SANAA co-founder Kazuyo Sejima and Canadian architect, critic and conservation activist Phyllis Lambert have been announced as the recipients of the 2023 W Awards, formerly known as the Women in Architecture awards.

Presented in partnership with both The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal, the W Awards are presented annually as a celebration of talent and ambition, of leadership and outstanding architecture.

Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima, co-founder SANAA, has been awarded the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture 2023 for her work and commitment to design excellence and her contribution to raising the profile of women in architecture.

Canadian architect, author, scholar and activist Phyllis Lambert has been awarded The 2023 Ada Louise Huxtable Prize, the award honors "individuals working in the wider architectural industry who have made a significant contribution to architecture and the built environment."

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2004 Panoramic view from the roof of Kanazawa City Hall, 2022. Image ©︎ The Japan Art Association/The Sankei Shimbun

SANAA, established in 1995, is led by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. The firm is one of the world-renowned architecture firms and its portfolio spans a diverse body of work.

De Kunstlinie Theater and Cultural Centre, Almare in the Netherlands in 2006, New Museum of Contemporary Art in the USA in 2007, Rolex Learning Center in Switzerland in 2009, Louvre Lens in France in 2012 and Bocconi University New Urban Campus in Italy in 2020 - more recently, Sydney Modern, an extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia, among notable projects of the studio.

"Beyond the formal, structural and material experimentation of her work, Sejima is one of too few female architects to have established themselves on the international stage," explained Manon Mollard, Editor of The Architectural Review. 

"Her courage, tenacity and success are critical reminders that it is possible," Mollard added.

In 2010, the studio won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which made her the second female architect to receive this prestigious prize after Zaha Hadid. 

In addition, Sejima became the fist woman architect to curate the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale under the theme of "People Meet in Architecture." In 2021, Kazuyo Sejima was named as the President of the International Jury of the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale. 

Phyllis Lambert, David Sharpe, Myron Goldsmith, Jin Hwan Kim, and an unidentified student at a Master Class Studio at the Illinois Institute of Technology (1961). Image © Fonds Phyllis Lambert (CCA)

Canadian architect, author, curator, philanthropist, Phyllis Lambert was awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her influence and contributions on the culture of architecture.

Phyllis Lambert, 96, is one of World Architecture Community's first Members since 2008. She is a Honorary Member of World Architecture Community.

The Ada Louise Huxtable Prize recognises "individuals working in the wider architectural industry who have made a significant contribution to architecture and the built environment."

Primarily known as the founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in 1979 in Montrèal, Lambert commissioned and worked with the legendary architect Mies van der Rohe on the design of the Seagram Building in the 1950, commissioned by her family.

"A heroic ambition that is increasingly urgent," said Deputy Editor of The Architectural Review Eleanor Beaumont. "Lambert encourages us to always be curious."

In 2014, Lambert was awarded the Golden Lion Lifetime Award at Venice Architecture Biennale. Lambert’s latest book, titled Observation Is a Constant That Underlies All Approaches, launched in January. She is currently writing her new book, titled How Does Your City Grow, which will be published later this year.

SANAA's New Museum of Contemporary Art, NewYork, 2007. Image ©︎ Dean Kaufman

Sejima and Lambert will deliver a talk at the W Awards ceremony, which will be held on March 3rd at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. During the ceremony, the winners of the Moira Gemmill and MJ Long Prizes will be announced. 

Get more information here to attend the W Awards ceremony.

In 2022, Farshid Moussavi, founder of London-based architecture practice Farshid Moussavi Architecture, was awarded the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture. British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum was been awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture 2022.

In 2021, British architect Kate Macintosh was awarded the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture 2021 and Ghanaian-Scottish architect, academic, and novelist, Professor Lesley Lokko was awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture 2021.

Top image (from left to right): Kazuyo Sejima (© Aiko Suzuki), Phyllis Lambert (© CNW Group/Canadian Centre for Architecture). 

> via The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal

Kazuyo Sejima Phyllis Lambert W Awards