On March 3, 2020 chairman of The Hyatt Foundation Tom Pritzker announced Yvonne Farrell (69) and Shelley McNamara (68) as the winners of Pritzker Architecture prize 2020. It is the 1st time an Irish citizen & a female combination won the prize.It is an annual award sponsored by Hyatt foundation is regarded as the profession’s highest award.
ii.They gained international fame for their blocky, brutalist-inspired structures that include Paris’s Institut Mines Telecom building.
iii.They won the World Building of the Year award in 2008 for their Bocconi University building in Milan.
iv.Before them 3 women have won the prize previously: Zaha Hadid in 2004, Kazuyo Sejima in 2010 (with Ryue Nishizawa) and Carme Pigem in 2017 (with Ramon Vilalta and Rafael Aranda).
Gist about The Pritzker Architecture prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is founded by Jay A. Pritzker & his wife Cindy. The prize gets its name from the Pritzker family who established through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979.The award consists of $100,000 (US) & a bronze medallion.
It is presented to honor a living architect or architect’s built work which demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, & commitment & has produced consistent & significant contributions to humanity & the built environment through the art of architecture. It is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” & “the profession’s highest honor.”
About Hyatt Foundation:
President and Chief Executive Officer– Mark S. Hoplamazian
Headquarters– Chicago, United States
