Next Project

Women in Architectural Discourse and Education

Part 2 Dissertation 2021
Nicole Williams
Kingston University Kingston | UK
The topic of women in architecture is vast, and so three focal points have been identified to celebrate women and their achievements. The focus of each chapter gradually broadens to chart the exclusion of women in different roles and time periods, eventually leading towards its detrimental effect on today’s architectural practice and education.

Beginning with an analysis of Eileen Gray’s building, E.1027, Chapter 1 reveals an architecture that humanises its tectonic elements. Gray’s “Non-heroic” Modernism presents an alternative yet just as important narrative to the canon of male Modernist architects. Historians soon questioned why feminist writing had only led to Eileen Gray, amongst a handful of others, being identified as the “Exceptional Woman”. Chapter 2 explores the alternative creators of architecture, celebrating the women who remained in the shadow of their architect counterparts. The final chapter focuses on the current situation through a ground-breaking new survey of the profession and university curriculum. Almost 150 years have passed since Julia Ward Howe first asked in 1872 why there were no female practitioners, and many see the issue of women in architecture as a thing of the past. However, the responses from the survey reveal that it is still prevalent and relevant.

Nicole Williams

Tutor(s)
Matthew Wells
2021
• Page Hits: 1835         • Entry Date: 22 July 2021         • Last Update: 22 July 2021