Two Irish Women Win the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Dublin architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are known for rational buildings that focus on function and place
Mitchell Parker
5 March 2020
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Two female Irish architects – friends, business partners, teachers and collaborators since meeting in architecture school 40 years ago – have won the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the industry’s most prestigious award. Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, based in Dublin, create deeply rational structures “without grand or frivolous gestures”, said the eight-member jury that decides the award in its 3 March announcement. “They have managed to create buildings that are monumental institutional presences when appropriate, but, even so, are zoned and detailed in such a way as to produce more intimate spaces that create community within.”
Farrell and McNamara, of Grafton Architects, are just the fourth and fifth women to win the prize. This is the first time two women have shared the award since it was created in 1979. The other women who have been awarded the prize are the late Zaha Hadid in 2004, Kazuyo Sejima in 2010 (with Ryue Nishizawa) and Carme Pigem in 2017 (with Rafael Aranda and Ramon Vilalta). “Pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and still is a male-dominated profession, [Farrell and McNamara] are also beacons to others as they forge their exemplary professional path,” the jury said.
Farrell and McNamara, of Grafton Architects, are just the fourth and fifth women to win the prize. This is the first time two women have shared the award since it was created in 1979. The other women who have been awarded the prize are the late Zaha Hadid in 2004, Kazuyo Sejima in 2010 (with Ryue Nishizawa) and Carme Pigem in 2017 (with Rafael Aranda and Ramon Vilalta). “Pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and still is a male-dominated profession, [Farrell and McNamara] are also beacons to others as they forge their exemplary professional path,” the jury said.
Farrell (pictured, left) and McNamara (right) met in the early 1970s while studying at the School of Architecture at University College Dublin (UCD). After graduating, they began teaching at UCD and continued to do so for 30 years. Along with three others, in 1978, they founded Grafton Architects, named after the street where their original office was located. This emphasis on place is a theme that’s carried through their four decades of work.
Indeed, unlike Hadid, whose designs encapsulate the notion of grand gestures, Farrell and McNamara’s buildings prioritise the urban environment of which they are a part. “They have consistently and unhesitatingly pursued the highest quality of architecture for the specific location in which it was to be built, the functions it would house, and especially for the people who would inhabit and use their buildings and spaces,” the jury said.
Indeed, unlike Hadid, whose designs encapsulate the notion of grand gestures, Farrell and McNamara’s buildings prioritise the urban environment of which they are a part. “They have consistently and unhesitatingly pursued the highest quality of architecture for the specific location in which it was to be built, the functions it would house, and especially for the people who would inhabit and use their buildings and spaces,” the jury said.
University Campus UTEC Lima (2015) in Peru. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan.
For more than two decades, their work was confined within the borders of their native Ireland, where mountains and cliffs informed many of their designs. Later, they brought this geographical influence – think layers of blunt angles and forms recalling crags rather than organic curves and bends – to their international projects as well. This began with their first project outside Ireland, the Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan, in 2008, a full 25 years after they began practising.
The University Campus UTEC Lima (pictured), built in 2015 in Lima, Peru, is a tiered, cascading design that sits on a challenging site next to a main road sunk into a ravine. The architects cited Machu Picchu – the multi-tiered Incan citadel ruin high in the Andes Mountains in Peru – as an influence for their design.
Their projects includes numerous educational buildings, housing, and cultural and civic institutions, all of which offer a “deep understanding of ‘spirit of place’”, the jury said. “Their works enhance and improve the local community. Their buildings are ‘good neighbours’ that seek to make a contribution beyond the boundaries of the building and to make a city work better.”
For more than two decades, their work was confined within the borders of their native Ireland, where mountains and cliffs informed many of their designs. Later, they brought this geographical influence – think layers of blunt angles and forms recalling crags rather than organic curves and bends – to their international projects as well. This began with their first project outside Ireland, the Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan, in 2008, a full 25 years after they began practising.
The University Campus UTEC Lima (pictured), built in 2015 in Lima, Peru, is a tiered, cascading design that sits on a challenging site next to a main road sunk into a ravine. The architects cited Machu Picchu – the multi-tiered Incan citadel ruin high in the Andes Mountains in Peru – as an influence for their design.
