreign firms, such as Coop Himmelb(l)au, were eligible to participate by either building in the United States or having a branch office in the U.S. A future exhibition of the award winning designs is slated to open at The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design in 2005-2006.