South American architects honored as the winners of the 2018 Women in Architecture Awards

The Women in Architecture awards, jointly presented by the Architects' Journal and The Architectural Review, have revealed their winners for 2018. Announced on the dawn of Women's History Month, the top prizes have been given to Sandra Barclay, for 'Architect of the Year', and Gloria Cabral, as the winner of the 'Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture'.

The 'Woman Architect of the Year' award, which recognizes a female architect for their excellence in design with an emphasis on recently built projects, was presented to Barclay. The Peruvian architect and co-founder of Barclay & Crousse was honored for her work on Museo de Sitio de Paracas—a red, pigmented museum that was designed to replace an original building destroyed in a 2007 earthquake, and sits on the same site as its predecessor. ‘"Aware of the lack of control onsite and limited resources, the architects responded to the lack of context with a design that is both robust and simple, yet powerful and even its man-made imperfection adds value to the building" the jury commended.

In contrast, the Moira Gemmill prize recognizes emerging female practitioners under the age of forty-five. This year's winner, Gloria Cabral, is a partner of the Paraguayan practice, Gabinete de Arquitectura. She is a protégé of the Pritzker-winning Peter Zumthor and the 2016 honoree of the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Her projects are known for their innovative use of cheap, local materials and the resourceful ways she is able to transform the environment. "Beyond her deep understanding of materials and construction, Cabral showed a sensitive appreciation of the life and use of the buildings she designs. Her commitment is extraordinary and her passion is infectious" the jury applauded.