High Line Co-Founders Joshua David and Robert Hammond accept the Vincent Scully Prize at Washington D.C.’s National Building Museum.Photo by Emily Clack Photography

On September 30, Friends of the High Line Co-Founders Joshua David and Robert Hammond were awarded the prestigious Vincent Scully Prize by the National Building Museum for their work in creating our park in the sky. Joshua and Robert were the fifteenth recipients of the prize, which recognizes exemplary scholarship, criticism, or practice in architecture, historic preservation, or urban design.

As part of the award ceremony, Joshua and Robert gave an original talk, “Harnessing Friction,” in which they recall their efforts to create a new kind of public space in the High Line. During the speech, they explore the many qualities that make the High Line unique. “Generally, in a park you seek to escape the city,” says Joshua. “The High Line was designed to celebrate its urban condition and the built environment that surrounds it,” he adds. Below, view a video of speech, which also includes an opening tribute by last year’s recipient – the Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger – and a question-and-answer session with Joshua and Robert.

There are many choice quotes from the ceremony, but perhaps the most inspiring comes from someone who was present only in spirit. Joshua and Robert conclude “Harnessing Friction” with a quote by the great urbanist Jane Jacobs, herself a winner of Vincent Scully Prize: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

In an opening tribute by Paul Goldberger – last year’s prize recipient – the Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic remarked, “the High Line was entirely new to New York, but the minute it opened it was clear that it was absolutely right for New York, and it instantly became part of the city’s DNA.”Photo by Emily Clack Photography