2026 Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara

Yvonne Farrell (1951–) and Shelley McNamara (1952–) co-founded Grafton Architects in 1978, following their graduation from University College Dublin. Over more than four decades, they have built an internationally influential practice rooted in intellectual rigor, civic generosity, and a strong commitment to architectural education. Their academic careers run alongside their practice: they taught at University College Dublin from 1976 to 2002, later serving as Adjunct Professors, and have held prestigious visiting chairs at EPFL Lausanne, Harvard GSD (Kenzo Tange Chair), Yale (Louis Kahn Chair), and currently serve as Professors at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland. In 2018, they curated the Venice Architecture Biennale under the theme Freespace, presenting a manifesto focused on generosity, spatial dignity, and architecture’s transformative power. Their contributions to the field were recognized worldwide with the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the architecture world’s highest award. Among many honors, Grafton Architects’ co-founders, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, received the Tau Sigma Delta 2026 Gold Medal from the Grand Chapter of the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society for Architecture and Allied Arts, in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The firm has exhibited widely, including at Sir John Soane’s Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Royal Academy. Their work has earned numerous major awards, such as the RIBA Royal Gold Medal (2020), the inaugural RIBA International Prize (2016), the RIBA Stirling Prize (2021), the EU Mies van der Rohe Award (2022), and the Architects’ Newspaper Project of the Year Award (2025). Grafton Architects operates with a collaborative spirit, valuing each member’s role in creating meaningful work. Alongside founding directors Farrell and McNamara, longtime directors Gerard Carty and Philippe O’Sullivan, along with an expanded leadership team, guide the practice’s evolving portfolio.

Grafton Website:
https://www.graftonarchitects.ie