Women in Architecture by The Architects' Journal

12.01.12

Women in Practice

From Alison Brooks to Zaha Hadid, the AJ profiles more than 60 female practice directors and partners plus Shocking results from the women’s survey

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Contents

THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL GREATER LONDON HOUSE HAMPSTEAD ROAD LONDON NW1 7EJ

34 26

LEFT: BARBARA WEISS ARCHITECTS

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: STÅLE ERIKSEN RIGHT: VENTURI SCOTT BROWN ASSOCIATES / STEPHEN HILL

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE Visit subscription.co.uk /aj/akus or call 0844 848 8859 & quote priority code ‘akus’

News

This week

05 Shock survey results as the AJ launches campaign to raise women architects’ status 10 The week in architecture: Thames River Park, Lawrence verdict, Beetham Tower 12 The week in pictures 14 Holyrood plans ‘disrespectful’

18 Leader & Letters Excuse the gender bias, but this is the first time women have taken over the AJ in 116 years, writes Christine Murray 22 Women in practice Essays by Wigglesworth, Samuel, Stara and more, plus the launch of the AJ Women in Architecture Awards 34 Profiles Leading female founders, partners and directors on the challenges facing women in architecture today 58 The next generation Five emerging women architects with bright ideas, talent, and no limits 65 Top jobs PRP Architects, Byrom Clark Roberts This week online Catch up with the latest developments in green architecture with a round-up of sustainability in the newspapers, every day at noon www.AJFootprint.com

aj 12.01.12

12.01.12

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News women in practice

Shock survey results as the AJ launches campaign to raise women architects’ status Unprecedented poll on pay, career and equality investigates why women number just 20% of architects

48%

Think they would be paid more if they were male

Nearly 700 women completed the survey, which quizzed women about career challenges as well as sexual discrimination, children, pay and role models. The survey was open to all women working in the built environment. The major investigation is part of a wider campaign by the AJ to raise the status of women in architecture, which includes the launch of three new awards (p23). Worrying findings included claims by nearly two-thirds of women that they have suffered sexual discrimination during their career in architecture, and that 22 per cent experience sexual aj 12.01.12

discrimination on a monthly basis or more often. Zaha Hadid was named as the woman who had made the greatest contribution to women in architecture. But many felt that there was a lack of female role models, and Hadid drew divisive responses. The Iraqi-born Stirling Prize winner was praised for showing how ‘female architects can be well respected and successful’, but criticised for failing to achieve a work/life balance: ‘She has achieved fantastic things over the course of her career, but at what cost? Sacrificing family for your career is not being a role model.’

11%

Experience sexual discrimination at least once a week Eighty per cent of women thought having children put them at a disadvantage in architecture. In contrast, only eight per cent felt raising a family would harm their male counterparts’ careers. More than a third said that they had difficulty going back to

work after starting a family, with many respondents lashing out at inflexible working conditions, ‘long hours and expectation of unpaid overtime’. Although around 40 per cent

of all architecture students are female, just 20 per cent of British architects in practice are women, according to statistics from the ARB. Survey results overleaf

The greatest contributors to the status of women in the architectural industry*

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Zaha Hadid Sarah Wigglesworth Angela Brady Amanda Levete Eva Jiricna Muf Ruth Reed Grafton Architects partners Shelly McNamara and Yvonne Farrell 9= Kazuyo Sejima, Denise Scott Brown, Deborah Saunt, Alison Brooks, Eileen Gray 05

*Ranked according to the amount of mentions in the aj women in architecture survey

Shocking results from the AJ’s first Women in Architecture survey show that 47 per cent of women claim that men get paid more for the same work, and almost two-thirds believe the building industry has yet to accept the authority of the female architect.

News

Women in Architecture Survey Results in full

The AJ Women in Architecture survey was open for one week to all women working within the construction industry. 671 women responded; 48 per cent were architects, eight per cent architectural assistants, and students formed 24 per cent of respondents. Pay Low salaries and the disparity between what male and female colleagues earn remains a major issue within the profession, and a source of huge frustration for many of those completing the AJ survey. An astonishing 47 per cent of female respondents believed that they would earn more if they were male, with 44 per cent claiming that male colleagues who do the same or a similar job at their practice earned more than them. Anecdotal evidence backed up these figures on pay inequality. One respondent who gained a distinction at Part 2 was offered a position at a leading practice, with a salary £3,000 less per annum than her partner, who was also a Part 2 in the same firm. She said: ‘I negotiated a better salary but it was still £500 less than my partner, who only graduated with a 2:1 from the same university.’ Respondents’ remarks on the perceived gender salary gap also suggested that men might be more brazen when it comes to negotiating pay. One woman 06

said: ‘Having to argue for every pay increase means some women are paid less. Men tend to find it easier to confront bosses.’ There is however a reticence to discuss earnings with colleagues, with 54 per cent stating that they did not think that everyone should know what their colleagues earned. Some believed that they will face disciplinary proceedings for comparing earnings, but since the Equality Act 2010 this has not been the case (see box on page 9). The level of pay in the profession generally was a concern for most of those surveyed. Nearly two-thirds of women, working both full- and part-time, earned

51%

Had no difficulties resuming their career after having children

less than £29,000 a year (60 per cent), with almost a quarter bringing in less than £19,000 per annum (23 per cent). An alarmingly low nine per cent of those working full-time were earning between £41,000 and £50,000 (the typical pay for an associate being £46,000, according to the AJ100 median pay figures, see AJ 19.05.11). And just nine per cent of our respondents earned director-

level pay, more than £51,000, suggesting the majority of female architects hit a glass ceiling at some point in their career when it comes to pay and promotion. Of those women in full-time employment, 24 per cent earn between £30,000 and £40,000; the median pay from the 2011 AJ100 survey puts the average architect’s salary at £37,000. For part-time workers, salaries which might also have to cover childcare seemed particularly low, with the majority (26 per cent) reporting earnings of between £19,000 and £25,000. Many pointed out that some women will have only just finished their seven years’ training when they start considering maternity leave and the possibility of part-time work. ‘You generally qualify in your mid to late twenties, so it does feel like you don’t achieve a great deal before stopping.’ Thirty-five per cent of the women we surveyed thought that in the current economic climate, pay parity was likely to decrease. As one respondent noted: ‘The recession will have a greater impact on women – the profession finds it difficult to accommodate part-time working, a much more important issue for women with young children.’ Discrimination Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63 per cent) have experienced sexual discrimination in their

equal terms – equal pay: the law Under the Equality Act 2010, it’s unlawful for an employer to discriminate against you because of your sex. Where men and women, working for the same employer, are doing one of the following, they are entitled to the same terms in their employment contract: • The same or similar work • Work rated as equivalent in a job evaluation study by the employer • Work of equal value. Pay secrecy clauses in employment contracts are unenforceable. architectural careers. Incidents vary from the subtle – ‘being given more secretarial work to do than my male Part 1 colleagues’ and ‘difference in treatment on return from maternity leave on part-time basis’ – to the blatant: ‘I have been asked if I’m menstruating, been told my salary will be reduced as a result of being pregnant, and have been taken off jobs on site when pregnant.’ Fortunately sexual discrimination does not appear to happen often, with respondents witnessing it either ‘very infrequently’ (32 per cent) or ‘never’ (18 per cent). Contrary to many of the responses from leading architects published later in this issue (see for instance Cindy Walters >> aj 12.01.12

News

Women in Architecture Survey Results in full

In your opinion, do you think that the ratio of women to men in architecture is currently...?

Other 10%

51%

Had no difficulties resuming their career after having children

Do you think having children puts women at a disadvantage in architecture?

No 11%

The balance is about right given the make up and nature of the industry 27%

Other 13%

Yes 36%

No 8%

Other 10%

Yes 80%

Too heavily male 63%

Did you have difficulties resuming your career after having children?

Other 9%

Should the RIBA be doing more to help the gender imbalance and maintain the retention of women within the industry?

Yes 82%

Do your male colleagues who do the same or a similar job to you earn more than you?

Has the building industry fully accepted the authority of the female architect?

Don’t know 22%

No 53%

Yes 17%

Yes 47%

No 51%

No 61%

Do you think there are as many opportunities for women as there are for men in architecture?

Have you ever suffered sexual discrimination in your career in architecture? (This might include inappropriate comments, or being treated differently because of your gender)

Do you think you would be paid more if you were male?

Other 5%

No 55%

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Yes 40%

No 37%

Yes 63%

No 52%

Yes 48%

News

How much do you earn on average per year?

Full-time

Do you think the current economic climate is likely to lead to an increase or decrease in pay parity?

Part-time

Unequal pay between men and women in architecture is not an issue

14% 23% Under £15K

8% 13%

21% An increase

35% A decrease

£15K – £19K

19% 39% It will remain at the same level

26% £19K – £25K

18% 11% £25K – £29K

24% 14% £30K – £40K

9% 8% £41K – £50K

4% 3%

How often have you suffered or witnessed sexual discrimination in your career in architecture?

18%

Never

Daily

3% Weekly

Monthly

£51K – £60K

3% 0%

Quarterly

£61K – £80K

0% 1%

Once a year

11% 12% 7% 32%

Very infrequently

£81K – £100K

1% 0%

Other

Over £100K

aj 12.01.12

News

ruth reed, riba past president ‘There are serious attrition rates for women failing to progress between Part 2 and Part 3. Child-bearing is a minor issue. What seems to happen is that women who have progressed this far frequently have strong characters, are less likely to accept exploitation, and so take themselves off to other careers. Women often work on the margins of the profession, as a consequence wider society gains from their abilities. ’

47%

Believe their male equivalents earn more for doing the same job

on page 46), respondents to the survey claim discrimination is more likely to occur on site than within the architectural practice. As one woman noted: ‘I’ve never experienced discrimination within architecture, but when working with builders this occurs approximately quarterly.’ Another wrote: ‘Even if the people in your practice and your client respect you, going on a site visit dressed appropriately and trying to appear professional is somewhat undermined when you are being wolf-whistled at by builders.’ Little wonder then that only 17 per cent of women taking part in the survey believe that aj 12.01.12

annabelle tugby of annabelle tugby architects ‘My previous practice allowed me to return on a part-time basis after my first child. This was great and worked really well. But when I returned from my second maternity leave I found myself being made redundant, because I was not ‘involved’ in a project. There were two other women made redundant in exactly the same way. Surely, having a family during the recession should be good timing for everyone and not penalised.’ the building industry has fully accepted the authority of the female architect. Most, a huge 61 per cent, believe that this hasn’t happened yet, while a further 22 per cent aren’t sure. Others believe that professional associations are to blame for the demise in the authority of both male and female architects because, as one woman puts it: ‘Organisations that should be looking after the profession in the long-term (such as the ARB and the RIBA) are too archaic, and largely out of touch with the profession as a whole.’ Most agreed. A whopping 82 per cent said that the RIBA should be doing more to tackle the gender imbalance and improve the retention of women within the industry. Children Raising a family and working in architecture is regarded as a big challenge for 80 per cent of women, who felt that having children put them at a disadvantage career-wise. By

contrast, only eight per cent felt that children hurt their male counterparts’ careers. Respondents reported that there are currently few practice-based part-time positions, especially senior project-based roles, so having children harms the primary carer by virtue of having to decrease the amount of hours they dedicate to the profession. And, as respondents stated throughout this survey, this still generally tends to be women. Most part-time workers who took the survey were aged between 30 and 40, and more than twothirds (69 per cent) had children. They comprise mostly architects working in the private sector (32 per cent) followed by partners,

