Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara to receive 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, the co-founders of Grafton Architects, were recently announced as the 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture, the University of Virginia's highest external honor. Previous winners include Cecil Balmond and Toyo Ito. 

As part of the university's Founder's Day tradition of observing U.S. president Thomas Jefferson's birthday on April 13, the Medal recognizes outstanding achievements of those working in the fields of Architecture, Law, Citizen Leadership, and Global Innovation — all which Jefferson highly regarded.

Read on for more.

Farrell and McNamara have built a reputation for designing highly acclaimed academic buildings located around the world. In UVA Today, University of Virginia School of Architecture dean Ila Berman acknowledged the architects for their significant architectural contributions to culture and education, like the UTEC building in Lima that won RIBA's inaugural International Prize as well as the Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan, which won the World Building of the Year award back in the very first World Architecture Festival.

Another one of Grafton Architects' notable academic buildings is the University of Limerick Medical School and Student Accommodation in their native Ireland. The project has won several Irish architecture accolades and was shortlisted for the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize. Farrell and McNamara were also recently appointed to curate the 2018 Venice Biennale. 

Farrell and McNamara along with the other 2017 medalists will be celebrated during UVA's Founder's Day on April 13. On the same day, the architects will give a public lecture in Campbell Hall, room 153 at 3 p.m.

By the way, you can listen to a conversation between Yvonne Farrell and Archinect, Bustler's sister site. Listen to the podcast episode here.