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In the world of architecture dominated by men, the role of women in this realm seems to be left out and sometimes buried under the story of the male architects. Even though in this present day, women who work in architecture have started to be heard, noticed, and even awarded several prestigious awards, their numbers can be counted fingers. Meanwhile, many visionary female architects have dedicated their lives to breathing new ideas that brighten up the world of architecture. Here are five women architects with distinctive ideas that have brightened up the architecture realm:
Amanda Levete, Photo taken from Dezeen
Amanda Levete, a RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architect and founder and principal of AL_A, is renowned for her magnificent architectural work, MAAT, the new Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology. MATT is an outward-looking museum located on the banks of the Tagus in Belém which proposes a new relationship with the river and the wider world, with its powerful yet sensitive and low-slung building shape.
MAAT by A_LA, Images taken from Archdaily
Its undulating shape successfully explores the convergence of contemporary art, architecture, and technology which attracts the world’s attention. Its undulating roof which slowly blends with the landscape, allows visitors to walk over the building to enjoy the expansive view of the surrounding river. Its shiny exterior skin gives a silky and bright appearance that attracts many people to come and explore this magnificent architectural work.
MAAT by A_LA, Images taken from Archdaily
Sonali Rastogi, Photo taken from www.idesignawards.com
Sonali Rastogi, an Indian architect designed a gigantic office building that became the world’s largest building, beating the previous world’s largest office building, the Pentagon in Washington, DC. She designed The Surat Diamond Bourse with a built-up area of 70 lakh sq. ft. spread across 35.5 acres of land, with a total built-up area of 660,451.9 sqm.
The Surat Diamond Bourse, Images taken from Archdaily
The Surat Diamond Bourse becomes an exemplar for integrating high-density commercial architecture and efficient climate-responsive design. The bourse is designed for 4,500 offices varying in sizes which results in affordable and modular spaces for all. It is also equipped with numerous facilities supporting the commercial activities. The North-South oriented towers which are placed along a central axis aligned with the prevalent wind direction, provide trading and selling diamonds offices. With a central axis connecting all the offices, this building also provides an interactive space hub where people can gather, work, and simply enjoy the dynamic movement of people around. Green atriums with abundant green foliage foster social interaction and community engagement.
The Surat Diamond Bourse, Images taken from Archdaily
Kazuyo Sejima, Photo taken from Archdaily
Best known as the co-founder of the Japanese architecture studio, SANAA, Kazuyo Sejima is a visionary architect who recently won the 2023 Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture. Before establishing SANAA, she established her firm, Kazuyo Sejima & associates where her founding partner, Nishizawa joined her firm. Later, Sejima with her founding partner established SANAA in 1995. Afterward, she and her partner continuously designed numerous marvelous projects one of which is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa. Built with the mission of generating new culture and revitalizing its community, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art awakes Kanazawa’s creative energy and becomes a compelling regional cultural attraction.
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Images taken from kaname-inn.com
Previously, she was awarded the most prestigious award in architecture along with her partner, the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010 for their delicate and powerful creation of buildings that successfully interact with the context and the activities they contain. Besides diving into the architecture world, Sejima is also a designer who has collaborated with Prada to launch a multifunctional bag collection and a commuter train with giant windows.
New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York by SANAA, Photo by Laurian Ghinitoiu
Sumayya Vally, Photo taken from Dezeen
A South African architect, Sumayya Vally adds another breakthrough in the realm of architecture as a young architect who became the artistic director of the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Vally presented an ambitious survey of arts and culture in the Muslim world by creating interactive installations to bridge the synergies between past, present, and future Islamic art while also acting as the artistic director at this biennale.
The First Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Photo by Marco Cappelletti
Sumayya Vally took the theme of Awwal Bait as the exhibition’s theme to refer to the reverence and symbolic unity evoked by the Kaaba in Makkah which is the center of the Muslim rituals and underscores the importance of the geographic location of this biennale. At the same time, it reflects on the construction of 'home' through the spiritual and cultural rituals in Islam; acts which both unite and celebrate the diversity and cultural hybridity. At its essence, for Sumayya this biennale is about giving contemporary objects a home by giving them a lineage and giving historic objects a home by giving them a future.
The First Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Photo by Marco Cappelletti
The First Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Photo by Marco Cappelletti
"As Artistic Director, I am honored that this definition of Islamic art - rooted in the experiential, the sensory, and the atmospheric - has manifested in this biennale. I hope that this definition can seed worlds that will continue to manifest reflective identities and generative philosophies and experiences of Islam that are resonant with the worlds so many of us have been raised in and inhabit," said Sumayya Vally
Tosin Oshinowo, Photo taken from Dezeen
Last but not least, an architect who needs to be mentioned for her visionary ideas in shaping the better architecture world is Tosin Oshinowo. Her name is widely known for championing design that is culturally appropriate and that celebrates the West African context. Several works that have a huge impact were designed by her such as a village in Nigeria for a community displaced by Boko Haram and the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
A new village for a community displaced by Boko Haramby Tosin Oshinowo, Images taken from Archdaily
In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Nigerian Government, Oshinowo designed ‘Homes for Ngarannam’. This project was born as a response to providing an appropriate home for a community displaced by Boko Haram’s attacks in 2015. The design of the housing unit pays special attention to the community’s preference for the look, feel, and color of the intervention. One of the key design features is an adaptable shading pavilion that can be organically developed and built by the local community to create shaded areas for social gatherings, a pavilion scheme adapted from the marketplace’s open market stalls section. This project represents a prioritization of human-centered design in the rebuilding of communities.
Oshinowo is also widely known for her role as a curator for the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial which aims to show the positive of architecture using scarce resources. In this event, Oshinowo tried to explore the architecture and design solutions built from the scarce conditions that are inspired by the history, traditions, and landscape of Sharjah.
A new village for a community displaced by Boko Haramby Tosin Oshinowo, Images taken from Archdaily
All these five visionary women architects not only reshaped the architecture world for the better but also breathed new and innovative ideas that had never existed before. They have successfully given a new perspective on how women can make a huge contribution to the world that is sometimes better than men used to do.
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