Yasmeen Lari

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Covers

Records

Yasmeen Lari's career is marked by a series of historic firsts. She was the first woman to receive the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, one of architecture's highest honors. Her humanitarian work has been recognized globally, and her decision to decline the Wolf Foundation Prize in 2025 was a powerful statement about her values. Her achievements have inspired a new generation of architects to prioritize social impact over commercial success.

AwardsYasmeen Lari has received numerous prestigious awards for her architectural work, including the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the Jane Drew Prize, and the Fukuoka Prize. In 2025, she was awarded the Lisbon Triennale Achievement Award but declined the Wolf Foundation Prize. Her recognition highlights her impact on both modern architecture and humanitarian design.

Honours & Distinctions

RIBA Royal Gold Medal

Royal Institute of British Architects·2023

First woman to receive this honor, recognizing her humanitarian work and six decades of architectural achievement.

UN Recognition for Heritage Foundation

United Nations

The Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, co-founded by Lari, holds UN recognition for its disaster relief and heritage conservation work.

Magazine Covers

The Guardian

April 1, 2020

The barefoot architect: 'I was a starchitect for 36 years. Now I'm atoning'

Metropolis Magazine

March 23, 2023

Yasmeen Lari: Starchitect Turned Climate Activist

Stir World

August 1, 2023

Yasmeen Lari: 'Even within poverty, you can become a millionaire'

Architectural Record

May 2, 2023

Yasmeen Lari Awarded 2023 RIBA Royal Gold Medal

Designboom

May 21, 2026

How Yasmeen Lari turns survival into shared wisdom through reparative design

Records & Feats

First woman to receive the RIBA Royal Gold Medal

Historic First·2023

In 2023, Yasmeen Lari became the first woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects, one of the highest honors in architecture.