Renée Gailhoustet has been named the winner of this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Prize in recognition of her work surrounding urban planning and social housing in her native country of France. 

The jury commended Gailhoustet for her “strong social commitment that brings together generosity, beauty, ecology, and inclusivity.” The 92-year-old’s breadth of significant works spans from early projects such as the master plan of Ivry-sur-Seine, which includes the Cité Spinoza housing complex completed in 1972, to the La Maladrerie development in Aubervilliers, and, finally, the Le Liégat, where the architect has resided since its completion in 1977.

“By using innovative geometries and mixing uses in her buildings, Gailhoustet has created a compelling argument for blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, and, collective and individual,” part of the jury statement explains.

Within the long and storied history of social housing in France that includes Corbusier’s Ville Radiuese, the Choux de Créteil, and numerous other historically significant suburban developments, Gailhoustet’s contributions to the typology are considered unique both in terms of form-making and the incorporation of both private terraces and naturalistic elements. The latter’s evolution can be seen in many of today’s prominent urban housing schemes and has come to stand as an important deviation from the park-adjacent towers and apartment block programs that defined middle-class life in the country following the end of the Second World War.

Gailhoustet joins past winners Itsuko Hasegawa, Elizbeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, and Christina Iglesias on a list of recipients that dates to 2018. This year’s jury was comprised of architect Farrokh Derakhshani, Pulitzer-winning author Hisham Matar, ICA Philadelphia Director Zoë Ryan, Caruso St. John founder Peter St. John, influential British artist Cornelia Parker, and Foreign Office Architects (FOA) co-founder Farshid Moussavi, who served as chair.

More information about the Academy’s Awards Week program, including the Dorfman Award finalists, can be found here. Stay tuned to Archinect for more of our industry-leading international awards coverage.