Two professors of the Accademia appointed curators of Biennale Architettura 2018
Institutional Communication Service
18 January 2017
On Monday, January 16th, 2017, the Board of La Biennale di Venezia has appointed Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara as curators of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition. The two architects are Full Professors at the Accademia di Architettura (Università della Svizzera italiana, Mendrisio campus), since 2012. This prestigious appointment confirms the leading role of the Accademia in the world of schools of architecture and underscores the excellence of its study curricula.
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders in 1977 of the firm Grafton Architects, have previously participated in the Biennale Architettura 2002 and have won the Leone d’Argento at the Biennale Architettura 2012 with the project for the new UTEC campus at the University of Lima, Peru.
Farrell and McNamara have designed and built several schools and buildings for institutions and universities, mostly in Ireland – including the Dunshaughlin Civic Offices; the Parson's Building, Trinity College, Dublin; the Government Department of Finance for the Office of Public Works, Dublin – whereas in Italy they have designed the new building for the Università Bocconi in Milan, Italy. They have won many international competitions – including the project of the Toulouse School of Economics; Kingston University Town House; Institute Mines Telecom campus, Paris-Saclay. Together with Shaffrey Associates, they have won the competition for the new city Library in Dublin and have been selected to design a new faculty building for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in Holborn, London.
In addition to being awarded several times by the Architectural Association of Ireland, the firm has won the World Building of the Year Award in 2008 for the design of the new Bocconi University building in Milan. The firm was a finalist at the Sterling Prize for the University of Limerick Medical School and Student Accommodation, and in 2016, it won the RIBA International Award for the UTEC University in Lima, Peru. Grafton Architects won the Jane Drew Award in 2015 and the Irish Design Institute President’s Award in 2016.
The 16th International Architecture Exhibition will open its doors on Saturday, May 26th, 3018 and will run until Sunday, November 25th, 2018.
