Women in the Field of Architecture
As we wander through the various sets of famous theorists and architects, starting right from the Renaissance period to all the way beyond Post modernism, one begins to grow an affinity towards Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, Kenzo Tange, Tadao Ando and a numerous other influential architects and their works.
But what we never hear of is Denise Scott Brown, Julia Morgan, Marion Mahony Griffin, Norma Merrick Sklarek, Lina Bo Bardi and Beverly Willis.
We identify Louis Sullivan as the ‘Father of Skyscrapers’ and Marcus Vitruvius as the ‘ Father of Architecture’ but we aren’t aware about the works of the first licensed female architect, Loiuse Bethune.
A term I came across recently while ruffling through the pages of the history of Hindu temples was ‘patronized’ and I was indeed surprised about the fact that one tends to overlook the smallest of details and yet whines about the same issue when addressed in a bigger picture. To date back to the root cause of Gender Stereotyping in architecture, one observes that we will have to rewind centuries back to see that all our Emperors were the ones who started out as brilliant architects, some of whom built the most iconic mosques and gardens in the name of their beloved wives. And if at all an Empress ever happened to create similar iconic monuments or gardens, no one seems to have taken any interest in documenting the same.
So to begin with a fresh perspective, let us look at a few geniuses in the field of architecture who happen to be women:
Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632–1705)
She is known as UK’s first female architect in a time where women weren’t allowed to practice the art. Although, there isn’t any formal documentation of her works, she is known to have designed around 400 buildings as claimed by the Historian, John Millar. She was a follower of Andrea Palladio who is famous for his designs of the Palladian Villas. She has tutored Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Some of the projects designed by her are Weston Park Hall in Staffordshire, Belton House in Lincolnshire and Uppark House in Sussex.
Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856–1915)
She is the world’s first licensed female architect in America. She did not believe that architecture could be mastered through classroom learning but instead began pursuing architecture by working as a draftsperson. She was elected as a member of the Western Association of Architects and was the first female member of the American Institute of Architects. The Buffalo Meter Company Building was later renamed the Bethune Hall in her honor.
Denise Scott Brown (1931)
Reckon anything about Robert Venturi’s works? Yes, Denise was actively involved in the design processes for most of the works Venturi is thought of to have designed single-handedly. They worked in collaboration for years and were the founders of the firm ‘Venturi Scott Brown and Associates’. Denise’s designs flourished in the time of modern architecture. In 1989, she published an essay ‘Room at the Top? Sexism and the Star System in Architecture’ which she later decided not to publish at the risk of affecting her profession. In some of her articles, she talks about how she had been subjected to sexism throughout the span of her career. She often faced situations where she had been dismissed by various architectural critics despite of contributing to major portions of some of Venturi’s projects, as they did not prefer to speak to the ‘wives’. Some of her projects include:
Julia Morgan (1872–1957)
Julia Morgan was the first female licensed architect in California. She was also the first woman to receive the AIA Gold medal in 2014. She widely used reinforced concrete for her buildings and played a major role in the Arts and Crafts movement. She was one of the only women who owned her designs throughout her career and is known for designing the Hearst’s Castle, one of her most beautiful projects.
Marion Mahony Griffin (1871–1961)
Have you ever noticed the drawings that pop up when you perhaps look for the plans and elevations of the Falling Waters? They’re usually a series of well-documented drawings showcasing a blend of ink and watercolours. The drawings give us an essence of how we would identify Frank Lloyd Wright’s works. However, it turns out that most of these beautiful drawings belonged to Marion Mahony Griffin, who spent most of her career in producing Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous compilation of ‘The Wasmuth Portfolio’. Her main source of inspiration was Japanese art which explains the finesse of her strokes.
Some of her famous buildings include:
Norma Merrick Sklareck (1926–2012)
Norma was the first African- American woman to become a licensed architect in 1954. She is considered as the ‘Rosa Parks’ of architecture as she faced constant discrimination from her boss during the initial years of her career. She was also elected to be a part of the American Institute of Architects. Some of her works include:
Beverly Willis (1928)
Beverly began her career as a watercolour artist and later became a well-known architect. She designed several buildings on the basis of her concept- Humanist architecture. Her concept sought to approach architecture in a unique manner through human perception and senses. They evoked a tide of emotions linked to the sixth sense. Some of her famous works include:
Lina Bo Bardi (1914–1992)
Lina was one of the most important arhitects of Brazilian Architecture in the 20th century. Besides architecture, she also focused on furniture and graphic designing. She started the magazine Habitat, which throws light on the stories about the poor enforcement of laws based on building codes. She is known for designing Sao Paolo’s Museum of Art where the galleries exhibit art in a creative manner. As one maneuvers through the spaces, the paintings seem to float mid-air, an illusion achieved through the use of glass. Lina explored the use of concrete and glass in innovative ways.
Jane Drew (1911–1996)
One would claim that the layout of Punjab’s capital city, Chandigarh was planned by Le Corbusier alone. Well, it would be astonishing to discover that there was indeed a second architect involved in designing the city and that was Jane Drew. Imagine the fatal error of neglecting an architect who played as important a role in designing an entire city! She was one of the pioneers of the Modernist movement in Architecture. Despite of World War II destroying some of her creation, she still strived to design innovative projects.
Zaha Hadid (1950–2016)
Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi-born British architect who is known for her deconstructivist designs. One of the most famous lines quoted by her are “There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?” She is the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest award in the field of architecture.
As we further explore the professional lifestyle of each of these iconic architects and the like, we realize the kind of struggles women had to go through in order to gain recognition in this prestigious field. Yet, we continue to be ignorant of the contribution of these wonderful architects throughout years of training and practising. A simple question which lies ahead is, whether or not are we willing to take that leap to alter history altogether?
Sources:
Google images
en.wikipedia.org
Archdaily
beverlywillis.com
artsandculture.google.com
archive.curbed.com
www.womeninconstructionsummit.com
https://www.veranda.com/home-decorators/g33533883/women-in-architecture/
