TBT – Women in Architecture

TBT – Women in Architecture

Date

December 8, 2016

Recently we were talking with one of our co-workers who had just attended a week-long intensive course for architects. The class instructor, a woman, had commented that for the first time in her 30 years of teaching the course, this class was comprised of just as many women as men.

This comment got us thinking. In a world where there are more and more female architects, what was it like being a female architect when the industry was mainly comprised of males? Then, it got us researching. Who were these important figures?

And, here are our findings. The following are some of the most influential women in architecture who paved the way for female architects and designers today:

  • Eileen Gray – 1878-1976 – Irish furniture designer and architect whose interior design schemes are still considered modern today. (http://bit.ly/28NunpG)
  • Norma Merrick Sklarek – 1928-2012 – First licensed African-American female architect. She went on to form a successful all-female architectural firm. (http://bit.ly/28MDXZy)
  • Gaetana Aulenti – 1927-2012 – Italian architect who designed furniture, lighting, and renovated and restored museum spaces in Paris, Barcelona, San Francisco, and other well-known cities. (http://bit.ly/28KFvkd)
  • Julia Morgan – 1872-1957 – Californian architect who designed more than 700 buildings. She was the first woman ever to be awarded the AIA Gold Medal. (http://bit.ly/NirU87)
  • Zaha Hadid – 1950- 2016 – Iraqi-born British architect who was internationally known for her work. She was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. (http://bit.ly/1kFKbqV)Find more famous female architects, here: http://bit.ly/28KHsg1.