Their projects includes numerous educational buildings, housing, and cultural and civic institutions, all of which offer a “deep understanding of ‘spirit of place’”, the jury said. “Their works enhance and improve the local community. Their buildings are ‘good neighbours’ that seek to make a contribution beyond the boundaries of the building and to make a city work better.”
University Campus UTEC Lima. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan.
The University Campus UTEC Lima sits behind the overpass in the upper middle of this photo. The architects are noted for their success in dealing with the challenging site – which has the busy road on one side and the low-rise edge of the city on the other.
“The north side of the building serves as a ‘new cliff’, while the south features cascading gardens and open spaces that seek to integrate with the lower urban scale of this part of the district,” the architects have written about the project.
The University Campus UTEC Lima sits behind the overpass in the upper middle of this photo. The architects are noted for their success in dealing with the challenging site – which has the busy road on one side and the low-rise edge of the city on the other.
“The north side of the building serves as a ‘new cliff’, while the south features cascading gardens and open spaces that seek to integrate with the lower urban scale of this part of the district,” the architects have written about the project.
University Campus UTEC Lima. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan.
University Campus UTEC Lima. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan.
University Campus UTEC Lima. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan.
Universita Luigi Bocconi (2008) in Milan. Photo courtesy of Federico Brunetti.
The stone-clad Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan occupies an entire city block. The building houses conference halls, lecture theatres, offices, meeting rooms, a library and a café for 1,000 faculty members and students.
The stone-clad Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan occupies an entire city block. The building houses conference halls, lecture theatres, offices, meeting rooms, a library and a café for 1,000 faculty members and students.
Universita Luigi Bocconi. Photo courtesy of Federico Brunetti.
Universita Luigi Bocconi. Photo courtesy of Federico Brunetti.
Another constant in Farrell and McNamara’s work is “an understanding of how to design complex sections of buildings in such a way that views connect deep interior spaces with the larger exterior realm and allow natural light to penetrate and animate spaces deep inside a building”, the jury said. “Often, light streams from skylights or upper-storey windows throughout the interiors of their buildings, providing warmth and visual interest, helping the inhabitants easily orient themselves in the spaces, and providing the ever necessary connection to the exterior.”
Another constant in Farrell and McNamara’s work is “an understanding of how to design complex sections of buildings in such a way that views connect deep interior spaces with the larger exterior realm and allow natural light to penetrate and animate spaces deep inside a building”, the jury said. “Often, light streams from skylights or upper-storey windows throughout the interiors of their buildings, providing warmth and visual interest, helping the inhabitants easily orient themselves in the spaces, and providing the ever necessary connection to the exterior.”
London School of Economics and Political Science (under construction) in London. Photo courtesy of Grafton Architects.
Loreto Community School (2006). Photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.
Located in the small town of Milford, Ireland, the Loreto Community School serves more than 700 students and features four main components: a dining and assembly area surrounded by a technology wing, a classroom block and an athletic hall. An undulating zinc roof responds to the sloping landscape of the site.
Located in the small town of Milford, Ireland, the Loreto Community School serves more than 700 students and features four main components: a dining and assembly area surrounded by a technology wing, a classroom block and an athletic hall. An undulating zinc roof responds to the sloping landscape of the site.
Loreto Community School. Photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.
Loreto Community School. Photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.
Institut Mines-Télécom (2019) in Paris. Photo courtesy of Grafton Architects.
The generous open spaces of the Institut Mines-Télécom in Paris serve a community of scholars, professors and students.
The generous open spaces of the Institut Mines-Télécom in Paris serve a community of scholars, professors and students.
Institut Mines-Télécom. Photo courtesy of Alexandre Soria.
Institut Mines-Télécom. Photo courtesy of Alexandre Soria.
Offices for the Department of Finance (2009) in Dublin. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
The offices for the Department of Finance sit on a challenging site in the centre of Dublin, and are informed by St Stephen’s Green public park, the Huguenot Cemetery and the 18th-century Georgian street context.
