Grafton Architects is one of the world's most decorated architecture studios. In this interview, founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara explain how they stay motivated after 46 years in practice.
Among the Irish studio's long list of prestigious accolades are the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the Stirling Prize and the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
But the awards did not arrive overnight. Farrell and McNamara established Grafton Architects in Dublin in 1978, naming the studio after the street where their first studio was located, and it would be three decades before they gained international recognition.
Above: Town House at Kingston University is one of Grafton Architects' award-winning buildings. Photo by Ed Reeve. Top: McNamara (left) and Farrell (right) founded Grafton Architects in 1978. Photo courtesy of Grafton Architects As much as raw design talent, the pair attribute their extraordinary awards successes to this dogged commitment to the profession.
"The business of architecture is a long investment," Farrell told Dezeen. "We've been through at least three major recessions and the survival of a business in architecture is no mean feat."
"We see the achievements as being endorsements of commitment," she said.
"The highlights have really been chances or luck"
McNamara added that she believes a certain level of luck was also involved.
Some of Grafton's most feted projects have been university buildings ? most notably Town House for...