Finalists and Jury Selection 2026

Category I: Female Architect of the Year

The variety and diversity of work and projects shown through the 34 participating female architects is an overwhelming and encouraging documentation of building culture.
An ample insight into female careers spans through all generations: from the very beginning to the peak of professional activity. Especially the complexity of some of the projects is fascinating and the jury was absolutely overwhelmed.
The finalists reflect this variety and diversity of work, and the jury deliberately wanted to show all these different fields of the profession.

Hemma Fasch: ... not only reflects a female role-model in her academic career but also by leading her office with two male partners. Hemma handed in three school projects in order to stress her driving force for innovation in schools and as a statement for her engagement in renewing a pedagogic approach to architecture.

Illiz Architektur - Sabrina Mehlan, Petra Meng, Stefanie Wögrath: ... as bordercrossing office of three female Austrian architects, who handed in their identical entries separately, the jury decided to evaluate and finally nominate them together. Outstandingly those three female architects work on projects of different scales in their offices in Austria and Switzerland. This year they presented two indoor swimming pools and a sports facility.

Anja Innauer (Winner): ... as the head of a women-only-office the variety of her work is appealing: The Badehaus is an extension to a historic hotel, the “Bürgerhaus” in Dornbirn a private housing refurbishment and the industrial premises “Haberkorn” an extension. These projects all tell a story of consistency in detailing, working with the existing and strongly cooperating with the handicraft.

Category II: Emerging Female Architect of the Year

Out of 18 entries that all showed an extraordinarily high quality of architecture working on projects and research relevant for the future, the variety displayed by the three finalists were crucial. Especially the settings of their work framework: all three work in a rural context, and with the existing.

Nina Beck (Winner): ... starts her projects by asking questions and therefore enhancing a dialogue. She emphasises on circular thinking, not only for the construction, but also to encourage community. Obviously, she is inspired by the building tradition in her home region “Bregenzer Wald”. Beck conveys a fresh and inspiring approach to create architecture as a joint production: get together and co-work!

Yvonne Lammer: ... shows three projects for social infrastructure: Feuerwehr-Einsatzzentrum – a Firestation, Gemeindezentrum Ludmannsdorf – a community center, Dorfzentrum Feistritz – a village center. She is also engaged in promoting the professional field and connected to the “Architekturhaus Kärnten”, an institution that supports building culture.

Barbara Weber: ... especially her research is convincing as it defines a toolkit of specific measures comprehensively improving buildings, housing and mobility on the long-term. Her deep connection to work on the improvement of existing building structures stands for a social engagement in remote regions.

Category III: National / International Female Engineering Achievement of the Year

The submissions for the “National/Internation Female Engineering Achievement Award” highlight both the great diversity of engineering, with its various disciplines, and the innovative strength of female engineers. The entries come from women of different generations, ranging from young engineers at the start of their careers to those with many years of professional experience and a scientific background.
Among the many fields represented, projects in the areas of civil engineering and structural engineering ultimately stood out:

Vlatka Rajčić (Winner): Civil engineer Vlatka Rajcic from Zagreb presents a faithful replica of a delicate concrete dome from the “House of Fine Artists” featuring round, double-glazed openings. The method she developed to carry out this successful renovation while complying with current standards led to an impressive result.

Nadine Ritschel: Nadine Ritschel from Dresden is also a civil engineer. At the Theater im alten Schlachthof, a historic building in Naumburg, she sees her task as structurally reinforcing the historic building in a sensitive manner and adapting it to the requirements of contemporary theatre use. She achieves this goal without the need for extensive foundation reinforcement or underpinning.

Marija Sojcic: Civil engineer Marija Sojcic presents a project for the demolition of the “Vjesnik Tower” high-rise in Zagreb following a devastating fire. She is developing a concept for the building’s demolition, structured by height according to construction phases, as well as for the orderly removal of hazardous and disruptive materials and the disposal of the resulting construction debris. She is also responsible for workplace safety. An excellent solution for the end of a building’s life cycle.

Category IV: International Female Architect of the Year

The Jury is very happy that we have received 43 entries from over 20 different nations, from all over Europe, Africa and South America. Due to the diversity of the projects and their different approaches towards architecture, with a great variety of cultural backgrounds, four finalists have been chosen. They are:

Veronika Dannheimer: ... is an architect, based in Munich, Germany. In her practice she carefully deals with the existing, while focusing on its architectural heritage. Her projects show this approach at various scales. From the new building of the Federal Cultural Foundation in Halle, placed in the historical context of listed half-timbered houses, responding to their eave and ridge heights with a partially sloping roof, slightly set back from the street, creating a small square at front; To the plenary hall for the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, integrated in the UNESCO World Heritage site of the castle Schwerin; and the careful renovation and conversion of a baroque residential building in Freising.

Margarita Danou: ... is based in Nicosia, Cyprus. In her submitted projects, she engages with public space and redefines its boundaries. She often deals with the transition from the city to the coastal landscape. Along the Voroklini Coastal Promenade different platforms provide various facilities for the public. The walkway seems to float above the beach. Illuminated at night and with new urban elements added to the natural coastline on one side, an artificial lake on the other recalls the lost lagoon. An athletic Park on the site of a historic, former neglected stadium in Limassol is redeveloped by interweaving new sports- and playgrounds, wooden platforms, jogging tracks and an elevated concrete promenade, enhancing the potential of the site and linking it to the beach with a footbridge.

Beatriz Ramo: ... is an architect, urban designer, and writer, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She engages in the standardisation of housing production and designs adaptable spaces that respond to the changing needs of the inhabitants, which she sees as a form of circularity. START-Ivry is a social housing project in Ivry-sur-Seine, Greater Paris, with five buildings and 288 affordable and adaptable dwellings. iIn the centre is a square, which was meant to be a fenced maintenance area but through negotiating with the various parties responsible became an open public space. The Cabanon is a small apartment of less than 7m² with a spa, built in the attic of a residential building in Rotterdam. It is fully equipped and has four spaces, all different in height, colour and material.

Elisa Valero (Winner): ... is an architect based in Granada, Spain. She is a full professor of Architectural Design at Granada University and conducts several research projects with the focus on new environmentally responsible building systems. For the design process of a church in Granada it was considered as a fundamental ethical issue to optimize the resources and to minimize waste, using standardized precast concrete modules as the most economical solution available. The almost invisible private house is built upon what exists, destroying as little as possible and building only as much as necessary. The building design for the extension of a hospital in Cameroon has been developed with interdisciplinary collaboration and is a place for children and mothers. The project was conducted with a local engineer and builder, using only local resources and involving manufacturers of the area.