Written by Jaden Parker
We’ve heard already about some other female pioneers of architecture in the past. From Zaha Hadid to Norma Merrick Sklarek, women are making themselves known in the architectural industry. Not only are these women making space for the next generation, but they are also redefining what people think of when they hear the word “architect.” The twelve I will be focusing on are by no means an exhaustive list of women’s achievements in architecture, so I do encourage you all to explore the other stories out there!
Julia Morgan
The most breathtaking design by Julia Morgan is undoubtedly the Hearst Castle in California for William Randolph Hearst. Also called La Casa Grande (“The Big House”), Hearst Castle sits on 127 acres of land and looks similar to a Spanish cathedral due to its bell towers. It has 38 bedrooms, over 40 bathrooms, a theatre, a beauty salon, two gorgeous pools, and a zoo. My favorite pool would have to be the indoor Roman Pool with the blue-and-gold mosaic tiles. Beside this beautiful estate, Morgan had a lot of firsts under her belt. She was the only woman to earn a civil engineering degree in 1894 from the University of California at Berkeley, and she was also the first woman to graduate with a degree from the L’Ecole de Beaux Arts’ architectural school.
Lina Bo Bardi
Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian architect who made leaps and bounds in the Modernist movement in Brazil, regularly incorporated glass into her designs. Her most well-known works show her incredible creativity with suspended buildings and incorporation of art and pop culture. The home she designed for herself in 1951 is aptly named the Glass House. The house was built into a hill where the surrounding landscape became part of the design, and the house was elevated over the sloping hill by stilts. This design was similar to that of the Museum of Art Sao Paulo, which she suspended over a 70-meter-long square.
Odile Decq
Odile Decq is someone who one can never forget. With her iconic gothic look, the French architect and urban planner has put her own stamp on architectural history. One of her most creative works would have to be the “Phantom Restaurant.” To embody the parts of an opera, Decq’s purposeful design of soft curves, floating arches, and veil of glass tell the story of love, betrayal, and surprise. Her college, the Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture, focuses on breaking gender barriers in architecture while doing away with traditional methods of pedagogy.