82%

Say the RIBA should do more to tackle the gender imbalance

directors and sole practitioners (13 per cent). Of those who worked for themselves, 46 per cent said that they became self-employed or set up their own practice since becoming parents – although not always willingly: ‘I experienced a lack of willingness to consider flexible or part-time working after I finished maternity leave, effectively forcing me to resign my post and set up as self-employed’. However, others enjoy the freedom and flexibility that being their own boss can offer. ‘As a sole practitioner, I am able to work the hours I want to. This may translate into less pay, but I like calling the shots.’ Another respondent found

employers’ fear of flexible and part-time work ‘ridiculous in this age of remote access, iPhones etc’. She added: ‘It is possible to arrange your week and manage your time to suit client requirements, but it takes a well-organised office which unfortunately does not describe many architectural practices.’ A male profession ‘Architects are seen as middleaged men in waistcoats and bow ties, and often are!’ noted one woman. The architectural profession remains statistically male-dominated – and thanks to the recession it is now even more so. According to 2010 statistics from the ARB, 20 per cent of the UK profession is female – a rise of five per cent since 2008. The majority of respondents believe the profession is ‘too heavily male’ (63 per cent), although some stated that this merely ‘reflects the work culture, its demands and a woman’s other priorities’. Some women outlined areas within architecture where women seem better represented – the ‘design’ side and the ‘softer’ side, such as residential and interiors. But it appears that some women are narrowing their field of expertise while still at university because, as one woman notes, ‘it seemed like architecture was 95 per cent guys’. The ‘practical work’ and being ‘a lead architect on site’ is something that more women would like to experience, but survey responses suggest that especially for those who work part-time, this still isn’t an option. This might explain why most (55 per cent) felt that there are currently not as many opportunities for women as there are for men in architecture. Ann-Marie Corvin 09

News

the week in architecture

Thames River Park to miss Beetham ‘hum’ Dublin stars win Olympics due to redesign keeps city awake Palestine job

‘Relief ’ after Stephen Lawrence’s killers charged

london The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust has expressed its ‘sense of huge relief ’ following the conviction of two men for the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty last week (3 January) of stabbing Lawrence to death in Eltham, south-east London. The trust’s chief executive Paul Anderson-Walsh welcomed the ‘changed criminal justice landscape’ as a result of an 18-year battle to bring Lawrence’s killers to justice. However Anderson-Walsh hoped that Stephen Lawrence’s lasting legacy would be a ‘change in the social justice topography’. Anderson-Walsh said the ‘greatest desire’ of the Lawrence family now was to give to others the opportunity to ‘fulfill their potential in life’. Warning the ‘reality gap’ between education and employment was becoming a ‘chasm’, he added: ‘The need for the trust’s work is all the more acute in light of concerns around the employability of school-leavers.’

manchester Ian Simpson has said sorry for the ‘distress’ caused by the noise emitted by his £150 million Beetham Tower. The ‘low hum’, caused by high winds passing through the glass blade at the top of the 47-storey tower last week, kept city-centre residents awake and leading to dozens of complaints to Manchester City Council’s environmental health officers. Simpson, who lives at the top of the skyscraper, told the Manchester Evening News: ‘I’m completely aware of the noise and I’d like to apologise.’ Simpson added that the practice was attempting to resolve the problem.

ramallah Heneghan Peng has been appointed to design the Palestinian Museum, near Ramallah on the West Bank. The Dublin-based practice saw off competition from Edward Cullinan Architects as well as Danish practice Henning Larsen Architects, Canadians Moriyama & Teshima and Consolidated Consultants from Jordan. The first phase will cover 2,500m² and is expected to be completed by 2014. The second phase of approximately 5,000m² will be developed following the opening of phase one of the museum.

5 THINGS TO DO

New 2012 legacy book published

1. Join the women in architecture debate on Twitter with the hashtag #WIA – and nominate someone deserving for the first AJ Women in Architecture Awards at TheAJ.co.uk/WIA 2. See the International Design Group and the Bush Consultancy’s proposals for a massive five-star waterfront resort in Azerbaijan, part of the AJ’s global news coverage at TheAJ.co.uk/International 3. Do you employ more than 30 qualified architects? Enter the AJ100’s annual survey of the UK’s biggest and most influential practices by submitting your information before 11 February at AJ100Awards.com 4. Debate the best Passivhaus course or find out how to get published in the AJ. Join Christine Murray and AJ editors for daily online discussion at the AJ LinkedIn group 5. Find work by Hadid, Wigglesworth and others at the AJBuildingsLibrary. co.uk, with images, drawings and data for more than 1,200 projects

olympics AJ sustainability editor Hattie Hartman’s book, London 2012: Sustainable Design – Delivering a Games Legacy is out this week, published by John Wiley & Sons. It features more than 80 interviews with LOCOG and ODA sustainable design strategists, as well as architects, landscape architects and engineers.

Annual RIBA Awards launched awards The RIBA has opened its ‘simplified’ annual awards programme. The launch of its 2012 RIBA Awards was announced as the institute unveiled a new streamlined system for projects with a ‘single entry-point’. The deadline for London and overseas is 17 February and 24 February for all other regions.

aj 12.01.12

all stories by the AJ news desk

london Gensler’s proposed one kilometre-long floating park (left) on the Thames is to be redesigned and will not now be completed in time for the 2012 Games. Project backer the London River Park (LRP) told the AJ it remained ‘committed to the scheme’ but would not confirm if the practice will be retained to carry out the revisions. The review has been brought about in response to criticism from Design Council CABE, residents and river users. Last November, the Port of London Authority said it could not give the project its support until ‘serious concerns’ about the scheme’s impact on navigational safety were resolved. As a result, the City of London delayed its decision on proposals for the £60 million walkway, originally scheduled for 15 November. Now the plans have been withdrawn. A spokesman for LRP said: ‘In light of feedback from river users in particular, we are going to be revising [the design]. LRP said ‘new proposals’ would be brought forward ‘in the early part of 2012’.

News

UCAS decline The number of students applying to study architecture has fallen 17.2 per cent compared with the same period last year. Applications received by UCAS almost doubled between 2000 and 2009 *Based data for December

Number of UCAS Applicants (Group K Architecture, Build & Plan) 2000

6,178

2001

6,096

2002

6,163

2003

7,753

2005

9,103

2006

9,202

2007

10,322

2008

11,617

2009

12,036

2010

11,705

2011

11,283

2012*

£840m spent on student housing

housing Almost £840 million was invested in the development of student accommodation in 2011, new research by CBRE has revealed (see graph, right). The total is more than double the £350 million invested in the sector in 2009. Rents have grown by four per cent regionally and by nearly five per cent in London during 2011, with occupancy rates at around 99 per cent. CBRE anticipates that rather than leading to an overall decline in student numbers, increased higher education fees will drive a shift in the type and composition of the student population. The private rented sector also still houses the highest proportion of students at 27 per cent. aj 12.01.12

9,343

Annual investment in student housing

£840m £770m

2010

2011

Drop in industry survey respondents expecting London’s commercial property market to improve in the next six months lloyds banking group

24%

6,698

2004

29.4%

Queen honours industry’s best

awards John McAslan and Open-City founder Victoria Thornton have been recognised by the Queen for their contribution to architecture. The 57-year-old founder of John McAslan + Partners was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours list in recognition of his services to architecture, and was the only practising architect among those receiving honours. Thornton – who founded Open-City, the organisation behind London’s annual Open House event – received an Order of the British Empire (OBE). Lord Mayor of London Michael Bear was knighted for services to regeneration, charity and the City of London.

Fall in value of residential construction projects starting on site in the three months to November 2011 compared with 2010 glenigan

115k

New homes registered with the National House Building Council (NHBC) in 2011. The figure was almost double in 2007 nhbc

-5%

Fall in construction output forecast for 2012. A 3.6% drop was forecast in autumn construction products association

News

the week in architecture

News in pictures

01 Jestico + Whiles has won the competition to design the new Doha College, Qatar. The all-British shortlist included Broadway Malyan, RHWL, Penoyre & Prasad and Feilden Clegg Bradley 02 Work is nearing completion on Gareth Hoskins Architects’ Mareel in the Shetland Isles. The music, cinema and creative centre is due to open in May 03 Isi Metzstein has died aged 83. Metzstein worked at Gillespie Kidd & Coia and was responsible for groundbreaking post-war works including St Peter’s Seminary. Read tributes and a full obituary online 04 Horden Cherry Lee’s 1,700home outline plan for the £500 million redevelopment of the Smithsons’ Robin Hood Gardens estate in east London has been submitted for planning 05 Feilden Clegg Bradley has won the latest contest to design the £10.75 million Centre for the Arts at the University of Bath. MUMA won a 2007 competition for the complex, which was retendered after the university’s requirements ‘changed considerably’ 1

aj 12.01.12

1. jestico + whiles 2. gareth hoskins architects 3.kieran dodds 4.horden cherry lee 5.feilden clegg bradley

News

scotland

Holyrood plans ‘disrespectful’ Security alterations to Scottish Parliament anger project experts Edinburgh City Council’s chief architect has joined detractors urging the Scottish Parliament to rethink its latest controversial security improvements. City design leader Riccardo Marini said Lee Boyd’s proposed public entrance to Enric Miralles’ and RMJM’s 2005 Stirling Prizewinning building was ‘not going to stop any terrorist’ and said the original architects should have been consulted. ‘It saddens me when I see things like this,’ he said. ‘There are other ways that we can achieve something more respectful.’

Gordon McGregor, who worked as site architect for Miralles Tagliabue EMBT and RMJM on the east superstructure where the entrance is proposed, said the project was ‘vandalism’ and had ‘all the charm of a Marks & Spencer fast-track check-out’. Peter Wilson, director of Edinburgh Napier University’s Wood Studio, added: ‘There is surely a strong case for the original architects to be retained. The original idea for an open and democratic Parliament has been continually abused by security “consultants” who seem to see it

as their role to turn the bottom of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile into an American embassy-style fortress.’ The yet to be costed entrance is the latest twist in the saga of the building’s construction, which ran 10 times over budget, finished three years late and was subject to a public enquiry. More than £2 million has been spent on security enhancements since 2007. A spokesman said: ‘All parliament buildings are adapted to cope with evolving needs and circumstances. The Scottish Parliament is no exception.’ Merlin Fulcher

COMPETITIONS FILE THE PICK OF THE BEST UK, EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONTESTS The British Council has revealed its brief for architects wanting to take part in the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale this summer. Venice Takeaway will see 10 ‘architectural explorers’ sent abroad to reflect on gaps in UK practice. Proposals must be submitted by 10am 28 February and candidates must be free to travel in March and April. Helsinki has launched an international design contest for a new £56 million central library. Eight proposals for the 10,000m2 site will be shortlisted. Registration must be completed by 30 March.

