Two Lady Architects Played with Wind and Rain – Now They Are the First Women to Receive Renowned Prize

For the first time in history, the architecture profession’s top honor went to women: Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara received the 2020 Pritzker Prize for their thoughtful implementation of humanism and natural elements when it comes to design.

For the new University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru, for example, the Irish architects based in Dublin designed a campus while looking into out how to integrate the wind and the rain. The architects expressed the importance of the human experience when it comes to moving through, walking by and inhabiting their buildings.

“Architecture is the silent language that speaks,” says Ms. McNamara. “We’re really saying that, when people need something, they don’t just need a building that will keep the rain out. They need something we need to find expression for.”

“Their approach to architecture is always honest, revealing an understanding of the processes of design and construction from large-scale structures to the smallest details,” reads the jury’s citation complementing Ms. Farrell and Ms. McNamara’s prize awarded this month. “Pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and still is a male-dominated profession, they are also beacons to other women as they forge their exemplary professional path.”