International Committee of Architectural Critics

International Committee of Architectural Critics
Abbreviation	CICA
Formation	October 26, 1978
Type	NPO
Purpose/focus	architecture criticism
Headquarters	Paris
President	Prof Joseph Rykwert, United States
Parent organization	International Union of Architects
Website	www.cicarchitecture.org

The International Committee of Architectural Critics (French: Comité International des Critiques d'Architecture, Spanish: Comité Internacional de Críticos de Arquitectura - CICA) is a non-profit organization of international architecture critics, and was founded in Mexico City on October 26, 1978, during the 13th World Kongress of the Union internationale des architectes (UIA). The CICA is headquartered nearby the UIA in Paris. Paris was also the residence of Pierre Vago, who was head of the organization for years. The seat of the secretary was originally located in Buenos Aires, residence of Jorge Glusberg, but can be transferred per decret to any other place worldwide according to the residence of the chairmen.

Founding members of the CICA were Pierre Vago, Bruno Zevi, Max Blumenthal, Mildred Schmertz, Blake Huges, Jorge Glusberg, Louise Noëlle Gras de Mereles, Julius Posener and others.

CICA awards

All awards of the association were originally called CICA Award. Since 2003 they have been named after the foundation members. The CICA Book Award was the first award of the CICA and was awarded at the 14th UIA World Congress in 1981.

CICA special awards were awarded to the China Architecture & Building Press (CABP) and to Springer-Verlag for the "World Architecture: A Critical Mosaic 1900-2000" series.

Selected prize winners

• Manfredi Nicoletti; first winner of the CICA Book Award
• James Marsden Fitch and Kenneth Frampton; first winners of the CICA Prize for Journalism
• Arthur Drexler; first winner of the CICA Award for a Preface or Introduction to an Exhibition Catalogue
• Alan Colquhon
• Geoffrey Jellicoe
• Roger Connah
• William Curtis
• Heinrich Klotz
• David Leatherbarrow; CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award
• Mohsen Mostafavi; CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award
• ARK, The Finnish Architectural Review (Finland); CICA Pierre Vago Award for Architectural Journalism 2003
• Terence Riley/Barry Bergdoll; CICA Julius Posener Award 2003 for an architectural exhibition catalogue text