New Practices #95 Fife Architects

East Neuk of Fife. Founded September 2011

Main people Lucy and Fermin Beltran Where have you come from? Lucy has worked at Gareth Hoskins Architects in Glasgow and Behnisch Architekten, Germany; Fermin at Anderson Bell Christie, Glasgow and Holzman Moss Bottino, New York. Both worked at Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, New York What work do you have and what projects are you looking for? Several domestic projects that we are pleased to have considering our practice is only four months old. Our aim is to attract new clients by providing an approachable service that people new to working with

architects would find appealing. Since Fermin is from Peru, last year we established a studio in Lima called EcoArki to find low-cost, low-impact solutions for the developing world

Kitchen extension Kilrenny, Fife

What are your ambitions? We’re happy with the size of our practice; being small gives us control. Our office is at home, which suits our lifestyle now. One day it would be nice to have a separate office, but it’s a great way of keeping our overheads down How optimistic are you? We have had enquiries from locals every week and we are now starting to get them from further afield, but this does not mean instant projects and cash flow. Running your own business is a steep learning curve and you just have to work as hard as you can Contact www.fifearchitects.com

aj 12.01.12

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05/01/12 18:03

Astragal The Hellman Files #55

A trawl through Hellman’s archives, in which we uncover gems that are as relevant now as they were then. Hellman writes: ‘Another survey on women in architecture highlights “gender imbalance”. The first

cartoon I did on the subject was in 1971, and I’ve had my wrists slapped a few times since. But with two women RIBA presidents, surely some progress has been made? This is from AJ 03.04.03.’

about his own? Congratulations Kieran, from all at the AJ.

Cracking the shell Poor Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Astragal hears the firm has been quietly sidelined from Canary Wharf Group and Qatari Diar’s high-profile redevelopment of the Shell Centre on London’s South Bank. The company, which worked with Squire and Partners on their £300 million bid, will not be part of the masterplanning team when it is revealed in detail in the coming week. Whether Squires will also stay on the project has yet to be confirmed.

www.louishellman.co.uk

Going swimmingly

Cramer vs Cramer What do the Venice Architecture Biennale and ‘one small, rickety, rat-infested slum in Marylebone, shored up by wooden props and now lost beneath the back part of a Waitrose’ (as critic Rowan Moore wrote a few years ago) have in common? How about three of the six most recent directors of the avant-garde art-athon, now that David Chipperfield has been named this year’s ringmaster. The Cramer Street address was once home to Chippo’s office and Blueprint 16

magazine, whose past editors include Deyan Sudjic and Ricky Burdett, two previous Biennale directors. Talking of which...

Long way round ...What was it that former AJ editor Kieran Long once wrote of the 2008 Venice Biennale? ‘Like nerds talking about sex.’ And what has he written about the forthcoming show this year? Pretty much the same thing: ‘Drinks with DC, Ricky Burdett and Richard

Sennett tonight as we begin our biennale conversations in earnest’. That’s right, Long has been appointed as David Chipperfield’s – sorry DC’s – assistant for this year’s show. Long has er, long been a critic of the MIPIM-for-hipsters jolly. In 2010 Kazuo Sejima’s directorship was given a mirthless happyslap: ‘The Arsenale was not good, it was even offensive, and our consensus about it is very dangerous.’ Apparently too many people liked it and weren’t angry enough about what they saw. Critics are like that. But whatever will he say

If you’ve been unsuccessful in buying any of the 2012 Olympic Games’ last few ‘golden tickets’, then spare a thought for Aquatics Centre architect Zaha Hadid – who has yet to receive a single complimentary pass to see her venue in action. The double Stirling Prize-winner told the Daily Telegraph: ‘I haven’t been invited, I swear to God. Not to the opening ceremony, or the closing ceremony, or to the first event in the pool.’ She added: ‘I would like to be there, just for our own learning experience and to see what it’s like to be in the pool when they do… do the race, or whatever.’ Perhaps there’s consolation in 3,000 wannabe spectators also missing out, after they were sold non-existent tickets to synchronised swimming events due to a human error. Or a soupçon of Schadenfreude in that LOCOG workers are also denied free passes? Everyone’s a loser. aj 12.01.12

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ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION The University of Cambridge is looking for a number of complementary architectural and landscape practices, large and small, for its ambitious new urban extension in North West Cambridge. The first phase of the project comprises nine

Interested practices will be expected to

Lots with landscape, a variety of residential

demonstrate exceptional design talent; a

units, retail, a school and community facilities.

commitment to innovative, sustainable

This competition is being managed, on behalf of The University, by Colander.

design; a proven ability to deliver both creativity and the highest possible value to their clients; satisfied clients for whom they

Expressions of interest are required by

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Leader Excuse the gender bias, but this is the first time women have taken over the AJ in 116 years, says Christine Murray I was both disappointed and relieved to find that these women didn’t have a single approach. There is not one way to ‘have it all’ – if ‘having it all’ is even possible. Life is full of decisions. You do the best you can, work hard, improvise, and if something isn’t working, try something else. That said, working for an enlightened practice can help. The most successful firms are already retaining talented staff by supporting their employees during the handful of years when they need a more flexible working arrangement. Kids grow up fast, and after their first three years of life, go to school – the period in which parents (male and female) may need to work compressed hours is relatively short when you consider the length of an architect’s career. Practices that aren’t as concerned with staff retention are losing dedicated and skilled employees. I can only express the loyalty I feel towards my company for enabling

TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

hope male readers will not feel alienated by the female focus of this issue – the first womencentric issue in the AJ’s 116-year history. The concerns raised by the 62 female practice directors and partners we profiled are those shared by men too: the downward pressure on fees, the long road to qualification, the rising cost of education, the lack of flexible working, and the erosion of the architect’s role. Men are also not immune to the challenges of balancing career, relationships and kids. Should this edition prove influential, men will benefit too. On a personal note, as a mother of a two-year-old, juggling work and life in all its complexity, I have more than a passing interest in advice on making career and family life work.

Letters received Last issue AJ 15.12.11

11 2012 £4.95 THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL THEAJ.CO.UK

Royal Mail’s restrictions Letter of the week Each week, the AJ will choose its favourite letter. The lucky winner will receive a limited edition bone china AJ mug. Please address letters to: The Architects’ Journal Greater London House Hampstead Road London nw1 7ej Email letters@ architectsjournal.co.uk Letters should be received by 10am on the Monday before publication. The AJ reserves the right to edit letters

A recent invitation for architectural services from the Royal Mail excludes architects with less than £2 million turnover (Royal Mail launches nationwide design framework, AJ online 07.12.11). This indicates a complete lack of understanding of architectural practice, is a clear issue of discrimination, and excludes the very practices – perhaps the majority – who could best handle £3-4 million projects. The budget is a series of projects, not a single building, and most will be significantly less in value.

LETTER OFK THE WEE

This is yet another restriction on practices and the RIBA should ensure this and similar requirements are removed from competitions. WR Ainsworth, partner, Ainsworth Spark Associates, Newcastle

Tesco gives the heave-ho The behaviour of Tesco in letting Wilkinson Eyre go can hardly be surprising (Letters, AJ 08.12.11). It follows the unilateral cutting of fees to all professionals by 40 per cent a couple of years ago, followed by outsourcing feasibility studies to the subcontinent and bulldozing their way through planning committees. Don’t

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It’s not just women who may need flexible hours and better pay. Should this edition prove influential, men will benefit too me to work flexible hours while my child is small. I would urge any practice to do the same, if only to engender such gratitude – a great boost to anyone’s work ethic. As Michál Cohen of Walters and Cohen suggests in her interview (see page 46), women only appear to leave practices that don’t treat them well. Of all the data we collected for this issue (nearly 700 women completed our online survey), I was most shocked by the number of women who felt they were being paid less than a male colleague with the same job. After all, this is illegal. Practice managers would be wise to address this pay gap – employees can take you to court, even up to six years

after they’ve left your employment under the Equal Pay Act, now that the High Court can hear these cases. The other shocking claim repeated in the interviews with leading architects was that sexism in the industry is now more prevalent within practices than on the construction site. Gone is the cliché of the enlightened architect and the crude, uneducated contractor. In this changing world, where prominent client representatives, from Land Securities to the V&A Museum (not to mention editors), are now female, architects would do well to banish sex discrimination from their practices, if not for equality reasons, then because it makes good business sense.

forget ‘every little helps’ to keep the fat cats well-fed and perhaps more people may begin to realise at whose expense. Don’t encourage them; don’t shop there. There are plenty of alternatives. Bryan Scott, director, Scott Associates, Knebworth, Herts

breached 44 of his London Plan policies. Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh also announced he would not be continuing as leader beyond May, and will take personal, unelected charge of White City to cajole the developers into demolishing the council estates. Meanwhile, the council has given West Ken & Gibbs Green residents six weeks to respond to its plan to sell their homes to the developer for demolition. We remain determined to save the estates and demand that people should be allowed to vote on the future of their neighbourhood. Jonathan Rosenberg, community organiser, West Kensington & Gibbs Green Tenants & Residents Associations

Earl’s Court controversy Hammersmith & Fulham’s experiment to demolish the borough is in trouble (London Plan snags Farrell’s Earl’s Court vision, AJ online 13.12.11). In December, Boris Johnson threw out the scheme to redevelop the town hall extension and told the council the Earl’s Court planning applications

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THE ARCHITECTS’ JOURNAL GREATER LONDON HOUSE HAMPSTEAD ROAD LONDON NW1 7EJ theaj.co.uk Established 1895 Editorial enquiries/fax 020 7728 4574 / 020 7728 4601 E firstname.surname@emap.com T 020 7728 plus extension below Editor Christine Murray (4573) Deputy editor Rory Olcayto (4571) Acting administrator Rakesh Ramchurn (4574) Digital editor Simon Hogg (4572) News editor Richard Waite (07918 650875) Reporter Merlin Fulcher (4564) Editorial intern Heenali Patel Technical editor Felix Mara (4568) Senior editor James Pallister (4570) Sustainability editor Hattie Hartman (4569) Sustainability intern Ruth Dreyer AJ Buildings Library editor Tom Ravenscroft (4644) Art editor Brad Yendle (4578) Design intern Ella Mackinnon Production editor Mary Douglas (4577) Sub-editor Abigail Gliddon (4579) Contributing editor Ian Martin Contributing photographer Edmund Sumner Editorial director Paul Finch Group chief executive Natasha Christie-Miller Director of architecture and media Conor Dignam (5545) Commercial manager James MacLeod (4582) Business development managers Nick Roberts (4608), Ceri Evans (3595) Group advertising manager Amanda Pryde (4557) Account managers Hannah Buckley (3762), Simon Collingwood (4515), Steph Atha (4609) Classified sales Ashley Powell (4518) Recruitment sales Kirsty Heath (5521), Carly Ross (3575) AJ subscription UK £165 Overseas £210 Back issues and subscriptions 0844 848 8858 The Architects’ Journal is registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. © 2012. Published by Emap Inform, a part of Emap Ltd. Printed in the uk by Headley Brothers Ltd aj (issn 0003 8466) is published weekly except Christmas and August. Subscription price is $420. Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, nj and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address corrections to: aj, c/o Mercury International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, New Jersey 07001. Distributed in the us by Mercury International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, nj 07001.

