Eva Jiřičná Awarded 2013 Jane Drew Prize

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Czech-born architect Eva Jiřičná has been announced, by unanimous decision of the esteemed AJ Judging Panel, as the Winner of the 2013 Jane Drew Prize “for her outstanding contribution to the status of women in architecture.” Zaha Hadid, prize judge and winner of last year’s Jane Drew Prize, lauded Jiřičná’s for redefining the idea of retail space with her innovated use of industrial materials and famous steel and glass staircases.

Fellow judge Ivan Harbour of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners agreed, stating: “If you walk into any Apple store today, in the end, they all started with Eva.”

In addition to this, Jiřičná’s dedicated mentorship of numerous students and colleagues throughout her career has proved to be “incredibly influential” to the advancement of the profession and women in architecture.

Jiřičná, who judged the inaugural Jane Drew Prize in 1998, said: “I feel very humbled and honoured to win this award. Jane Drew was one of my major heroines. When you are starting out you look at the lives of women in your and other professions. As you progress you appreciate what these women achieved – how courageous they were. Jane Drew was one of those women. She was a pioneer.”

More on Eva Jiřičná after the break...

Eva Jiřičná (born March 3, 1939) is a renowned architect and interior designer born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and based in London. After concluding her studies in engineering and architecture in 1962 at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts, Jiřičná moved to London and began her career in architecture by working for the Greater London Council and then the Louis de Soissons Partnership. In 1982, she founded her own practice alongside David Hodges and began to be recognized for her work in architectural competitions. She rebranded her firm in 1985 to Eva Jiřičná Architects, and in 1988 she completed her flagship store for the Joseph fashion label that marked the moment when she “reinvented the idea of retail”, as Hadid enthusiastically stated in reference to Jiřičná being selected as the 2013 Jane Drew Prize recipient.

The 2013 Jane Drew Prize included:

• Zaha Hadid, 2012 Jane Drew Prize Laureate
  
• Ivan Harbour of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
  
• Rafael Viñoly, director of Rafael Viñoly Architects
  
• Paul Monaghan, director of AHMM
  
• Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
  
• Moira Gemmill, design director at the V&A
  
• Doreen Lawrence, founding director of the Stephen Lawrence Trust
  
• Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s Centres
  
• Colette O’Shea, head of the London portfolio at Land Securities
  
• Peter Rees, chief planning officer, City of London
  
• Victoria Thornton, founding director of Open-City
  
• Chair Christine Murray, editor of the Architects’ Journal

Jiřičná will be honored at the AJ Women in Architecture luncheon on March 22. 

via The Architects' Journal, archinform