Yvonne Farrell
Awards & Honours
5
Awards Won
4
Honours
1
Rankings
4
Covers
2
Records
Yvonne Farrell's career is marked by historic achievements. She is the first Irish recipient of the Pritzker Prize, alongside Shelley McNamara. In 2020, she received both the Pritzker and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, a rare double honor. Her firm's work has been recognized globally, with projects like the UTEC campus in Lima winning the inaugural RIBA International Prize. Farrell's role as co-curator of the 2018 Venice Biennale placed her among the few women to direct that prestigious event.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Pritzker Architecture Prize
The highest honor in architecture, awarded jointly with Shelley McNamara.
RIBA Royal Gold Medal
One of architecture's most prestigious awards, recognizing lifetime achievement.
Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture
Awarded jointly to Farrell and McNamara for their contributions to architecture.
Harvard GSD Class Day Speaker
Invited to address graduating students at the 2026 commencement.
Rankings & Lists
The Women Literally Shaping Our World
Magazine Covers
Monocle
2025-10
The architecture of empathy: Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara on building for communities
Pin-Up Magazine
2026-04
Grafton Architects' first US building
M2 Woman
2025-12
The Women Literally Shaping Our World
Designboom
2020-03
Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects are the 2020 Pritzker Prize winners
Records & Feats
First Irish recipients of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are the first architects from Ireland to receive the Pritzker Prize.
Fourth and fifth women to direct the Venice Architecture Biennale
Only four women had directed the Venice Architecture Biennale before Farrell and McNamara took on the role for the 2018 edition.