Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee is named the 15th Alvar Aalto Medal winner

The fifteenth edition of the Alvar Aalto Medal was given last night to Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee over her holistic approach to designing spaces that are both respectful of craft and exhibit a deep understanding of traditional or folk building methods. 

Van Hee, who is already considered a trailblazer for female architects in her country, is the first woman ever to receive the medal. Her official medal citation reads: "Van Hee’s work shows a consistently sensitive, contextual, and finely crafted approach. Her architecture is rooted in its context and the surrounding landscape – not only reflecting but contributing to a Flemish local vernacular over the course of her career."

Jury Chair and the 2020 Pritzker Prize laureate Yvonne Farrell added: "Van Hee´s work is universal and highly personal. It is beautifully understated, relevant, rooted in place. Her ability to translate a sense of place is rare. Her buildings contain sensitively choreographed spaces with carefully considered choices for movement. Her spatial intuition fuses with a forensic understanding of human needs. Central to her work is the constant recognition of the human scale spaces where people feel good."

Van Hee first established her practice (now called Marie José Van Hee architecten) in Ghent in 1990 after graduating from KU Leuven's Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in 1974.