Frank Harmon, FAIA, To Chair Matsumoto Prize Jury

Online, July 24, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA in Raleigh, will serve as chairman of the inaugural George Matsumoto Prize, a unique architecture competition celebrating modernist house built in North Carolina since 2006.

The Matsumoto Prize, named to honor modernist architect George Matsumoto, FAIA, is the brainchild of George Smart, founder and director of Triangle Modernist Houses, the non-profit organization that archives, preserves, and promotes modernist residential design. The single-family houses submitted must be in North Carolina but their designers can be from anywhere. The winners will be awarded cash prizes totally $6000. Submissions closed on July 1.

To put together a jury of professional architects, Smart turned to Frank Harmon, a veteran chair of design award juries across the nation.

George Matsumoto, now retired and living in Oakland, California, will serve as honorary chair when the jury convenes on July 18. The other professionals who comprise Harmon's blue-ribbon jury are:

· Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, Marlon Blackwell Architect, Fayetteville, Arkansas

· Larry Scarpa, FAIA, Brooks + Scarpa Architects, Los Angeles, California

· David Jameson, FAIA, David Jameson Architect, Inc., Washington, D.C.

· Tom Kundig, FAIA, Olson Kundig Architects, Seattle, Washington

"Frank has convened a world-class jury of architects all internationally known for their residential work," George Smart said. "We're very fortunate to have such an excellent group to kick off the first Matsumoto Prize."

The general public is serving as the seventh juror - one of the many unique aspects of this design competition. The 19 houses entered are online at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/vote. Anyone in the world can cast a vote for his or her favorite house until 5 p.m. on July 22.

A modernist architect himself, Harmon's residential designs have won multiple design awards and been featured in numerous journals and books, as well as the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. His residential work has received National Housing Awards from the American Institute of Architects and Custom Home Awards from Custom Home magazine. For more information, visit www.frankharmon.com.

For more information on the Matsumoto Prize, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/prize.

About Frank Harmon, FAIA:

Frank Harmon, FAIA, is a Professor in Practice at NC State University and was the 1995 recipient of the Kamphoefner Prize for Distinguished Design over a Ten-Year Period. He founded his firm, Frank Harmon Architect PA, in 1985. In 2011, his firm was ranked 21st out of the top 50 firms in the nation by Architect magazine, and was included in Residential Architect magazine's "RA 50: The Short List of Architects We Love." Harmon's work has been featured in numerous books, magazines and journals on architecture, including Dwell, Architectural Record, Architect, and Residential Architect. For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.