Column

Paul Finch’s letter from London During my 40 years in architecture, some things have changed utterly, but others are much the same

January 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of my life in journalism. Starting as a trainee with a business publishing company, I had no idea in what direction I would be heading, and it was by chance that I learned my craft on two weekly titles dealing with commercial property and architecture respectively. I immediately felt at home with these subjects, and that was the end of a potential career on medical or engineering publications. Plus ça change and all that: it is curious how many stories and issues seem to loop around on long-scale trajectories, with each generation of news desks discovering that the old-timers in the office really have seen it all before, or at least something like it. A few subjects I recall from the early months of trainee journalism include controversy about the future of Covent Garden as the market moved to Nine Elms; the proposals for new traffic arrangements and comprehensive redevelopment of Piccadilly Circus; a crisis at the RIBA over the level of subscription payments which

It is dismaying today to see some practices behaving like the crew of a stricken liner whose first thought is to grab the lifeboats

Basil Spence’s Home Office in Queen Anne’s Gate prompted debate in the AJ over the differences between the designed and finished building

chris guy/flickr

resulted in the president inviting all council members to resign and stand for re-election; and Basil Spence becoming involved in a flaming row with the AJ over his designs for the Home Office in Queen Anne’s Gate, which appeared to be rather different to what was actually emerging on site. Colonel Richard Seifert was in his prime as the major commercial architect of the day; I recall going to the opening of his International Press Centre tower in Holborn, then regarded as the last word in height, but now overshadowed and awaiting demolition in favour of something more profitable. Down the road, his Centre Point building (now listed of course) was still the subject of huge controversy, because it was alleged (wrongly) that it was being kept empty as an ingenious but unexplained way of making it more valuable. The Colonel was on the RIBA Council, and on the issue of subscriptions, took the view that far from being reduced, they should be raised to a level appropriate for running a

really good learned society. This didn’t go down too well with the Salaried Architects’ Group and the young guns who got themselves elected onto council and fought a good fight in a way that doesn’t seem to happen any more. If things were stuffier then, and they were, that had some upsides too. I can’t recall any stories at that time in which any practice behaved with the cavalier disregard for staff that seems to have infected some offices recently, judging by what is reported. Reputation counted for much in a pre-commercial era where practices weren’t allowed to advertise (do they do much these days?) You can’t turn the clock back and few would want to, but it is dismaying today to see partners and directors of some architectural practices, and big property consultancies, behaving like the crew of a stricken liner whose first thought is to grab the lifeboats for themselves: forget about the passengers and shareholders. But the old professional ideals were in any event beginning to run out of steam, faced with the rise of consumerism (publication in colour was commonplace by 1972, but architectural publications still treated it with suspicion), and with the political implications of the upheavals of 1968, even if we had a Conservative government. Environmentalism, energy concerns, community politics and radical new ideas about education were already changing the profession, and familiar patterns of boom and bust were part of the construction scene. Nothing much has changed here. However, if certain fundamental aspects of architecture and architectural politics look familiar after four decades, there is plenty that has changed utterly. In particular technology and the means of production in the architectural office, which were by no means predictable, except by sages like Buckminster Fuller, Cedric Price and the Archigram boys. They knew what was what, but nobody in the ‘real world’ was paying much attention. I wonder if things are so different today.

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Women in Practice

Introduction Christine Murray W ‘ This issue presents role models for aspiring female architects, and dispels the myth that you can’t be a successful woman and have a life’

hen architect Barbara Weiss approached me last year about publishing a power list of female architects in the AJ, the timing seemed apt. Despite lingering inequalities, the position of women in architecture is more tenable today than ever in the profession’s history. Things that were once unthinkable have now occurred: a woman has been awarded both the Pritzker and the Stirling Prize, the latter twice (for Zaha Hadid’s interview, see page 34). There have been two consecutive female RIBA presidents, first Ruth Reed, now Angela Brady (page 35). Prominent women are now shaping the industry, to name but a handful: Colette O’Shea, development director at Land Securities; Moira Gemmill, director of projects at the V&A;

This image Team photograph, taken in Chandigarh. The second row shows Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew (circled), Le Corbusier and Maxwell Fry (L-R) Right Jane Drew

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Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s Centres; Margaret Ford, chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company; Sarah Ichioka, director of the Architecture Foundation; Vicky Richardson, director of architecture, design and fashion for the British Council; and Victoria Thornton, founder of Open House and director of Open-City. The Architectural Review also has its first female editor in 116 years, Catherine Slessor; the AJ, its second. Weiss’ initial idea evolved into this issue, Women in Practice, featuring more than 60 female founders, directors and partners. Not a power list per se, the purpose of this issue is to present role models for aspiring female architects, and to dispel the myth that you can’t be a woman, have a life, and run a successful

sexism, but our own lack of confidence. I hope this issue will give aspiring female architects the courage and determination to pursue a successful career in architecture. In support, the AJ is launching three new honours to advance and promote the status of women in architecture: Woman Architect of the Year, Emerging Woman Architect of the Year, and the return of the prestigious Jane Drew Prize, for which men are also eligible. You can nominate yourself or someone else – the criteria are outlined below. We will be awarding these honours at a special Women in Practice luncheon in the spring. This issue is simply the AJ’s first step in supporting the call for total equality in this great profession. Christine Murray is editor of the AJ

architecture practice. In these pages you’ll read about women who have done just that, and benefit from their business advice. Photographs of their projects are big and portraits are small, because the emphasis is rightly on the quality of their built work. I was overwhelmed by the response to our call for contributions to this issue: from Deborah Saunt to Denise Bennetts, Elsie Owusu to Kathryn Findlay, Farshid Moussavi to Yasmin Shariff, their thoughtful responses to a range of personal and professional questions has created an invaluable document on the status of women in the profession today. According to several women interviewed in this issue, the single largest factor inhibiting the success of women in this industry is no longer

announcing the aj women in architecture awards The AJ is pleased to announce three new honours in support of women in architecture, including the return of the prestigious Jane Drew Prize. Drew was a spirited advocate for forwarding women’s position in an often male-dominated profession. This annual honour will recognise the greatest contribution to the status of women in architecture. the jane drew prize Both men and women are eligible, as are non-architects influencing the wider architectural industry, eg politicians and planners. Nominations should include a 300-word statement outlining the candidate’s contribution. A supporting list of signatures may also be included.

RIBA LIBRARY & PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION

woman architect of the year

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emerging woman architect of the year Open to those working in the UK or for a practice headquartered in the UK, applicants should submit a 300-word citation about their work and practice, plus images and descriptions from five projects. Both honours welcome applicants from architects working within practices as well as sole practitioners. Emerging architects must be under 40. Applicants can nominate themselves or someone else. A supporting list of signatures may also be included. Entries should be sent to womeninarchitectureawards@emap.com TheAJ.co.uk/WIA

Women in Practice

he buzzword, these days, is ‘confidence’. In the disarray caused by the current recession, we are constantly reminded that confidence, more than anything else, will ultimately determine the outcome of this turbulent time. Consumer confidence, government confidence, investor confidence… Without confidence, it is impossible to think of recovery. And yet this intangible, whimsical and elusive ingredient remains, when lacking, one of the most difficult to generate and sustain. It is therefore concerning – and indeed frustrating – to conclude, after many long years of reflection on the subject, that in parallel with the economy, confidence and self-confidence are possibly the greatest determinants for women in their rate of success within the still very masculine world of the architectural profession. While my generation of women architects, graduating in the late 1970s, saw themselves as a small, privileged, elite cohort destined to infiltrate a hostile and largely uncharted territory, it is obvious to current observers that the glossy new generation of young female architects populating today’s offices is, on the whole, endowed with a new and impressive sense of worth, entitlement and pride in its own professionalism. Still basking in the – now sadly fading – memories of boom times, when practices were fighting over too few available graduates and salaries were rapidly becoming unaffordable,

these successful young women mostly hail from egalitarian academic experiences that saw them excel, often surpassing their male counterparts, and from families where mothers were more often than not already employed in some sort of work activity. However, cracks in this patina of equality of ambition start appearing when you look at the next few rungs up the career ladder. As many a young woman laments, even if her sex is now much better represented in practice than formerly, the vast majority of project architects and associates are still typically male. Salaries for men are often higher, responsibilities demanded of them and challenges offered to them greater, with career advancement training being much more readily available to the ‘boys’. While the profession itself does not do enough to monitor and curtail this culture of sexism in its midst, things only get worse when one considers this inequality at the top of the profession, and what might be in store for an ambitious young woman architect aiming at starting her own practice, braving the world of clients, consultants and planners. As founder and director of a 15-strong, woman-led practice that has existed for nearly 25 years, it is my conviction that there has been, during all these years, an almost impenetrable glass ceiling capping the opportunities afforded to our type and size of office. Even if, by now, women practices’ own measure of self-worth has risen considerably,

barbara weiss architects

Essay Barbara Weiss ‘ every year, more and more women design larger buildings, win competitions, run the RIBA and become new role models’

nurtured by years of experience and unflinching determination, it is still incredibly difficult to find clients who are willing to match such newly found self-confidence with their own confidence in such practices. There is a definite sense that women are still typecast as good at interiors (colours and cushions!), houses, maybe even – giddy thought – designing nurseries or primary schools. Most developers do not feel comfortable instructing a woman-led practice, whether to design a project with a large budget

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The Wiener Gallery, london Barbara Weiss Architects has recently completed this refurbishment of the new headquarters of the Wiener Library, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest Holocaust memorial institution. See exclusive images, drawings and data for the Wiener Gallery in the AJ Buildings Library. www.AJBuildingsLibrary.co.uk

or one for which it has no previous track record of the specific typology in hand. Similar caution is not often displayed when instructing male counterparts, as ambitious and inexperienced young turks are seen constantly jostling for position in the rush to become overnight the next great thing to watch. What we, women architects need is a cultural sea-change among existing commissioning clients; we also need a new generation of women clients who will believe in other women; and we need more women architects that can

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prove, with their excellent work, that generic preconceptions against them are outdated. 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day and generated widespread debate about the female perspective across many professions. It is fitting, and extremely encouraging, that three women have recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, that Christine Lagarde is head of the IMF, and that there are women in power in countries as diverse as Australia, Brazil and Germany.

