For many, the award of the Royal Gold Medal is the crowning achievement of a long and illustrious career in architecture – an opportunity to look back and bask in some well-deserved recognition. But for the 2023 recipient, such self-congratulation seems a long way from her thoughts. 

Yasmeen Lari, whose career has encompassed a diverse range of built environment sectors, seems temperamentally ill-suited to resting on her laurels. On the day I meet her at the RIBA’s Portland Place HQ, she is intent on finding a way to leverage the award to support her latest humanitarian project, as well as helping to ensure more architects can follow in her footsteps.