Earlier this month, architects and students—the majority of whom were women—congregated in what is internally referred to as “The Loft,” a quintessential New York apartment in Tribeca whose arched windows perfectly frame the Empire State Building. Today it is home to AN’s CEO Diana Darling but 20 years ago it was the place where Darling and the late William “Bill” Menking cofounded The Architect’s Newspaper.So it makes sense that here, nearly 20 years later, AN would invite women practicing or interested in architecture to celebrate and converse around a new milestone in the industry: the launch of 100 Women: Architects in Practice.
The latest title by RIBA surveys stellar, underrepresented architects in the field from around the world—six continents and 79 countries to be exact—who also happen to be women. It’s compiled and written by award-winning educator, architect, and Pratt Institute professor New York Dr. Harriet Harriss; designer, educator, and writer Naomi House; Central Saint Martins’ Monika Parrinder; and architecture journalist and Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft. The book shines a light on influential architects, including Yasmeen Lari, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects, Liz Diller, and Farshid Moussavi, among others. It also features Patricia Green, an architect from Jamaica, who was in town for the launch.
“In its preface, the four authors make clear that it is a coffee-table trojan horse which is formatted to prove aestheticism can no longer resist activism,” remarked Jack Murphy, AN’s executive editor, during the party’s opening remarks. “It also lays bare how male-dominated the history of architecture has been, and how urgent it is to rewrite these stories to include the creative work of women.”
Catherine Clark, president of Royal Institute of British Architects-USA, and Julia Gamolina, founder of Madame Architect and an architect featured in the book, were also in attendance to speak about the publication. The discussions, which unfurled over drinks, light bites, and the bustle of book sales thanks to Head Hi, made for an intimate gathering on the present and future status of gender equality in the industry.
100 Women: Architects in Practice is out out. Purchase your copy via Head Hi and other book retailers.
