New Delhi: Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have been jointly named as the recipients of this year’s Pritzker-Prize, the highest honour in the field of architecture. Partners and co-founders of Dublin-based Grafton Architects, they are the fourth and fifth women to receive the prize.
Many believe that with more than 40 years of professional experience, their achievement not only paves the way for more female representation in the field but also correctly acknowledges architecture practice as a collective effort.
The most widely-recognised effort of Grafton, which was started by Farrell and McNamara in 1978, is a building for the Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) in Lima, Peru, which was awarded the inaugural RIBA International Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2012, they were awarded the Silver Lion for the exhibition they presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the world’s most influential architectural event, after which they went on to co-curate the 2018 edition of La Biennale. Their theme for the Biennale, titled Freespace, emphasised the ability of architecture to provide “additional and unexpected generosity”
With designs for universities in Kingston, Dublin, Milan, and Toulouse already executed, higher educational institutes have become their expertise in the recent past. Among their upcoming projects, the most highly-anticipated one is a building for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
As academics, they have held teaching positions in various institutions across the world including EPFL Lausanne and the Accademia d’Archittettura in Mendrisio, both in Switzerland. They have also held the Kenzo Tange Chair at GSD Harvard and the Louis Kahn Chair at Yale University.
In an interview, both Farrell and McNamara refer to their buildings as ‘scaffoldings’ on which lives and events play out and their outlook to architecture leans towards ‘the spaces in-between’.
Here’s a look at some of their iconic designs.
Urban Institute of Ireland, photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh
Urban Institute of Ireland, photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh
University Campus UTEC Lima, photo courtesy of Iwan Baan
Loreto Community School, photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics, photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert
Town House Building, Kingston University, photo courtesy of Ed Reeves
Universita Luigi Bocconi, photo courtesy of Federico Brunetti
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics, photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert
University Campus UTEC Lima, photo courtesy of Iwan Baan
Universita Luigi Bocconi, photo courtesy of Federico Brunetti