In architecture too, things are evolving; every year more and more women chip away at the unfathomable glass ceiling, design larger buildings, win competitions, run the RIBA and become new role models. Their example, and the part they play in mentoring other women, do much to dispel historic insecurities and build self-confidence. There is a lot that still needs to happen, but the feeling fortunately is that the clocks cannot be turned back. Barbara Weiss founded Barbara Weiss Architects in 1987

Women in Practice

he thing that is most extraordinary about the percentage of women that makes up practice is that it never really seems to change. It has hovered around 15 per cent for as long as I can remember, (now 20 per cent according to the ARB) despite female doctors amounting to over 50 per cent of the profession and lawyers likewise. What is it with architecture? A big thing is obviously kids, and this seems to go against women even if they don’t have any. I was asked recently by a student to give her the names of successful architect-mothers (not including academics as they don’t count). This is quite easy if you look at the successful architect-mothers who are in practice with successful architect-fathers – the architecturally fallow years of maternity, often accompanied by a loss of confidence, are easily hidden within a practice portfolio. It is less easy to think of successful architectmothers with non-architect partners – I suspect that most of them are embedded within large practices, often doing a great job too. The architect-mothers I know personally, who don’t practice with their architect husbands, by and large end up doing all the housework and eventually get divorced. Running a practice single-handedly in the early 1990s, with the RIBA cracking down on PI insurance and clients wanting to do things illegally, all while looking after a small baby, made defecting to academia look like an attractive proposition. My move was facilitated

by the experience of teaching on the Women into Architecture and Building programme at London South Bank University. Rethinking the history of architecture to make it relevant to women was a formative experience, making me realise the profound inadequacies of my own education in this regard. Oddly enough, the person who came out of it best was Le Corbusier who, despite being a whipping boy for a generation of US feminists in the 1980s, had an emancipatory vision of modern life that was way ahead of its time. So indoctrinated was I into ‘the greats’ that I didn’t then fully appreciate the importance of socially conscious work in councils such as Haringey, the nascent stirrings of Muf or the Desiring Practices exhibition held at the RIBA in 1995, an important showcase for new talent such as Sarah Wigglesworth, Carolyn Butterworth and the short-lived but wonderfully self-critical feminist design co-operative Matrix. These people were pioneering new methodologies for a research-led, sustainable, ethical and politicised practice that seems to me now to hold the key to the future of the profession. It was around this time that Zaha Hadid emerged to an unfair degree of commentary on her looks, behaviour and person. She undoubtedly forged new ground, not only in her architecture, but also in what a female architect might be. Despite winning the Pritzker Prize in 2004, why did it take so many years for her to

Architectural Press Archive / RIBA LIBRARY & PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION

Essay Flora Samuel ‘ Zaha Hadid emerged to an unfair degree of commentary on her looks and person, but forged new ground in what a female architect might be’

receive her first commission for a public building in her home country of Britain? International Women’s Day 2005 brought to a head Building Design’s 50/50 campaign. Over 70 practices pledged to improve their working practices and to encourage more women to stay within the profession. This was to some extent a response to a 2003 survey of women in architecture by the RIBA and the University of the West of England showing just how corrosive the experience of architectural practice could be.

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married to the job

RIBA LIBRARY & PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION

venturi, scott brown & Associates

main picture Peter and Alison Smithson in 1954 left Denise Scott Brown with her husband and partner, Robert Venturi bottom Charles and Ray Eames, 1950s

Another significant moment in British women’s history of architecture is the election of Ruth Reed as president of the RIBA in 2009, followed by Angela Brady, who takes an unashamed interest in gender equality: ‘Women and men together make better buildings’. The importance of their presence at the top of our profession, where women are so very poorly represented, is not to be underestimated. Sometimes I am the only woman on a committee among men who are prepared to speak out about lack of female representation.

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This is great, as I get tired of having to do this myself. On this note I am grateful to one leading academic who refuses to participate in any panel unless it is 30 per cent female. He is an example to us all. When I get invited to other schools to talk about the subject of gender, I always try to present a cheery, ‘things are going to get better’ image. Recently however, I was tackled by a student at the end of a talk. ‘No they’re not,’ she said, and recounted to me the story of one of her friends who was told she could have a job,

if she slept with one of the partners. Friends tell me that things are ‘worse than ever’ in practice at the moment, and I can see that this is true. However, I sense a growing recognition of the fact that, as Michael Sorkin puts it, ‘everyone has the right to architecture’, and I believe that the current situation will shake up the profession in a manner that could bring all sorts of benefits in the long run, an increase in women being one of them. Flora Samuel is head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield

Women in Practice

early 20 years ago when Katerina Rüedi, Duncan McCorquodale and myself initiated Desiring Practices, a series of exhibitions followed by a book on gender roles in architecture, women constituted 11 per cent of registered practitioners. Desiring Practices proposed a critique of the patriarchal basis of architecture, its value systems, knowledge and products. Our project asked: how can women’s ways of knowing and doing posit new values and influence changes in existing patriarchal structures? This question is possibly even more relevant today than it was then. Though many schools of architecture have an almost 50 per cent female cohort, female practitioner numbers now stand at 20 per cent. So representation is increasing, but not nearly fast enough. While there has been a great deal of emphasis on numbers, numbers alone are not enough, because if all we do is replicate existing values, women will have no opportunity to influence the culture of architecture. The greatest drop-out occurs during the early years of practice, in the encounter with the twin cultures of the architectural office and the construction industry. While our academic counterparts have raised some important gender issues and critiqued the discourse, in what ways are women effecting cultural change in the world of practice? One example shows how little attention is given to this issue: competition (masculine way of doing) dominates the culture of architecture, but this

approach is antithetical to the collaborative, explorative teasing-out of a project (female way of doing) that produces a really sustainable design proposition. The large, business-orientated firms seek to be gender-friendly, but their culture is likely to drown out the female voice. Some interesting new practices organised by women are springing up, but their financial model means they are vulnerable in the current climate, and possibly not sustainable. But women’s ingenuity could be used to invent new forms of association, valorising new knowledge or processes, and using our empathy and undoubted communication skills to address new audiences. We need new business models that reflect our interests and life patterns. As people who tend to have portfolio careers, juggle competing needs, diversify their experience and make do financially, women are well placed to invent these new forms of practice. We already know that women fare better in work associations with life partners where the flexible work-life balance is well understood. Architecture is a subset of life, not the other way round. All the aims of an inclusive profession will fly away if we cannot accommodate people’s life needs in the process of earning a living wage. While this transitional experiment in new forms of working unfolds, the reality of contemporary practice – the cutting of fees, new disciplines invading the territory and our

mark hadden

Essay Sarah Wigglesworth ‘ higher fees would not only improve architecture’s status, but crucially give women freedom, confidence and choice’

roles being rendered redundant – is an associated loss of status and income compared with other professions. Students are alert to this, and if the statistics coming out of UCAS are any guide (applications for next year’s architecture courses are 20 per cent down), it is possible that charging high fees means students deserting architecture for other, more promising courses. This will leave only the wealthy continuing the subject beyond degree level. We need to be careful that the toxic combination of increasing numbers of women

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sandal magna primary school, wakefield Sarah Wigglesworth Architects completed this new, £5.25 million primary school and nursery in 2010 (AJ 07.10.10). Passive environmental design combines with renewables, and the school is predicted to be among the lowest carbon schools in the country.

with a downgrading of status does not simply turn architecture into a low-wage, ‘feminised’ profession such as nursing and social work, or a dilettante’s ‘finishing-school’ subject. As the large construction companies increasingly call the shots and architects are relegated to the role of expendable aesthetes, the search for a reinvigorated practice that incorporates women’s unique contribution to a realignment of the discipline, is especially important. One possible solution could be to fight to raise salary levels – which ultimately means

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fees. This might sound perverse, attacking the problem from the wrong end, but hear me out. Raising fee levels is a signifier of the value we place on ourselves and bring to others. To deserve higher fees means demonstrating clearly why architecture is worth it: and this means becoming political. Higher fees would not only help improve architecture’s status, but crucially, provide choice. For women practitioners in particular, this would allow them to play a full part in shaping the future profession in new ways. Importantly, it will keep

attracting good women into the discipline, and it will give women freedom and confidence to influence new initiatives within the mainstream. Nothing will change unless we can do this. Women themselves must step up to the mark, regain the political initiative and fight for these principles. Nobody else will do it for us. Time is critical, for if we don’t do it soon, we may have no profession at all. Sarah Wigglesworth is professor of architecture at the University of Sheffield and director of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects

Women in Practice

Essay Alexandra Stara ‘ Women are now on average more highly educated than men’

s I write these lines, the latest issue of the Economist features a special report on women and work, which makes for interesting reading. The most prominent conclusion is that women still get lower pay and significantly fewer top jobs than men, despite the fact that women are now on average more highly educated than men. The Office for National Statistics states that women in full-time work are paid 9.1 per cent less on average than men, while a report by Deloitte found that 20 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies had no women at boardroom level. The view from architecture is not much different, where women make up only 20 per cent of practising architects. The presence of women in the major firms varies, from the impressive 65 per cent female architects at Darling Associates to just three per cent at Jacobs. Women at the top, with their names in the headlines, are only lately a plural and still far from a critical mass, yet women make up almost half of practising professionals in law and medicine, other professions known for being male-dominated. Why is that? From my experience as a teacher, the past 15 years have seen a marked shift towards women entering architectural education in the UK. According to the RIBA, the number of women choosing to study architecture at Part 1 has risen from 36 per cent to 45 per cent over the last 10 years. Still, as we move up the qualification scale, the number of female

students diminishes exponentially. A loose statistic calculation at my school shows women and men in nearly equal numbers at Part 1, reduced to around 40 per cent at Part 2, and a mere 25 per cent at Part 3. These figures are at odds with the performance of female students, which is consistently as good as their male counterparts. Of all the women at each level of education, there are as many excelling in history and design as there are in technology and live projects – which means that the gritty reality of building, in all its mental and physical strenuousness, is not deterring any more women than men, at least at university level. Further cliché-busting evidence comes from the RIBA President’s Medals, where I was a dissertation judge in 2009 and 2011. The piece that unanimously won the 2009 award was an almost obsessive study of a complex 19th-century structural drawing, displaying such relish of obscure technicalities that we assumed the author was an ingeniously nerdy young man… in fact, it was a rather glamorous young lady. In 2011, two of the three dissertation commendations, and the award itself, were claimed by women. This shows that women are as frequently top of their class in architectural education as men, despite their absolute numbers being smaller. So, what happens to those girls next? Why aren’t they all in Part 3, followed promptly by their fledgling practices winning competitions and gracing the cover of the AJ? Such studies

that exist tell us what has become common wisdom in the field – namely that it is too competitive and pressured a working environment, with absurd working hours and aggressive prejudice from all directions. Which is true, but then none of it is exclusive to the professional field or to women. I cannot think of a more stressful and outright exhausting couple of years than a good Part 2 education, but girls survive it as successfully as boys. The one thing I haven’t mentioned so far, of course, is children. Undoubtedly, having babies

