Pat Hanson, one of the founding principals of Toronto-based firm of gh3, has been shortlisted for the fourth annual arcVision Prize for women in architecture is underway.
Launched by Italcementi Group in 2013, the prize aims to give recognition to women whose work brings an innovative new design, theoretical or practical approach to the economic, social and cultural issues at play in the field of architecture. The arcVision Prize is now an internationally recognized award which has so far considered 160 architects from around the world.
Over the last few months, a group of advisors from all over the world identified around 40 architects. These were then evaluated by a technical and cultural committee, which drew up a shortlist of 20 nominees, including Hanson. In selecting its nominees, the prize tends to favour architects operating in particularly difficult conditions, both in terms of the specific location and context of the work and the wider conditions affecting the area.
“The idea that architecture must move beyond mere functional response to true needs drives the work of Pat Hanson, one of the most dynamic designers from the new Canadian school,” reads the citation. “With her studio, gh3, Hanson explores the continuous intersection between architecture, landscape, and sustainability, with a belief that the design practice must go beyond its conventional expressive limits. Among the features of her work is the ability to tackle small extension projects, many of which are defined by their constructive aspects, in the materials and in the relationship with sensory perception.”
The citation highlights gh3’s floating studio for a photographer at Stoney Lake (2009), a glassy box suspended over the water, and its two pavilions in Edmonton, at Borden Park (2013) and Castle Downs Park (2014).
The shortlist is being evaluated by an international jury, which includes: Shaikha Al Maskari (member of the board of the Arab International Women’s Forum-AIWF), Vera Baboun (Mayor of Bethlehem), Odile Decq (owner of Odile Decq architecture), Yvonne Farrell (co-founder of Grafton Architects), Daniela Hamaui (journalist), Louisa Hutton (co-founder of the Sauerbruch Hutton architectural practice), Suhasini Mani Ratnam (an Indian actress, producer and writer), Samia Nkrumah (President of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Center), Benedetta Tagliabue (owner of Miralles Tagliabue EMBT architecture), and Martha Thorne (Director of the Pritzker Prize).
Past prize cycles were won by Carla Juaçaba (Brazil, 2013), Ines Lobo (Portugal, 2014) and Angela Deuber (Switzerland, 2015). The winner of the 2016 arcVision Prize will be announced during the Triennale di Milano’s XXI International Exhibition, on April 7, 2016.