This year’s honoree and commencement speaker, David Ping-yee Lung, has been instrumental in three World Heritage List designations.

Frances Bronet, dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, will present the Lawrence Medal to alumnus David Ping-yee Lung during the 2013 commencement June 17. Internationally recognized for his scholarship and work in heritage conservation, Lung has been commended as the driving force behind efforts to ensure that the historic built environment of Hong Kong, Macau, and southern China is safeguarded. The Lawrence Medal is the highest alumni honor given by A&AA.

“As an architect, university leader, historic preservation expert, and educator, David Lung's professional achievements are outstanding and inspiring,” Bronet said on announcing the Lawrence Medal. “He is deeply devoted to his students, his university, and his profession as well as his alma mater. Throughout his career, David has pursued scholarship in historic preservation and conservation practices and has gone the next step and guided public policy on a national and international level. We are honored to include David as one of our own alumni who can inspire our school with the 2013 Ellis F. Lawrence Medal.”

Lung was instrumental in three World Heritage designations: the Historic City of Macao, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, and the Historic Cities in the Straits of Malacca. His honors and distinctions include service as vice president of China ICOMOS, decoration as Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for designing housing for the underprivileged elderly, and UNESCO chair in Cultural Heritage Resources Management at The University of Hong Kong. In 2013 he was awarded the Lady Edith Kotewall Professorship in the Built Environment.

His dozens of publications include Chinese Traditional Vernacular Architecture (1994), built upon his research as a graduate student at UO, and Past and Contemporary Architecture of Hong Kong (1992). His latest book chapter, “General Account: Theory and Practice in Heritage Conservation — Inspirations from the Central Oasis” (May 2013), captures the essence of lessons learned from the Oregon Experiment during his UO student days.

Lung has served as a member and chairman of the Hong Kong Antiquities Advisory Board and is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. Among his many honors, in 2013 he was distinguished with membership in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In 1999 he was decorated with the Silver Bauhinia Star from the Hong Kong government.

“David Lung has been pivotal in championing the value of historical monuments,” Cheng said. “He has been recognized for his untiring work in explaining the value of cultural heritage. His compelling writing about how built forms connect with inhabitants' activities and beliefs has saved many buildings from destruction.”

A native of Hong Kong, Lung graduated from UO with a BArch in 1974, going on to earn a MArch and a MA in Asian Studies from UO in 1978. He then returned to Hong Kong and joined TaoHo Design, an architectural practice. He began as a lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Department of Architecture in 1984 and was promoted to full professor in 1993.

In 2000, Lung founded the Architectural Conservation Programme, a post-graduate degree. In 2010, he established the Architectural Conservation Laboratory. In 2011, he became dean of the faculty of architecture. In 2012, Lung introduced a bachelor of arts degree in architectural conservation. He was inaugurated into the seventh endowed professorship at HKU in April 2013.

“This award is auspicious as UO's School of Architecture and Allied Arts is working on reviving our exchange program with University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Architecture,” said Nancy Cheng, UO associate professor of architecture, about Lung’s receiving the Lawrence Medal. “Professor David Lung is a great example of how cross-cultural education can bear fruit.”

The Ellis F. Lawrence Award, in the form of a bronze medal and certificate, is awarded each year to a living A&AA alumni whose professional and personal achievements embody the integrity, educational philosophy, and commitment to one’s chosen field as exemplified by Ellis Lawrence, founder of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. During his career, Lawrence designed five hundred commercial and residential buildings, including twenty-five buildings on campus. Previous winners of the medal include film director James Ivory, Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, and Getty Trust director James Cuno.

More than six hundred students are graduating from A&AA this year. Commencement begins at 3 p.m. Monday, June 17, on the southeast lawn of the Erb Memorial Union, 1222 E. 13th Ave., in Eugene. No tickets are necessary but seating is limited. Limited seating in the shade is available on a first come-first seated basis (there is a ceremony on the EMU East Lawn prior to A&AA’s, so A&AA guests should not arrive earlier than 2 p.m. for seating). The A&AA ceremony will last about ninety minutes. Immediately afterward, graduates and guests are invited to the Lawrence Hall courtyard, 1190 Franklin Blvd., for a reception.

Parking on or around campus will be generally unavailable. Free shuttle service from the Autzen Stadium parking lot to the main campus will be offered every 7-10 minutes between 7 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. For guests unable to walk to the site, an ADA-accessible shuttle service is available. Parking and shuttles with disabled access are available in campus lots 52, 53, and 54 (between 15th and Franklin on Walnut Street; http://www.uoregon.edu/maps).

For questions about the A&AA ceremony, visit /events/commencement or contact the A&AA Dean’s Office at (541) 346-3631.