Women in Architecture - by Ursula Schwitalla (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Key works by today's leading female architects, with reflections on their craft and design ethos

Despite the number of women who have shaped the discipline, female architects still frequently struggle to receive the recognition their work deserves. This volume serves as a manifesto for the great achievements of contemporary female architects the world over, paying tribute to their experiences as artists and designers as well as women in a male-dominated field. Women in Architecture profiles 36 architects working today, detailing their personal creative philosophies through examples of their projects.

In addition to its examination of the current state of architecture, this volume also explores works by a number of women who served as pioneering figures of the craft, seeking to expose and eventually dismantle the structural discrimination against women architects both inside and outside of the field.

Featured architects include: Mona Bayr, Odile Decq, Elke Delugan-Meissl, Julie Eizenberg, Manuelle Gautrand, Annette Gigon, Silvia Gmür, Cristina Guedes, Melkan Gürsel, Itsuko Hasegawa, Anna Heringer, Fabienne Hoelzel, Helle Juul, Karla Kowalski, Anupama Kundoo, Anne Lacaton, Regine Leibinger, Dorte Mandrup, Rozana Montiel, Kathrin Moore, Farshid Moussavi, Carme Pinós, Nili Portugali, Paula Santos, Kazuyo Sejima, Annabelle Selldorf, Pavitra Sriprakash, Siv Helene Stangeland, Brigitte Sunder-Plassmann, Lene Tranberg, Billie Tsien, Elisa Valero, Natalie de Vries, Andrea Wandel, Helena Weber and Lu Wenyu.

Review Quotes

Born out of the need for visionary female architects and designers to receive the recognition they deserve, the book, organized by Ursula Schwitalla, is a manifesto on women's high level of professionalism, commitment, and remarkable contribution to the architectural field. It delves into the obstacles and challenges women have faced throughout the history of architecture, some of which continue to the present day.--Alexandra Dimitrova "Archello"

Women in Architecture is a manifesto for the great achievements of women in architecture. The voices of thirty-six internationally active women architects are heard through their own projects. This diverse panorama is supplemented by essays on pioneering female architects, and analyses that get to the bottom of the structural discrimination against women architects.-- "Grand Tour of Modernism"

Discusses great achievements of women architects both now and throughout history. 'After centuries of exclusivity with only male architects, never women, the boom in the women's movement at the end of the 19th century [allowed women] to gain admission to the profession. They had to fight for it, and they did.'--Jennifer Billock "Smithsonian"

This book represents a vital intervention in ongoing debates around what true gender equality might look like across the creative sector. More than that, it's a document of 36 hugely significant architectural practices, responsible for some of the most dazzling features of our contemporary built environment.--Greg Thomas "Aesthetica"

Pays tribute to the undoubtable rich variety, powerful achievements and enormous potential the women in architecture have to offer.--Ellie Stathaki "Wallpaper*"