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13.03.2026

That year, the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize. Her architecture, characterized by fluid geometries, dynamic structures, and constant research into new design technologies, redefined the formal limits of contemporary architecture. Works such as the London Aquatics Centre and the MAXXI Museum in Rome demonstrated a radically new way of understanding space, consolidating a trajectory that opened the path for later generations of women architects.

Six years later, in 2010, the prize once again recognized a woman when the Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima was awarded the prize together with her partner Ryue Nishizawa. Together they founded the studio SANAA, whose work is distinguished by an architecture of extreme lightness, transparency, and spatial precision. Projects such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa and the Louvre-Lens reveal their ability to create seemingly simple spaces that conceal a profound conceptual sophistication.

In 2017, the prize also reached Spain when the architect Carme Pigem was honored together with her partners Rafael Aranda and Ramón Vilalta, founders of the studio RCR Arquitectes. Their work, deeply connected to landscape and materiality, demonstrates a way of making architecture in close relationship with the territory, where steel, light, and topography construct spaces of great poetic intensity.

Three years later, in 2020, the jury recognized the work of Irish architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, founders of Grafton Architects. Their architecture is characterized by a powerful spatial presence and a particular attention to public and educational buildings, such as Bocconi University in Milan, where structure and light create collective spaces of great scale yet profoundly human.

In 2021, the French architect Anne Lacaton received the prize together with Jean-Philippe Vassal for their work at the studio Lacaton & Vassal. Their approach has transformed the debate around contemporary housing by advocating for an architecture based on the transformation of what already exists and the improvement of living conditions without resorting to demolition, expanding spaces and possibilities through minimal yet strategic interventions.

Despite these advances, the history of the Pritzker Prize also reveals episodes that have generated broad debate within the profession. One of the most well-known cases is that of Denise Scott Brown, who for decades was the partner and collaborator of Robert Venturi. Together they developed a profound investigation into urban culture and contemporary architecture through the studio Venturi Scott Brown and Associates and co-authored fundamental texts such as Learning from Las Vegas. However, when Venturi received the Pritzker Prize in 1991, Scott Brown was not included in the recognition, which years later sparked an international campaign calling for a reconsideration of that decision.

A similar situation occurred with the Chinese architect Lu Wenyu, co-founder of Amateur Architecture Studio together with Wang Shu. Although the jury highlighted the work of the studio when Wang Shu received the prize in 2012, the recognition was awarded only to him, despite the fact that numerous projects had been conceived and developed jointly.

More than forty years after its creation, the Pritzker Prize continues to reflect the evolution of architecture and the dynamics of recognition within the profession. The growing presence of women architects among its laureates indicates a change that, although still gradual, continues to expand the narrative of contemporary architecture. The story of women architects in the Pritzker Prize is not only the story of the awards that have been granted, but also of the voices that for years remained outside the spotlight. A story that, undoubtedly, is still being written.

MARCH VALENCIA | ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

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