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top of the class Work from 2010-11 by student Yemi Aladerun of Kingston University’s Unit 2: ‘Palazzo Lidl’, taught by tutors Adam Khan and David Knight

and remaining top of your game in any field, let alone notoriously arduous architecture, is very hard work and remains considerably more so for women than for men, at least in the first few years. But it is not impossible. There are several women who go through their full-time education while raising children, and excel to boot. As an indication, two of my school’s recent Part 2 submissions to the President’s Medals, and one Part 1, were from full-time female students with one or more young children. I don’t know if these superwomen will go on to win awards

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heading their own practices, or as a team with their husbands, or not at all. But I will hazard the opinion that, whatever they do, it will be their choice. I have seen enough to convince me that, should they want to, women could do everything. But perhaps ‘everything’ is not that attractive. In the long run, a good balance between different aspects of life may be more desirable than a frantic pursuit of all the awards going. Maybe forming partnerships in life and work is the most intelligent move, for both women and men, allowing them to combine family and

working life in otherwise impossible ways. Or perhaps we are still in a transition period and soon may be reading such commentaries as this with mirth about the repressed past. Either way, I hope that brilliant women like those I have the privilege of teaching every year keep coming for more, and success in their highly demanding architectural training convinces them that they can have it all, if only they want to. Alexandra Stara is principal lecturer at the School of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston University

Women in Practice

n increasing number of the architects we interview are looking to find a position outside the profession. Most are women, the majority are employed with excellent credentials, and they’ve invariably spent years training for their current role. Why then are they prepared to abandon a profession they’ve dedicated so much time to? The relatively poor pay is often cited as a major factor, but with architecture being seen as a vocational occupation, remuneration may be more of a straw for the proverbial camel. There are other, more important, reasons why women leave the industry. Of the women I spoke to, there appears to be two evenly split camps: those who enjoyed studying the subject but were disappointed when they started in practice, and those who find the rigidity of their day-to-day working life too difficult to align with their home commitments. The former (and I include myself in this camp) tend to have found themselves in large organisations working on complex schemes that are ‘packaged up’.

Having completed their first package, be it dry lining, cladding or (as in my case) toilets, there is a habit for that to be deemed their ‘speciality’. You may laugh, but once you’ve done your fourth toilet package in a row, you can become a little bit jaded. Many describe how they sat at their desk thinking, ‘Is this what I spent seven years training for?’ This isn’t exclusive to female architects, but in my experience they tend to be more open to trying something new. It could also be attributed to the disparity between what women earn compared to their male colleagues. They might decide to move to a smaller office where you tend to get more a holistic experience, rather than leave the profession completely. But competition for jobs in smaller offices is tough, and those with large practice experience are seen as less useful, having had limited exposure to clients, consultants and suppliers. So it is difficult to make this transition. What can practices do to stop women leaving? Being aware of the issue is obviously a great start. There are people who want to

hanna melin

Essay Lindsay Urquhart ‘ The most successful practices embrace flexible working to retain talented architects, male & female’

be a specialist cladding architect, but my guess is there are more who want to experience a variety of roles. As such I feel this should be the norm, and that driving people down the specialist route should be done at the employee’s request, not as a matter of course. By giving architects a wide variety of work, a practice is much more likely to find out what they’re really good at. For those who want to move from the profession because they find it difficult to balance their work commitments with family

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life, they can get frustrated by the lack of flexibility senior roles offer. An example is when a woman returns to work following maternity leave and requires flexible or part-time hours. They are usually offered a lesser role than the one they did when they were a full-time employee. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a perception that in order to run a job, architects need to be employed on a full-time, five-days-a-week basis; practices believe that clients want to have access to the person in charge throughout the week, not just on the days they are in the office.

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There may be some truth to this, but it is also the case that some of the most successful practices embrace flexible working in order to retain talented architects, be they male or female. In a recent meeting with Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Simon Allford attributed their low staff turnover in part to the fact that they try to accommodate different working patterns. They trial what the person wants to do and then decide together if it works. It seems to work well for them, but there are very few practices that offer this type of arrangement.

For some women, flexible working patterns and a dizzying variety of roles may still not be enough to keep them interested in the profession. But for the vast majority, a relatively small amount of thought and effort might be the difference between a happy, productive employee and another tedious round of interviews to replace them. And you can imagine how painful it is for me to be pushing for the former! Lindsay Urquhart worked as an architect before founding recruitment agency Bespoke

Women in Practice

why you became an architect I was perhaps six years old and my aunt was building a house in Mosul in the north of Iraq. The architect was a close friend of my father’s and he used to come to our house with drawings and models. I think it triggered something First project The competition for the Irish prime minister’s residence in Dublin in 1979-80 Biggest misconception When a man in any profession expresses his opinion, he’s described as ‘opinionated’, but when a woman voices her opinion, she’s considered ‘difficult’ advice to aspiring female architects It’s important to keep focused to achieve in any profession – but also to make time for your friends and family How to make it work Learning to trust other people to work on your vision is crucial. You must learn early on that you can’t do everything yourself; you also have to rely on other people’s strengths and abilities. I’ve always believed in teamwork, and that’s why things are manageable current challenge There are still some worlds women have no access to. But I don’t believe that much remains of the stereotype that architecture should be a male rather than a female career. Roughly half of first-year architectural students are women, so they certainly don’t perceive this career as alien to their gender. In our office we have no stereotypical categories that relate to gender at all On sexism You see more established, respected female architects all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the difficulties are incomprehensible. But in the last 15 years there’s been tremendous change, and now it’s seen as normal to have women in this profession. In practice, I still experience resistance, but I think that keeps me focused. Perhaps it was my flamboyance rather than being a woman that gave me such determination to succeed, but I have always been extremely determined. Now I’ve achieved success, and I am extremely grateful, but it’s been, and still is, a very long struggle. It’s not as if everybody says ‘yes’ to me. It’s not always great, but it keeps you in place, and it also makes you think and do things in a different way best defence against sexism I believe in hard work; it gives you a layer of confidence inspiration Alison Smithson, Lina Bo Bardi

place of study Architectural Association current projects CMA CGM head office, France; Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, Azerbaijan; Pierre Vives Archive and City Administration Building, France; Next Gene Architecture Museum, Taiwan; The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, East Lansing; Salerno maritime terminal, Italy; Galaxy Soho, China; Dongdaemun World Design Park & Plaza, Korea; library and learning centre, Austria; City Life Tower and masterplan, Italy; Jesolo Magica, Italy; One-North Masterplan, Singapore; NapoliAfragola high speed train station, Italy; Chennai Tech Park, India; Innovation Tower, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China; Opus Office Tower, UAE; Issam Fares Institute, The American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Kartal Pendik masterplan, Turkey; Zorrozaurre masterplan, Spain; new EuskoTren headquarters and urban planning, Spain; Atelier Notify, France; Capital Hill Residence, Russia; Olabeaga masterplan, Spain; Eleftheria Square, Cyprus, Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre, UAE clients City of Glasgow, Soho China, CapitaLand Singapore, Chanel, City of Guangzhou, City of Seoul, Italian Ministry of Culture, Italian Ministry of Transport, Michigan State University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Maggie’s Centres, Expo Zaragoza, City of Innsbruck, BMW, Louis Vuitton, Neil Barrett, City of Wolfsburg, Danish Ministry of Culture, Vitra, CMA CGM, ODA featured project CMA CGM Tower, France client CMA CGM completed March 2012 budget Undisclosed

christian richters

Zaha Hadid principal, Zaha Hadid Architects

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virginia newman Practice director, KSR Architects why you became an architect My father worked in the architects’ department at Hertfordshire County Council First project A tiny house extension Sectors you work in High-end residential Why women leave They are paid far too little to make compromising family life worthwhile What would make them stay? More role models, mentoring, increased acceptance of flexi-time, a sympathetic male workforce How to make it work Avoid male-dominated practices and keep your sense of humour

angela brady Director, Brady Mallalieu Architects and President of the RIBA place of study The Bartlett current projects Private house; mixed-use development clients Grosvenor, RBS, Stanhope, small niche residential developers and private individuals featured project Holford Road (conversion of a nursing home into homes) client Private completed 2010

catherine burd partner, Burd Haward Architects why you became an architect I grew up among architects Biggest misconception As a woman it’s tricky to organise people without being thought of as bossy. In men, the same qualities are regarded more positively on children I’ve combined my career and mothering by running a business with my partner. This has given me flexibile working hours, but also means limited pay and fraught family life when workload gets heavy inspiration My step-mother-in-law, architect and mother Joanna van Heyningen

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place of study University of Manchester, Polytechnic of Central London current projects Visitor facilities for the National Trust, office conversion, public WC clients Mainly private individuals and organisations featured project RSG Nursery, London client Ready Steady Go budget £300,000

Sectors you work in Housing, specialist healthcare, education and office interiors advice for aspiring female architects Architecture is a wonderful profession, particularly for women when you are your own boss. It can be flexible and fun and take you anywhere in the world Why women leave To look after their first baby; The high cost of childcare What would make them stay? Women need to be considered for senior positions, project leaders and not be overlooked; family-friendly practice accreditation; more women at board level; equal pay for same job levels; tax-deductible or rebated childcare; more creches in larger practices how to make it work Promote your achievements and don’t be shy in coming forward for promotion. Join www.women-in-architecture.com on children There is never a right time to start a family – 37 is the average age for women architects to have their first child. A nanny share is affordable and good company. We have two teenage kids – strangely, neither wants to do architecture current challenge In a downturn women are often the first to be let go. The fear of employers if you are in your mid-thirties and haven’t had kids yet! Returning to work after time off is often harder if there is no support system in place on sexism There is still sexism – why else aren’t there more women in senior positions? You can tell a firm’s credentials by looking at their office structure best defence against sexism Challenge it in a loud voice and stamp it out! inspiration I admire all the women who work in architecture. Their contribution to great buildings is often hidden within a team best advice ever received Stand up for what you believe in and don’t take no for an answer!

place of study Dublin School of Architecture current projects Private and social housing, Office refurbishment/ interior fit out, special care homes and community centre clients Ballymore, The Murphy Group, One Housing Group, Peabody, Homes for Islington, UKSH Specialist Hospitals, Islington ICMC, Together mental health charity featured project Laycock St housing/ Islington Central Medical Centre (68 mixed-tenure homes) client The Murphy Group completed 2009 budget £17 million approx £/sqm £1,550 approx (D and B)

Women in Practice

barbara weiss director, Barbara Weiss Architects    first project The Tuscan Regional Centre competition, at Stirling Wilford and Associates Biggest misconception I am forever being asked whether I actually practice. When I confirm this, the next question is: do I do interiors? People still struggle to imagine a woman running anything more than a kitchen-table operation On children I hardly took any maternity leave, concerned that I might miss out having just set up my practice. However, I took my babies with me everywhere. Babies are very flexible!

