1996 in architecture

The year 1996 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

Events

 * June 30 – The historic Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, designed by architect Wayne McAllister, is demolished.
 * date unknown
 * The Stirling Prize is instituted in memory of James Stirling. The first winner is Stephen Hodder for the Centenary Building, University of Salford, Greater Manchester (opened in the same year).
 * Eden Project, Cornwall near St Austell is designed by Nicholas Grimshaw (completed 2001).
 * The Pringle Richards Sharratt partnership is established in London.

Buildings opened

 * March 15 – Arken Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, designed by Søren Robert Lund.
 * May 26 – Hong Kong China Temple, Hong Kong (inaugurated).
 * October 3 – Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland, designed by Mario Botta.
 * November – Museum für Gegenwart (contemporary art museum) in former Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, converted by Josef Paul Kleihues.

Buildings completed

 * Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil, designed by Oscar Niemeyer.
 * Eco Building at Horniman Museum, London, designed by Architype.
 * Fruit Museum, Yamanashi, Japan, designed by Itsuko Hasegawa.
 * Aukrust Centre, Alvdal, Norway, designed by Sverre Fehn.
 * Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia, designed by Denton Corker Marshall.
 * Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, designed by K. Y. Cheung Design Associates, the tallest building in Asia until it is surpassed the following year.
 * Therme Vals in Switzerland, designed by Peter Zumthor.
 * The Dancing House (Nationale-Nederlanden building) in Prague, designed by Vlado Milunić with Frank Gehry.
 * Maggie's Centre, Edinburgh, a drop-in cancer care centre; building conversion by Richard Murphy.
 * Orphanage (first stage), Chhebetor, Nepal, designed by Hans Olav Hesseberg and Sixten Rahiff of Bergen School of Architecture.
 * 81 Mill Street, Osney, Oxford, England, a house designed for himself by Adrian James.

Awards

 * American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal – Philip Johnson.
 * Architecture Firm Award – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.
 * European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Prize) – Dominique Perrault for Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
 * Grand prix national de l'architecture – Bernard Tschumi.
 * Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate – Tadao Ando.
 * Pritzker Prize – Rafael Moneo.
 * Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent – Pierre-Louis Faloci.
 * RAIA Gold Medal – Denton Corker Marshall.
 * RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Harry Seidler.
 * Stirling Prize – Stephen Hodder, Centenary Building, University of Salford.
 * Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture – Jane Jacobs.
 * Twenty-five Year Award – United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel.
 * UIA Gold Medal – Rafael Moneo.

Deaths

 * February 14 – Alejandro de la Sota, Spanish architect (born 1913)
 * May 19 – Roy Mason, American lecturer, writer and futuristic architect (born 1938)
 * July 17 – Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, English landscape architect (born 1900)
 * July 27 – Dame Jane Drew, English modernist architect and town planner (born 1911)
 * November 23 – Ralph Tubbs, British architect, designer of the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain (born 1912)