Judges
Sharon
Davis
Principal
,Sharon David Design
Founder and principal Sharon Davis is an award-winning practitioner whose work is driven by a deep belief in the transformative power of design. In 2007, after a successful career in finance and a Master’s of Architecture degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, where she received the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize, Davis created her firm as a launching pad for collaborative design practice dedicated to human-centered environments around the globe.
Most recently, Sharon was featured as one of the “19 Women Architects to watch in 2019” and in “From A to Zaha: 26 Women Who Changed Architecture” by Architizer. Curbed named her one of six “Groundbreakers” for “buildings that look good and do great.” Her firm recently won the 2019 healthcare category at the World Architecture Festival for the Bayalpata Hospital in rural Nepal, and previously has won awards for its work in Rwanda, including an Architizer A+ award for the Partners in Health Share Housing, and an Architectural Review Culture Award and World Architecture Festival award for the Women’s Opportunity Center. Metropolis Magazine named the Women’s Opportunity Center a “Game Changer” in 2013.
Sharon’s work has been exhibited at the Canada’s Design Museum, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, and most recently at the Museum of Design Atlanta. Additionally, Sharon Davis Design has been featured in numerous publications including Architectural Review, Metropolis, Architizer, Detail, Architectural Record, Dezeen, Domus and Architectural Digest among others.
As a visiting Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Sharon has taught an advanced studio centered on women’s education in urban Rwanda. Her professional practice, which ranges in scope from residential interiors, commercial ground-up construction, and international institutional development, is driven both by a collaborative design process and a strong mission of social and environmental responsibility.