Two South American architects have been selected as the winners of The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal’s 2018 Women in Architecture awards. This year’s top prize, Architect of the Year, has been awarded to Peruvian architect Sandra Barclay, while Paraguayan architect Gloria Cabral has been selected as the winner of the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture, with both being recognized by the jury for their mastery of materials.
Architect of the Year
Founding partner of Barclay & Crousse, Sandra Barclay has been awarded the Architect of the Year for her work on Peru’s Site Museum of Paracas Culture (Museo de Sitio de Paracas). Located in the harsh environment of the Paracas Desert, the museum was built to replace a structure destroyed in a 2007 earthquake. Responding to these conditions, the building is designed to work with and withstand the difficult natural conditions.
Judges’ comments:
‘Aware of the lack of control onsite and limited resources, the architects responded to the lack of context with a design that is both robust and simple, yet powerful, and even its man-made imperfection adds value to the building’
The shortlist for the 2018 Architect of the Year award also included:
- Biba Dow, Dow Jones Architects (United Kingdom) for the Garden Museum extension in London
- Ángela García de Paredes, Paredes Pedrosa (Spain) for the transformation of two ancient houses in Oropesa, Spain
- Stephanie Macdonald, 6a Architects (United Kingdom) for Cowan Court in Cambridge
Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture
Gloria Cabral, partner at Asunción-based Gabinete de Arquitectura, has been awarded the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture. A protégé of Peter Zumthor, Cabral has developed a keen sense of elevating humble materials in inventive ways. Employing perhaps her favorite material, Paraguayan brick, Gabinete de Arquitectura constructed the soaring brick arch selected as the winner of the Golden Lion at the 2016 Venice Biennale.
Cabral will receive a £10,000 prize named for former director of design at the V&A, Moira Gemmill. The fund will be used to support Cabral’s continuing professional development.
Judges’ comments:
‘Beyond her deep understanding of materials and construction, Cabral showed a sensitive appreciation of the life and use of the buildings she designs. Her commitment is extraordinary and her passion is infectious’
The shortlist for the 2018 Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture also included:
- Ilze Wolff, Wolff Architects (South Africa)
- Anna Puigjaner and Maria Charneco, MAIO (Spain)
- Sook Hee Chun, WISE Architecture (South Korea)
Two other prizes awarded as part of the Women in Architecture awards program, the Jane Drew Prize and the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize, were given earlier this year to Amanda Levete and Madelon Vriesendorp, respectively.
