Kazuyo Sejima received the 2023 Jane Drew Prize for Architecture, while Phyllis Lambert received the 2023 Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture. Keeping the names paired with the correct awards is essential: the two prizes recognise related but distinct kinds of influence.
Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable prizes in 2023
Sejima’s recognition concerns her architectural work, including her role as a co-founder of SANAA. Lambert’s award acknowledges a wider contribution to architectural culture, including her role at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. These are not interchangeable categories, and the announcement should not reduce either career to a single building photograph.
The pairing is useful for readers because it broadens the definition of architectural practice. Designing buildings is one form of contribution; collecting, researching, commissioning, preserving and supporting public debate can also change what architecture becomes. An award story gains substance when it explains that distinction rather than simply repeating praise.
Different forms of architectural contribution
For students assembling a research or career reference, compare the kinds of evidence involved. A design project may be examined through plans, sections and built use. An institutional contribution may require exhibitions, archives, publications and programmes. Reading those forms together helps avoid a history of architecture told only through isolated objects and celebrated names.
The same 2023 awards archive also records Part W’s Women’s Work mapping project. Its map offers a third kind of contribution beside the two individual portraits: making overlooked work visible through research and public communication. Read together, the examples broaden the definition of architectural influence beyond the single celebrated building, without treating the different prizes as interchangeable.
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Key takeaways
- Jane Drew Prize 2023: Kazuyo Sejima.
- Ada Louise Huxtable Prize 2023: Phyllis Lambert.
- Use portraits and institutional context without conflating the two careers.
Related reading on Arch2O
Sources and further reading
Ruba Ahmed, a senior project editor at Arch2O and an Alexandria University graduate, has reviewed hundreds of architectural projects with precision and insight. Specializing in architecture and urban design, she excels in project curation, topic selection, and interdepartmental collaboration. Her dedication and expertise make her a pivotal asset to Arch2O.