Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have practised architecture together for forty years in a way that clearly reflects the aims of the Pritzker Prize: to recognise the art of architecture and ongoing service to humanity, as evidenced through a body of built work.

In 1978, they jointly founded Grafton Architects, their architectural practice in Dublin, Ireland, and have consistently and unflinchingly pursued the highest quality of architecture for the specific location in which it would be built, the functions it would house and especially for the people who would inhabit and use their buildings and spaces. Their work includes numerous educational buildings, housing, cultural and civic institutions. Pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and continues to be a male-dominated profession, they are also role models for others by forging an exemplary career path.

Many of their buildings are in their home country, Ireland, but through competitions, they have won major commissions in other parts of the world, including Italy, France and Peru. With a deep understanding of place gained through their research, keen powers of observation, open and ever-curious explorations, and a deep respect for culture and context, Farrell and McNamara are able to make their buildings respond appropriately to a setting and city, while being fresh and modern. This deep understanding of the "spirit of place" means that their work enhances and enriches the local community. Their buildings are "good neighbours" who seek to make a contribution beyond the boundaries of the building and make a city function better. Their work North King Street Housing in Dublin (2000) is an example of this: it creates an inner courtyard and a cosy refuge from the busy adjacent streets.

Their approach to architecture is always honest, revealing an understanding of the processes of design and construction, from large-scale structures to the smallest details. Often it is precisely in these details, especially in buildings with modest budgets, that a big impact can be felt. For example, the Urban Institute of Ireland (Dublin, 2002) employs what the architects call a 'handmade skin' to create a visually interesting building through changes in materials in response to openings, folds, shading needs and other considerations. At the same time, it employs sound environmental control methodologies and best practices to achieve an efficient and sustainable building. On a particularly sensitive site in Dublin, the magnificent Department of Finance Offices (2009) testify to their knowledge and care in the selection of materials and construction techniques, with a carefully hand-crafted bronze railing and door and sanded limestone on the façades.

The architects are skilled and successful working on many scales, from large institutional buildings to a house of just over 100 square metres. Without grandiloquent or frivolous gestures, they have managed to create buildings that are monumental institutional presences where appropriate, yet are zoned and detailed in such a way as to produce more intimate spaces that create community within. In their large buildings, such as the UTEC University Campus (2015) in Lima, Peru, or the School of Economics Building (2008) at Luigi Bocconi University, they have achieved a human scale through the composition of spaces and volumes of different sizes. The dialogues they create between the buildings and their surroundings demonstrate a new appreciation of both their works and the site. A constant in their approach is their understanding of how to design complex sections of buildings in such a way that views connect deep interior spaces with the wider exterior and allow natural light to penetrate and animate the spaces inside a building. Often, light flows from skylights or upper-storey windows inside their buildings, providing warmth and visual interest, helping inhabitants to easily orient themselves in the spaces and providing the necessary connection to the outdoors.

For their integrity of approach in both their buildings and the way they conduct their practice, their belief in collaboration, their generosity towards their colleagues, especially evidenced at events such as the 2018 Venice Biennale, their unwavering commitment to excellence in architecture, their responsible attitude towards the environment, their ability to be cosmopolitan while embracing the uniqueness of each place they work, for all these reasons and more, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are awarded the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize.