Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023 winner is Taller Gabriela Carrillo

The Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023 has been announced, revealing Taller Gabriela Carrillo as its winner at a dedicated event in London this evening

Mercado Matamoros by Taller Gabriela Carrillo, winner of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023
Mercado Matamoros, Mexico, by Taller Gabriela Carrillo, winner of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023
(Image credit: Gabriela Carrillo)

The Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023 winner has been announced – with Mexico’s Taller Gabriela Carrillo claiming the top spot at a ceremony this evening (2 November), during the annual Royal Academy Architecture Awards Week. The programme's festivities allow the public to learn more about the Dorfman's shortlisted studios, as well as attend a lecture by 2023 Royal Academy Architecture Prize winner, the Irish architect Shane de Blacam, which took place on the premises earlier in the week. 

Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023: the winner

Gabriela Carrillo project

Mercado Matamoros by Taller Gabriela Carrillo 

(Image credit: Gabriela Carrillo)

This evening's prizegiving ceremony means Taller Gabriela Carrillo will receive the £10,000 Dorfman Award, which is supported by the event's founding partner, The Dorfman Foundation. Carrillo – whose portfolio spans museums, hotels, residential and community projects – set up her own studio in 2017, after making partner at the practice of Mauricio Rocha. She is also the co-founder of a collective, C733, which focuses on public projects. ‘I am in love with my work,’ she told Wallpaper* in a 2021 interview. ‘I grew up in a country which is always in crisis, so I love to translate this into opportunities. [I am] always thinking of the future.’

Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2023: the shortlist

Alongside Taller Gabriela Carrillo, the shortlisted studios for this year's prestigious accolade included Comunal (Mexico), Harquitectes (Spain), and Tropical Space (Vietnam). The four nominees for the 2023 Royal Academy Dorfman Award offered a presentation of their work at the special evening event, ahead of the unveiling of the overall winner. 

Vicky Richardson, head of architecture and Heinz curator at the Royal Academy, said: 'The RA Architecture Prize is a chance to discover the work of an architect whose dedication to practice has been sustained and inspirational. Shane de Blacam’s buildings show us the power of architecture to bring people together in spaces that are generous and beautiful. The RA Dorfman Award finalists each represent distinct approaches to some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from climate change to socially produced habitats.'

Gabriela Carrillo aerial of laguna project

Eco Parque Bacalar by Taller Gabriela Carrillo

(Image credit: Gabriela Carrillo)

Gabriela Carrillo roof interior in timber

San Blas by Taller Gabriela Carrillo

(Image credit: Gabriela Carrillo)

Gabriela Carrillo house design

Casa Piedra by Taller Gabriela Carrillo

(Image credit: Gabriela Carrillo)

Comunal bike

Comunal

(Image credit: Comunal)

Comunal project in construction

Comunal

(Image credit: Comunal)

Comunal porch in house

Comunal

(Image credit: Comunal)

comunal housing complex in mexico

Comunal

(Image credit: Comunal)

Tropical Space multigenerational house

Cuckoo Coffee House by Tropical Space

(Image credit: Tropical Space)

Tropical Space

Long An House by Tropical Space

(Image credit: Tropical Space)

Tropical Space house

Terra Cotta Studio by Tropical Space

(Image credit: Tropical Space)

Tropical Space house interior

Terra Cotta Studio by Tropical Space

(Image credit: Tropical Space)

H Arquitectes gallery refurb

Refurbishment and extension of Cristalleries Planell by H Arquitectes

(Image credit: Adrià Goula)

H Arquitectes interior

Refurbishment and restoration of former Cooperative Lleialtat Santsenca by H Arquitectes

(Image credit: Adrià Goula)

H Arquitectes house

House by H Arquitectes

(Image credit: Adrià Goula)

H Arquitectes building exterior

House by H Arquitectes

(Image credit: Adrià Goula)

H Arquitectes interior

ICTA-ICP Research Centre by H Arquitectes

(Image credit: Adrià Goula)

royalacademy.org.uk 

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).