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Phyllis Lambert and Kazuyo Sejima win 2023 Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable Prizes

2023-01-30T13:40:00-05:00

Influential Canadian architect Phyllis Lambert and SANAA co-founder Kazuyo Sejima have been named as this year's respective winners of the Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable prizes by the UK-based publications Architects’ Journal and The Architectural Review as part of the annual W Awards program, now in its 11th year.

Lambert was awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her influence on the culture of architecture. Her early work with Mies van der Rohe on New York’s Seagram Building has been well documented, along with the influence spread throughout her native country after founding the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal in 1979. Her influence is still widely felt today in both countries. As AR’s Deputy Editor Eleanor Beaumont said, Lambert encourages us to “always be curious.”

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Phyllis Lambert with the model for the Seagram Building New York, 1955. Photo © Fonds Phyllis Lambert.

Sejima, the 2010 winner of the Pritzker Prize along with S...

Fiona Monkman of Islington Architects awarded the MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice 2022

2022-05-03T15:40:00-04:00

Part of the W Awards program, the annual MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice recognizes UK-based architects excelling in practice. Last year's prize was awarded to Alice Brownfield of Peter Barber Architects. Now in its third iteration, this year's award recipient is Fiona Monkman of Islington Architects for her work on the Centurion Close social housing block in London.

Monkman is the design team leader at Islington Architects, a part of the architecture department at Islington Council. A site that was deemed "unviable for developers" was transformed thanks to the leadership of Monkman and her team. The housing project added eight two-bedroom council flats to the existing estate, helping address much-needed housing solutions within inner London.

Image © Martina Ferrera. Image courtesy of The Architectural Review.

AR writer Ruth Lang commented on Monkman's work on Centurion Close stating: "What is most evident i...

Delhi-based architect Swati Janu awarded the 2022 Moira Gemmil Prize for Emerging Architecture

2022-05-03T14:14:00-04:00

The W Awards, formerly known as the Women in Architecture awards, announce this year's Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture winner. The awards program was created to recognize the work and achievements of female and non-binary designers in professional practice under the age of 45.

Last year's prize was awarded to six female architects part of the architecture practice Lacol. This year's Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture goes to architect Swati Janu.

Social Design Collaborative's ModSkool in Delhi, a modular, low-cost school designed to help communities quickly dismantle the structure as a means to protect it from demolitions. The Modskool was awarded the Beazley Design of the Year 2020 in Architecture. Learn more about the project here. Image courtesy of the Architectural Review.

The Delhi-based architect, writer, and community artist is the founder of Social Design Collaborative. Her practice focuses on integrating architectural activism and community engagemen...

The W Awards announces the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture winners

2021-03-10T17:56:00-05:00

The Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture recognizes designers under the age of 45 for their achievement in professional practice. Last year's prize was awarded to Francesca Torzo of Francesca Torzo Architetto. Architect Mariam Kamara of Atelier Masomi was recognized and highly commended for the prize.

Façade of La Comunal, cooperative space, Barcelona. Image © Lacol

This year's prizes have been awarded to six female architects who are part of the architecture practice, Lacol. Members Ariadna Artigas, Anna Clemente, Eulàlia Daví, Cristina Gamboa, Laura Lluch, and Núria Vila were praised by this year's jury for their housing projects La Borda, Coòpolis, and co-operative complex La Comunal.

The judges for this year's prize share: "They expand beyond the horizons of forms and materials, they take architecture out of the traditional client-user commissioning relationship by politicizing it – and it is remarkably effective. This alternative model of practice creates a collaborat...

The 2021 W Awards announces the MJ Long Prize Winner

2021-03-09T13:51:00-05:00

In honor of American architect, writer, and lecturer MJ Long, the MJ Long Prize is awarded to a UK-based female architect that has excelled in practice. Now in its second year, the award's inaugural recipient went to Tracy Meller of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. This year, the W Awards announces Alice Brownfield as the 2021 winner. Brownfield is the associate director of Peter Barber Architects and was recognized for her work on the London infill housing project, Kiln Place.

According to Brownfield, the project's success was due to the architects' collaboration with the residents. "What we really need is a central government-funded mass council housing program," says Brownfield. "At Peter Barber Architects, we believe that architecture has the potential for social action."

The Judges for this year's prize discuss Bronwfield's work and her success as a practitioner. "Despite the project’s high degree of complexity, there is a real sense she goes above and beyond what might be req...

Shortlist for the Moira Gemmill and MJ Long Prizes highlight female architects to watch

2021-01-22T16:15:00-05:00

Following the announcement of this year's Jane Drew Prize for Architecture and the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize the W Awards, formerly known as the Women in Architecture awards, announces its shortlist for the Moira Gemmill Prize and the MJ Long Prize.

Recognizing the work and design excellence of designers under the age of 45 the Moira Gemmil Prize has been awarded to influential architects such as Francesca Torzo, Rozana Montiel, and Xu Tiantian amongst others.

Below is this year's Moira Gemmil Prize shortlist:

Nerea Amorós Elorduy, founder of Creative Assemblages, based in Uganda

Nerea Amorós Elorduy, founder of Creative Assemblages, based in Uganda. Pictured here is Mwito School. Credit:Nerea Amoros Eldoruy/Courtesy of W Awards

Cristina Monteiro, co-founder of DK-CM, based in the UK

Cristina Monteiro, co-founder of DK-CM, based in the UK. Pictured here is Harrow Arts Centre Credit:Neil Perry/Courtesy of W Awards

Ana Clemente, Laura Lluch, Núria Vila, Eulàlia Daví, Ariadna Artigas, ...

2021 Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable Prizes awarded to Kate Macintosh and Lesley Lokko

2021-01-21T16:37:00-05:00

The work and leadership of female architects continue to impact the industry thanks to their relentless efforts and passion for architecture, equity, and progress. The Architectural Review and Architect's Journal awards two women whose exemplary work in architecture has deemed them winners of the 2021 Jane Drew Prize for Architecture and the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture.

Pioneering British architect Kate Macintosh is the recipient of the Jane Drew Prize award. Focusing on social housing and activism her legacy within the profession is built upon her tenacious commitment to housing and social justice. Macintosh's accomplishments include her work on designing the South London housing project Dawson's Heights at the age of 26. Macintosh is part of a legacy of trailblazing women in the field of architecture whose work has paved the way for many.

Macintosh shares in a...

2020 W Awards celebrate design excellence while showcasing architecture's female voices

2020-03-11T13:49:00-04:00

Formerly known as the Women in Architecture awards, the W Awards continuously celebrates and profiles the industry's female trailblazers, leaders, and emerging architects. Since its start in 2012, the award program has aimed to "inspire change as a united voice of this global call for respect, diversity, and equality," according to The Architectural Review and Architect's Journal.

With the rise of various initiatives aiming to rewrite and highlight female and minority architects into architectural canon, this year, the award honors five women, each representing a unique voice, perspective, or emphasis within architectural practice.

Individually each architect has committed their time and effort to push architectural pedagogy and practice. Read more about the winners and comments from the award's coordinators below.

Francesca Torzo. Image courtesy of The Architectural Review.

The Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture
Winner: Francesca Torzo (Francesca Torzo Architetto)

Judges...