When it comes to gender equality, the architectural profession is a laggard, to say the least. It wasn’t until the 21st century that the Pritzker Architecture Prize — the profession’s highest accolade — was first awarded to a woman: Zaha Hadid, who won it in 2004. Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of the Dublin firm Grafton Architects, are among only five women who have collected the award since. In awarding them the 2020 prize, the Pritzker jury described Farrell and McNamara as “pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and still is a male-dominated profession,” and cited their consistent regard for “the people who would inhabit and use their buildings and spaces.”Community-oriented, sustainable architecture was one of the themes of the Art for Tomorrow conference, an annual event convened by the Democracy & Culture Foundation with panels moderated by New York Times journalists that was held in Venice last week. In a panel titled “Architecture for Good,” Manuela Lucá-Dazio, executive director of the Pritzker Prize, said that while the Pritzker’s mission had remained the same since it was established in 1979, “our world has deeply changed in the past 45 years.”

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Persons: —, Zaha Hadid, Yvonne Farrell, Shelley McNamara, Farrell, McNamara, ”, ” Manuela Lucá Organizations: Pritzker, Grafton Architects, Art, Tomorrow, Democracy & Culture Foundation, New York Times Locations: Dublin, Venice