Going Public Lecture #4 of the November Talks: Grafton Architects

Grafton Architects

Grafton Architects, founded by directors Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell, is based in Dublin, Ireland. The practice has completed many significant and prestigious buildings in Ireland and internationally. The practice attempts to embed each project within its own unique situation, picking up on the character of the immediate locale while at the same time finding a new order of expression for the institution itself placing it back into its particular context. The practice has received many awards and accolades. Most recently, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara were selected as the 2020 Pritzker Prize Laureates, and Grafton Architects was awarded the 2020 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. In 2022, they received an honorary doctorate from KU Leuven.

“They have the daring to rethink existing, traditional concepts”

In Februari 2022, Yvonne Farrel and Shelley McNamara were awarded an honorary doctorate by KU Leuven.

“Even in their biggest projects, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara always pay a lot of attention to how you can promote contact between people through the design of the space itself. They also always go to every effort and take the time to study all of the elements of the surroundings. They carry those surroundings through into their buildings. Their perseverance and lasting ambition, on which they have built their careers and reputations, can certainly inspire our students.” - Martine De Maeseneer praises the vision of fellow architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.

Going Public

The Going Public Programme of the Faculty of Architecture is highlighting the current debates in the studios, courses and research groups. The programme exists of a lectures series that both brings discourse to the faculty and -vice versa- internal discussions to the world.