yasmin shariff Principal, Dennis Sharp Architects place of study AA current projects The Wiener Library; a surgery; a retirement village; private houses clients NHS, Imperial College London, Tate Modern, Derwent London, FIAT UK featured project Shubette HQ client Shubette of London completed 2008 £/sqm £500

pauline stockmans Partner, Allies and Morrison Design ethos Clarity, quality and attention to detail Sectors you work in Cultural, public, education advice for aspiring female architects Trust your instincts, retain your integrity and seek a good mentor What would make women stay? Greater acceptance of flexible working and raising the profile of female architects to increase recognition On children Take the maximum maternity leave, and enjoy it Best defence against sexism Confidence and a sense of humour Best advice ever received Don’t be too hard on yourself

place of study University of Westminster, University of Newcastle current projects A college; a new academy clients Balfour Beatty, South Hampstead Synagogue, South Hill Park Trust, Argent, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Southampton University featured project Rambert Dance Company, South Bank completed On site budget Undisclosed

why you became an architect Growing up in Nairobi, I began training in architecture simply by appreciating the ingenuity of what was built around me. The fact that there were no other women architects in my Muslim community was not an issue Design ethos Rooted in the ecological Modern movement, maximising views and the context of the site Sectors you work in Education and housing Biggest misconception That babies inhibit women’s professional careers: doctors, accountants and lawyers have babies too advice to aspiring female architects Don’t let yourself be underpaid or overlooked for promotion Why women leave Discrimination by their employers, ie other architects What would make them stay? Recognising that there is a problem and doing something about it, such as positive discrimination How to make it work Network, be determined and just get on with it (yes, it is difficult) On children There are no simple answers to juggling childcare and work, and it often means that you can’t socialise after hours, a big handicap current challenge The lack of commitment by professional bodies and government to make a change at a strategic level. If women had access to clients and got equal pay, then the balance could genuinely be redressed. Giving 50 per cent of client advisory enquiries to women architects may be a start, but the big challenge is getting publicly procured projects open to women architects best defence against sexism Helping other women stand up for their rights, including all forms of discrimination, especially low pay and harassment inspiration Erica Mann, a planner in the city council in Nairobi, who edited a magazine for Kenyan architects and encouraged me to write and to attend conferences

place of study Architectural Association, the Bartlett current projects Schools for a major multi-academy sponsor in very deprived areas. I was shocked to see the level of poverty and how important free school meals are to so many clients Santiago Calatrava, Ascot Racecourse Authority, the RIBA featured project Strawbale dance studio client Fabrizia Verrecchia completed 2000 budget £5,000 £/sqm £200

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kathryn firth Chief of Design, Olympic Park Legacy Company first project Refurbishment of a home for seniors Biggest misconception The belief that there is gender equality in the profession Advice to aspiring female architects Do not accept the macho culture fostered in architecture school that good design can only be attained by putting in long hours – just do a good job and do not be afraid to speak your mind What would make women stay? Create a culture that is less of a boys’ club. The professional associations need to reach out to girls in secondary school

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soraya khan Architect, Theis + Khan place of study University of Toronto, Harvard Graduate School of Design clients City of Boston, the National Gallery, Somerset House Trust, Legal & General, Land Securities featured project Legacy Communities Scheme Outline Planning Submission client Olympic Park Legacy Company completed Ongoing

First project A print shop Biggest misconception I don’t believe there are big misconceptions. Women are just as well respected as men Why women leave Poor pay means there is little incentive to face long hours and high levels of responsibility On children If you intend to go back to work, keep in touch while you’re off. All industries move quickly and it’s easy to lose track. When you do return, working part-time is ideal initially. Don’t bring family issues to work or take office problems home

place of study Canterbury College of Art current projects Various private houses clients United Reformed Church, Quakers, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Royal College of Art, NHS featured project Jay Mews, London client Private completed June 2011 budget £165,000

Women in Practice

sarah williams Director, Aedas why you became an architect My father was an architect and my brother is also, so it obviously runs in the family First project A refurb at the Rockefeller Center, New York Sectors you work in Education and judicial Biggest misconception That women are somehow ‘different’ as architects Why women leave It is financially difficult to afford childcare, even when working full-time How to make it work A good support network, including your employer Best advice ever received Be yourself

christina seilern Principal, Studio Seilern Architects place of study Cambridge University current projects Two schools in Brussels, three in London clients The Department for Education, various local authorities featured project Loxford School client Loxford School and London Borough of Redbridge completed 2009 budget £38 million £/sqm £2,000

mary bowman partner, Gustafson Porter why you became an architect I was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which I saw as a child Biggest misconception That there aren’t any women architects. There are many women architects whose work is unknown or not recognised On children Don’t be afraid to discuss issues with your employer, colleagues, partner and family. Take all the help you can get current challenge Getting work in a competitive market Best defence against sexism A sense of humour

first project A monastery church in Madrid Biggest misconception That women are less technical What would make women stay? Giving greater visibility to those working successfully, until it will eventually be second nature that both genders can hold a pencil skilfully on children I schedule my meetings around plays and parent-teacher meetings, in the hope that neither they, nor my clients can tell the difference on Sexism If I encounter it, I am happy to make the other feel like a Neanderthal

place of study Columbia University current projects A masterplan in Accra, mixed-use developments in Vilnius and Lagos clients Motcomb Estates, UAB OGVY, Knightsbridge Schools International featured project Kensington Residence client Private completed 2011 budget £1.5 million £/sqm £500

sam scott Associate director, Bennetts Associates place of study University of Virginia, AA current projects Valencia Central Park, Novartis North Park, Lusail Plaza in Doha clients Basque government, Valencia City, Parkview International, DCMS, Bovis Lend Lease, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture featured project Zeytouneh Square client Solidere completed August 2011 budget Undisclosed

why you became an architect Encouragement by my art teacher Why women leave To start a family. Returning to work after maternity leave is daunting for some How to make it work Try to achieve a good level of responsibility before having children On children It’s like spinning plates. An accommodating childminder or partner, and a flexible employer help Best advice ever received Overlay, overlay, overlay inspiration Alison Brooks. I have huge admiration for any woman who starts her own practice

place of study The Bartlett current projects A large refurbishment/new build in Bexley, a small residential scheme clients Reading Borough Council, Land Securities, Sophos, Cummins PGI featured project Mint Hotel Tower of London client Mint Hotel Group completed 2010 budget £72 million

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deborah saunt Director, dsdha why you became an architect I wanted to build from my very earliest memories and called myself an architect from the age of 10 design ethos Our working ambition is to span from ‘intimacy to infrastructure’, to question preconceptions and place human experience to the fore Biggest misconception That women ‘design differently’, prefer small-scale projects and can’t do ‘big’ architecture. It’s extraordinary how few women-led practices get a chance to design infrastructure-scale projects. Zaha Hadid proves this point magnificently. You have to be extremely able, determined and agile to be a female architect in contemporary culture, and lots of women practising today have these qualities advice to aspiring female architects Seek the support of other architects as mentors and friends – male or female. The best support comes from those who operate in the same territory and who can inspire you Why women leave Most women who leave architecture make the astute observation that the equation between effort and reward is unbalanced, and not acceptable. Typically, it is only those women who are madly passionate about architecture that stay the course, persisting despite it being poorly paid and undervalued as a profession. However much great architecture is often informed, influenced and commissioned by women who have studied architecture and then choose to become professional clients in both the public and private sector, educators, editors and journalists, curators and opinion-formers. They still ‘make’ architecture, but just don’t reside in a traditional architect’s studio on children As able professionals, architects can juggle a number of projects simultaneously. Use this skill to organise you and your partner’s schedules and defend your precious time with your children. I’d rather work very early in the morning and very late at night than miss reading bedtime stories. Be realistic and acknowledge that if you have to take time off for your children, this will impact on others on sexism I think it will get worse if the funding of architectural education is not safeguarded. It will be more white and male unless we actively support students inspiration MJ Long and Joanna van Heyningen, as I worked with them both and they were fantastic role models

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place of study University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge current projects Mixed-use project on South Molton Street, a jeweller’s studio in Southwark, large residential projects in central London, house extensions, education projects, urban design schemes such as ideas for improving the public realm around the Albert Hall and Albert Memorial clients So many great clients who have all made brave choices and taken risks to work with us when we were so inexperienced and young featured project A gateway residential tower in the Olympic Village client Olympic Delivery Authority completed 2011 budget £28 million

Women in Practice

Alison brooks founder/director, Alison Brooks Architects why you became an architect From a young age I was driven around by my mother to look at beautiful, rural 19th-century farmhouses or college buildings in Toronto. But what clinched it was an architectural design and draughting course at 16. From the minute I sat down and started drawing, I loved it. I thought, I could do this all day, every day! And that’s pretty much what I’ve done since First project Marsham Street Urban Design Competition. But my first real commission was the £3 million Atoll Hotel in Helgoland. It started my practice and kept it going for nearly three years Sectors you work in Housing and regeneration, higher education, the arts advice to aspiring female architects Get all your digital skills to the very top now and don’t drop out when you have children why women leave Because the government does not support women going back to work fulltime after having children; the cost of childcare is a huge financial burden – it should be a tax deductable expense. Also, part-time working in an architectural practice doesn’t work. It relies on teamwork and teams need full-time commitment what would make them stay? The RIBA should kickstart a programme to instate a standard architect’s fee schedule similar to the HOAI fee schedule in Germany, and legislate against unpaid competition work on children Childcare is a 50:50 shared responsibility and cost between both parents. Too many women architects justify dropping out because ‘their salary doesn’t justify the cost of childcare’. If the cost is split in half and weighed against each partner’s salary, it paints a completely different, more affordable picture. Nanny share is a great way to start with very young children; babies like the company, it makes a nanny affordable and it’s more flexible than a nursery on sexism I’ve never really encountered it, but maybe I’m a victim and don’t know it. Would I be 10 times more successful if I was male? I’ll never know! Male architects have a greater tendency to ‘bond’ with their (largely) male clients at after-hours booze-ups. It’s OK for male colleagues to get plastered together, but that just doesn’t work for women. Is this an underlying form of sexism? Best defence against sexism Ignoring its existence and standing your ground

place of study University of Waterloo current projects Exeter College Quad; Bath Riverside; University of Northampton masterplan clients Countryside Properties, L&Q, Audi AG, Brent Council featured project Folkestone Quarterhouse client The Creative Foundation completed May 2009 budget £3.8 million £/sqm £2,533

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place of study University of Cambridge current projects 100 Bishopsgate clients FCO, Newnham College Cambridge, Sarum Hall School, BBC, Bath University, P&O Properties featured project 100 Bishopsgate revised planning permission client 100 Bishopsgate Partnership completed September 2011 budget Undisclosed

first project The House at Bray on Thames design ethos Architecture has to be functional, durable and beautiful, and it must respond to the surrounding context Sectors you work in Commercial, office and retail inspiration On One New Change, I worked with a whole team of senior female professionals: the client representative, planning consultant, cost consultant, structural engineer, M&E engineer and main contractor. The result was one of the most successful recent projects in the City

place of study Zagreb, Croatia, University of Westminster, RIBA clients Land Securities, Argent featured project One New Change, City of London client Land Securities completed October 2010 budget £500 million £/sqm £3,500

david spiro

first project Jim Stirling’s Staatsgalerie Sectors you work in Masterplans, offices and university buildings, but I’m interested in new building types what would make women stay? The more junior architects see successful women architects enjoying the challenges, the more they will ignore the misconceptions how to make it work I enjoy what I do so I make plans to give me the freedom to do it. This means employing terrific childcare, building good teams in the office and keeping a sense of humour when all else fails

