LSBU lecturer shortlisted for top prize in British architectural history
Dr Christopher Cowell’s book, Form Follows Fever: Malaria and the Construction of Hong Kong, 1841–1849, is one of six on the shortlist for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion, which is awarded by the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB).
The Medallion is the most prestigious prize in the discipline, awarded annually since 1959, to a work that makes an outstanding contribution to the study of architectural history.
“When I received the email from the president of the SAHGB to say that I'd been shortlisted, I was stunned and had to walk around the room for a bit,” Dr Cowell, an LSBU lecturer in architectural history and theory, said. “Being considered for the Medallion is big-league stuff, and this is just my first book.”
The book describes how the invisible threat of malaria, considered in the nineteenth century as a gas, fundamentally affected the urban and architectural form of early Hong Kong.
Earlier this year Dr Cowell’s book was also selected as one of two finalists for the Association of American Publishers' PROSE Awards under the category of 'World History'.
He also won the SAHGB’s Hawksmoor Essay Medal in 2024 for his work The Height of Health: Sections, Sanatoria, and Settler Colonialism in Northern India, 1815–1842.
“I can't believe what a great year it has been for me with recognition and awards for my work in both the USA and the UK,” Dr Cowell said. “But making it to the Medallion shortlist is truly special. I am honoured and a little terrified to reach this final stage, as the competition this year is especially fierce.”
Dr Cowell is an early-career researcher who completed a doctoral degree in architecture (History and Theory) at Columbia University. His research is geographically broad and focuses on southern China and northern India.
The winner of the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion will be announced at a ceremony in winter this year.