By Vanessa Quirk(Read original article here)
Architects’ Journal has just announced that Mecanoo’s Francine Houben has been chosen from an impressive shortlist of women architects as the winner of the Women in Architecture Awards.
In response to the honor, Francine Houben stated: “I feel privileged to be a woman, to be a mother and to be an architect, which was not always an easy combination. [...]I strongly believe that architecture is about teamwork, about being visionary and supportive at the same time. Women are especially good at that.”
Francine Houben (1955), creative director of Netherlands-based Mecanoo, may well be best known for her work designing the Library of Birmingham, one of the highest-profile UK projects in 2013. Houben is also the only Dutch person to be featured on this years’ list of Britain’s 500 most influential people by Debrett’s and The Sunday Times.
Previous recipients of the accolade have been Alison Brooks in 2013 and joint winners Michál Cohen and Cindy Walters in 2012.
Check out our recent interview with Houben here.
Francine Houben Named AJ's Woman Architect of the Year 2014 originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 07 Feb 2014.