The offices for the Department of Finance sit on a challenging site in the centre of Dublin, and are informed by St Stephen’s Green public park, the Huguenot Cemetery and the 18th-century Georgian street context.
Offices for the Department of Finance (2009) in Dublin. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics (2019) in Toulouse, France. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
The recent School of Economics building for Université Toulouse in France sits at a turning point of the Canal de Garonne. The new building is “a composition of the reinterpreted elements of Toulouse: the buttresses, the walls, the ramps, the cool, mysterious interiors, the cloisters and the courtyards,” the architects have written.
The recent School of Economics building for Université Toulouse in France sits at a turning point of the Canal de Garonne. The new building is “a composition of the reinterpreted elements of Toulouse: the buttresses, the walls, the ramps, the cool, mysterious interiors, the cloisters and the courtyards,” the architects have written.
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, School of Economics. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert.
Town House, Kingston University (2019) in Kingston-upon-Thames, Greater London. Photo courtesy of Ed Reeves.
The Town House of Kingston University in Greater London features open-plan interiors unified and enveloped by stone colonnades that form the facades of the building. Large interconnected halls and double- and triple-height spaces overlap throughout the interior.
The Town House of Kingston University in Greater London features open-plan interiors unified and enveloped by stone colonnades that form the facades of the building. Large interconnected halls and double- and triple-height spaces overlap throughout the interior.
Town House, Kingston University. Photo courtesy of Dennis Gilbert
Find a local architect on Houzz today to kick-start your own renovation project.
Find a local architect on Houzz today to kick-start your own renovation project.
Town House, Kingston University. Photo courtesy of Ed Reeves.
Urban Institute of Ireland (2002) in Dublin. Photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.
The Urban Institute of Ireland at University College Dublin sits at the edge of a cluster of university facilities and brings together engineers, planners, architects, geographers, economists and scientists to find innovative ways of tackling the challenges of sustainable development. Terracotta tiles, red brick and granite plinths form the structure.
The Urban Institute of Ireland at University College Dublin sits at the edge of a cluster of university facilities and brings together engineers, planners, architects, geographers, economists and scientists to find innovative ways of tackling the challenges of sustainable development. Terracotta tiles, red brick and granite plinths form the structure.
Urban Institute of Ireland. Photo courtesy of Ros Kavanagh.
Farrell and McNamara told The New York Times that they haven’t sought public recognition in their careers. They’ve preferred “a way of thinking and a set of values”, McNamara says. “We’re not afraid of monumentality and making important gestures when necessary, but we’re also not afraid to recede and be in the background. We think about a heroic space and at the same time think about how a human being feels in our space. We think about our agenda as being a humanist agenda, and that’s at the forefront.”
The annual international prize, established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through its Hyatt Foundation in 1979, consists of $100,000 (US) and a bronze medallion. The award will be given to Farrell and McNamara in May at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site that, as of press time, had not been announced.
Tell us…
Have you been inspired by a particular architect? Who’s your favourite? Tell us your thoughts in the Comments section.
Farrell and McNamara told The New York Times that they haven’t sought public recognition in their careers. They’ve preferred “a way of thinking and a set of values”, McNamara says. “We’re not afraid of monumentality and making important gestures when necessary, but we’re also not afraid to recede and be in the background. We think about a heroic space and at the same time think about how a human being feels in our space. We think about our agenda as being a humanist agenda, and that’s at the forefront.”
The annual international prize, established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through its Hyatt Foundation in 1979, consists of $100,000 (US) and a bronze medallion. The award will be given to Farrell and McNamara in May at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site that, as of press time, had not been announced.
Tell us…
Have you been inspired by a particular architect? Who’s your favourite? Tell us your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Great work by two very talented Irish women architects and their team.
So good to see them being recognised for their contributions to architecture all over the world!
Congratulations to these ‘mna cliste’.
Wow! How did I miss this article when originally written? What an understanding of the interplay of volume and light is displayed in the work of these architects! Stunning stuff! Thanks for the article, Mitchell!