Shelley McNamara is one-half of the renowned Irish-based Grafton Architects studio, together with Yvonne Farrell. Pritzker Prize 2020 Laureates founded their practice in 1978 and are well-known for their co-curation of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. In this interview with Louisiana Channel, McNamara talks through her design theories, direction, inspirations, and the studio’s approach to “humanism.”
The architect begins the conversation by describing the architect’s role in accepting and driving changing norms. In fact, she believes architects must be “inventive and agile, needing to be so quick in responding to these pressures.” She begins drawing comparisons to a time when the climate was based on rapid change, the 1950s and 60s. Similar to today, the end of the tragic war-driven years and the space age’s arrival drove the practice of architecture into a whole new direction. The urgency of climate change and the war with consumerism today is activating a similar approach in the discipline.
Some people might say we architects are naïve. But we are great believers in human invention. We are great believers in the capacity of architecture to change things. We teach. We see young people researching on how to make buildings in different ways and how to think in different ways about landscape, about the resources, about water, about solar energy. I mean, there are all kinds of amazing things happening.
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"Building Simply" with Søren Pihlmann: Exploring the Values and Fascinations of ArchitectureMcNamara believes in looking at the idea of community as a human resource with infinite possibilities. Furthermore, in an age where a healthy community where “people overlap” is not readily available, the practice must innovate to work towards prosperous communities. Looking at architecture as an open subject that can be learned from in various ways, the architect believes in collaborations as ways of working, empowering people, and giving them a sense of dignity.
There is nothing that isn’t relevant to architecture. At the core of the discipline is a radical sense of supporting equality and democracy. Architecture enables the human being to enjoy space, whether they own it or not.
Referring to historical examples of “rich, enabling spaces,” McNamara refers to the Florence Medici societies. The family constructed a stone siege at the façade of the Medici palace, where people could use the outdoor spaces to sit. This understanding of civic space became a “civilizing force” for the larger society. In fact, this type of architecture allows a person to feel as though they are part of a more significant order. “Architecture in the end, is about humanism.”
Last year, Grafton Architects’ Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, and Anna Wirz-Justice received the 2022 Daylight Award. The winners were commended for their continuous exploration and prominent humanistic spirit regarding the celebration of daylight in their respective practices. Additionally, Grafton Architects was selected as the winning firm to design the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the University of Arkansas. Finally, the duo famously received the Pritzker Prize 2020 award. In fact, ArchDaily had the chance to interview Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and Dean of IE School of Architecture and Design, discussing the reasons why Grafton Architects has won the award.
To see more architecture videos, check ArchDaily's full coverage of Louisiana Channel's series of interviews.
