Join Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects for an introduction to the exhibition, Neighbours in Space and Time: Grafton Architects at the Soane Museum. They will be in conversation with fellow architect Eric Parry.

Taking place in the Marshall Building’s spectacular Great Hall, Shelley and Yvonne will discuss the design of the Marshall building and introduce the exhibition taking place across the square at Sir John Soane's Museum which explores shared themes and architectural values between the Marshall Building and the work of Sir John Soane.

Speakers

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara co-founded Grafton Architects in 1978 having graduated from University College Dublin in 1974. Grafton Architects is an international architecture studio based in Dublin, Ireland. The practice has completed many significant and prestigious buildings in Ireland and internationally. With projects spanning from Milford to Milan, and from Lima to London, Grafton Architects embeds each project within its own unique context. The practice, headed by the 2020 Pritzker Prize laureates, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, is the recent winner of the RIBA Gold Medal (2020), and the RIBA Stirling Prize (2021), and the Mies van der Rohe Award (2022). In 2018, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara were the Curators of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Their manifesto, Freespace, was the title of the Biennale. Ger Carty & Philippe O’Sullivan, Senior Directors of Grafton, have been with the Practice since 1992 and play a central role in the life of the Practice.

Grafton Architects received the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) Gandon Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Architecture in 2020, as well as the RIAI Gold Medal for Bocconi University in Milan in 2019. The project for UTEC in Lima, received the inaugural RIBA International Prize in 2016. In 2008 the project for Bocconi University was awarded the inaugural World Building of the Year award at the World Architecture Festival. Grafton Architects was also awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale 2012 entitled 'Common Ground' for their exhibition ‘Architecture as New Geography’.

Eric Parry RA is Principal and Founder of Eric Parry Architects. He founded the practice in 1983 after studying architecture at the University of Newcastle (1970–1973), the Royal College of Art (1976–1978) and the Architectural Association (1979–1980). Now leading a practice of about 80 with offices in London and Singapore, he is still fully involved in every aspect of the practice’s work, from inception and design to the direction of the project teams, design development and delivery.

In addition to his work in architectural practice, Eric has held a number of eminent posts including President of the Architectural Association. In 2006 he was elected Royal Academician (RA) and he has also served on the RIBA Library Committee, the Kettle's Yard Committee, the Mayor’s Design Advisory Panel, the Arts Council of England’s Visual Arts and Architecture panel and the RIBA Awards Group.

His contribution to academia includes 14 years as Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Cambridge (between 1983 and 1997) and lectureships at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1975 he spent a year studying nomadic settlement in Iran (1974–1975).

Please note that this event is taking place in the Marshall Building. Please use the entrance on Portugal Street.

This event is now sold out.

This event is part of the public programme complementing Neighbours in Space and Time: Grafton Architects at the Soane Museum, which runs from 18 October 2022 to 8 January 2023.