Portuguese Architect Ines Lobo has won the second edition of the arcVision Prize - Women and Architecture, an international social architecture award instituted by the Italcementi Group. Commended by the jury for being a “versatile architect,” Lobo has built a reputation for “creatively attacking complex architectural problems” at a variety of scales “within the existing urban fabric.”
Upon receiving the news, Lobo exclaimed: “I am really surprised. I would like to elaborate, but it’s not easy. It’s really an important prize, with such an international vision, and also because it’s underline that it’s still difficult to be a woman architect. I am also very pleased to receive this award on occasion of the celebration for the 100 years since the birth of architect Bo Bardi, since one century ago it was even more difficult for women. But I would like to dedicate this prize – if you allow me – to all the people that make me to believe that architecture it’s a powerful way to build a better world for everybody, not matter if women or men.”
A graduate of the Technical University of Lisbon, Lobo founded her practice in 2002. Since, she has devoted her time to professional practice and teaching at the Autonoma University in Lisbon. As the Italcementi Group described, “In [Lobo’s] architecture, building conversion plays an important role, giving her an opportunity to free herself from the pre-constituted models of classic Modernism.”
“Among her outstanding projects, many of which are in the public realm and located in Portugal, is the Art and Architecture Faculty in Evora, where annexes were substituted with new construction and the courtyard newly configured. Taking inspiration from the existing industrial architecture and its systems, she defined strategies to employ in the new construction, yet her work is clearly contemporary, informed by the past, but looking toward the future. In the office building for the headquarters of Ferreira Construction, she balanced the existing building, green space and the new construction. Using translucent material to manage the light entering the new building she creates an interesting façade that changes throughout the hours of day and night.”
“She is precise, very skilled in terms of her use of materials and the combination of materials. Although her buildings may seem understated, they are extremely powerful in terms of geometry and radical in their approach. The jury spoke of the rich counterpoint that she establishes between existing buildings and the new additions she creates. The jury highlighted the integrity and authenticity of her works. Her buildings reflect her independent and free approach to architecture, as creator of social spaces.”
The reward is a two-week research workshop at i.lab, the Italcementi Group R&D Center in Bergamo, and € 50,000, part of which may be devolved to social projects at the discretion of the winner.
2014 arcVision Jury:
- Shaikha Al Maskari (member of the Steering Committee of the Arab International Women’s Forum-AIWF)
- Vera Baboun (Mayor of Bethlehem)
- Odile Decq (head of the ODBC)
- Louisa Hutton (English founding partner of the Sauerbruch Hutton)
- Suhasini Maniratnam (an Indian actress, producer and writer deeply involved in community service)
- Samia Nkrumah (president of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan African Center)
- Kazuyo Sejima (owner with Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA)
- Benedetta Tagliabue (founder with Enric Miralles of EMBT)
- Martha Thorne (director Pritzker Prize)
- Elena Zambon (chairman of the Italian pharmaceuticals company Zambon S.p.A.)
News via arcVision.org