Sanya Tomic partner, Sidell Gibson Architects

LYNNE SULLIVAN PARTNER, SUSTAINABLE BY DESIGN first project Block of flats in north London Design ethos Sustainability is at the heart of good design Sectors you work in Residential, workplace, education Biggest misconception That women have no spatial awareness why women leave Non-family-friendly hours and dealing with childcare. Hang in there – you can reskill, and there’s plenty of time to make a contribution on sexism We need more women at board level best defence against sexism A sense of humour and proportion, and self-worth

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david spiro

Joanna Bacon managing partner, Allies and Morrison

Fran Bradshaw partner, Anne Thorne Architects place of study Brighton Polytechnic current projects Community education building, Covent Garden clients University of London, Taylor Wimpey, BP featured project New community, Dartford (masterplan begun at Broadway Malyan) client Taylor Wimpey completed Ongoing budget £150 million

design ethos As green as possible, push the boundaries and work collaboratively: you find out something new and the building gets better why women leave Death by a thousand cuts what would make them stay? More women at all levels of staff, RIBA boards and policy groups current challenge Being marginalised, sidelined, elbowed out of the way on sexism It’s much better than when I was starting, but sometimes the boys still think their ways of working are the only ways

place of study University of Newcastle, Polytechnic of Central London current projects An environment centre in Lordship Park, various Passivhouses clients Lambeth Housing, Metropolitan Housing Trust, Centre 404 featured project Tulse Hill housing client MHT completed October 2009 budget £2 million £/sqm £1,400

Women in Practice

Elsie Owusu Partner, Feilden+ Mawson / Principal, Elsie Owusu Architects design ethos Where architecture, art and urbanism collide biggest misconception ‘Women do domestic’ what would make women stay? Make adoption of the ACAS code on bullying mandatory in all practices on children Don’t feel guilty about being at home and don’t feel guilty about working at the office current challenge Scepticism of others and lack of confidence in ourselves best defence against sexism Selfconfidence, humour inspiration Lady Hale, Supreme Court Justice; a wonderful client

Susan Venner partner, Venner:Lucas Architects why you became an architect By accident, though I did spend a lot of time making Lego houses as a child First project The refurbishment of St James’s Hotel, Victoria Sectors you work in Residential, commercial, education Biggest misconception That going home on time to pick up your children means you’re not taking your job seriously how to make it work Choose the practice culture you work for carefully Best defence against sexism Confident women and enlightened men

place of study Architectural Association current projects F+M: St Bernard’s Hospital Ealing; EOA: public transport system for Accra, Ghana clients UK Supreme Court, Lagos Area Metropolitan Authority featured project Green Park Station masterplan (F+M) client London Underground completed 2011 budget £48 million

meryl townley partner, van Heyningen and Haward place of study The Bartlett current projects Several newbuild private houses to Passivhaus standard in the UK and France, a prototype low-energy swimming pool featured project Sunnybank, a sustainable family home in the Scottish Borders client Jim Lucas and Jennifer Mole completed January 2010 budget £650,000 £/sqm £272

First project Social housing scheme in Haringey Design ethos Clear and legible forms, welldetailed, creating places for people why women leave There are alternatives with better financial rewards in less competitive, aggressive, male-dominated environments what would make them stay? The RIBA needs to work to increase respect for all architects and defend the rights of women in practice on children Work for a supportive office that is nearby – don’t waste time commuting

place of study University of Bristol current projects New-build primary school for the London Borough of Barnet clients Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust, Lewisham PCT featured project Rivergate Centre client Barking Riverside and London Borough of Barking and Dagenham completed September 2010 budget £11.5 million

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Satoru Mishima

Linzi Cassels partner, Pringle Brandon first project Office refurbishment above Covent Garden station design ethos To find out about a client and develop a design that reflects their vision and values advice to aspiring female architects Learn to self-promote: it’s not enough to do a good job on children You might have to shift gear while your children are young. I would recommend working within a large team where you can share the responsibility on sexism Sexism is getting better – I haven’t been invited to any lap-dancing clubs recently!

Farshid Moussavi architect & professor, Farshid Moussavi Architecture place of study Mackintosh School of Architecture current projects UniCredit, Milan; Astellas, Surrey; various banks clients Barclays, Allen & Overy, Slaughter & May, Fortis, UniCredit, Diageo featured project 5 Aldermanbury Square, London client Fortis completed 2007 budget Undisclosed

Roisin Heneghan Architect, Heneghan Peng Architects First project Small-scale housing refurbishment in Stoke Newington, London advice to aspiring female architects Keep trying What would make women stay? More flexible arrangements for childcare. In our office, this is a big issue for all parents with young children, but more noticeably so for women How to make it work If this is advice on managing work-life balance, I would not be the best advisor on this inspiration Eileen Gray, I like her work Best advice ever received Be patient with all opinions

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place of study University College Dublin; Harvard GSD current projects University of Greenwich Library and School of Architecture, Giant’s Causeway visitor centre, Grand Egyptian Museum, National Gallery of Ireland clients National Trust, Ministry of Culture in Egypt featured project Central Park Bridges client ODA completed 2011 budget Undisclosed

why you became an architect I was attracted to the fact that architecture is so multivalent, operating at the intersection of so many different issues: social, cultural, psychological, political First project The Yokohama International Port Terminal in Japan design ethos Good practice makes good design Sectors you work in We have worked across all sectors Biggest misconception I haven’t experienced any advice to aspiring female architects The world is how you see it. Don’t let anyone else’s image of it determine yours Why women leave Mostly for social reasons. They may choose to have children and the cost of childcare is high. It may also be that architecture involves long hours of work and not all partners find that acceptable What would make them stay? Not sure. As I said, the problem is social not architectural how to make it work Determination, hard work and the enjoyment of architecture on children Each office works differently. In mine, several people have taken sabbaticals and have returned to work afterwards current challenge Professionally, the same challenges that men face on sexism I personally don’t encounter it best defence against sexism Sexism is a sign of insecurity. The best thing is to ignore it best advice ever received Re-learn whatever you think you already know inspiration Scheherazade, the legendary Persian storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights – probably the first Persian feminist – who teaches us that a woman can effectively rebel by developing her brain

place of study University of Dundee, the Bartlett, Harvard Graduate School of Design current projects Two museums, a residential complex, a private house, a mixed-use development clients Public clients such as the Port and Harbour Bureau of the City of Yokohama, Japan, the Parisian Transport Authority in France, the Olympic Delivery Authority and the BBC; private clients include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Hammersons, British Land and Selfridges featured project John Lewis department store and cineplex client Hammerson completed September 2008 budget £44 million £/sqm £34,000

Women in Practice

Julia Hamson associate, Ben Adams Architects First project A six-home development in Quebec Design ethos Every project has a precise physical context that must be understood advice to aspiring female architects Find a mentor (male or female) whose design ethos you respect and who you feel comfortable asking for advice Why women leave I believe women architects are often paid less than their male counterparts. Also, the constant need to work unpaid overtime was one reason I left a larger practice for a smaller one

Biba Dow partner, Dow Jones Architects place of study McGill, AA current projects A house in Kent and a new studio office next to Lubetkin’s Health Centre, Islington clients Great Portland Estates, Aberdeen Asset Management, SOAS featured project 33 Bowling Green Lane, London client Rathbone Trust completed 2010 budget £6.35 million £/sqm £1,100

Design ethos Finding a way to respond generously to the brief through a restrained approach to form and detailing Sectors you work in Primarily cultural and residential Why women leave Architects characteristically work long hours. We all occasionally need to put in extra time, but if it’s habitual it suggests a disorganised practice On children Remember that parenthood brings many skills that are valuable in the workplace Best defence against sexism Not giving in to it

Fiona McLean principal, McLean Quinlan

Danielle Tinero principal, Tinero Architects

Why you became an architect I was interested in good design and it appeals to my problemsolving approach First project A new-build staff house in the Gambia for the Foreign Office Sectors you work in One-off houses Advice to aspiring female architects Play to your strengths, hold on to the passion and laugh when you can on children Working for myself allowed me to manage my time and priorities. My architect daughter now works with me Best advice EVER received Know which jobs to turn down

First project Brooke Shields’ summer house advice to aspiring female architects You are an architect in the making, not a ‘female architect’ what would make women stay? Publish more representative work, enable more introductions through mini-competitions, interviews and seminars. Provide mentoring opportunities, make it easier for small practices/sole practitioners to collaborate with larger practices. Help make childcare vouchers for self-employed architects more easily available

place of study University of Edinburgh current projects Houses for private clients in the UK and abroad featured project Camel Quarry House, a low-energy family home in Padstow, Cornwall client Private client completed 2009 budget £2,150

place of study University of Cambridge current projects Maggie’s Centre, Cardiff, refurbishment of Christ Church Spitalfields’ crypt clients Garden Museum, Design for London, the GLA, Tate Britain featured project Remodelling of Prospect House, Bath client Nigel Mitchell completed January 2011 budget Undisclosed £/sqm £2,700

place of study University of Manchester, AA and the Bartlett current projects Residential and educational clients Private individual clients and developers such as Stanhope, Urban Splash, Heron featured project A house refurbishment in Little Venice client Private completed 2008 budget £250,000

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Denise Bennetts director, Bennetts Associates

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place of study Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot Watt University current projects New-build commercial projects, London; an animal welfare building for the Dogs Trust clients PowerGen, BT, BAA, John Menzies featured projects Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres (below) client RSC completed 2010 budget £60 million. Mint Hotel London (right)

Peter Cook

why you became an architect To be involved in influencing and developing the built environment First project Social housing at the Greater London Council Design ethos Analysis first, collaboration, visual clarity, a sense of space, hopefully flair and enjoy the process Sectors you work in As many as possible! Biggest misconception That there are few women architects and that women working in architecture is a recent phenomenon. I have a friend whose architect grandmother graduated in 1914 Advice to aspiring female architects Exactly what I would tell an aspiring architect of either sex: it’s hard work and can be frustrating, but it is absolutely worth it Why women leave Probably to find a balance between personal and professional commitments, although most women I know have continued in the profession What would make them stay? This really isn’t about the RIBA, but about attitudes from practices and individuals. Respect and acknowledgment that others have different priorities in their lives is a good starting point. The culture will change as more fathers take extended paternity or parental leave and childcare responsibility is explicitly shared how to make it work Work hard, plan your career and, if you have children, decide what works best for you, your partner and the child in terms of working hours. Accept that you won’t be able to do everything – the only imperative is having no regrets, so don’t miss one-offs such as your child in a school concert or play! on children Circumstances change – our children are in their twenties and it seems incredible now that we were able to afford a live-in nanny. Try to live near to the office if you can and develop a support network with friends and your child’s friends’ parents current challenge For women, the economy. For mothers, I think it is the early starts and travel time often associated with going to site on sexism I’ve rarely experienced any best defence against sexism Ability and humour inspiration The women in the 19th century who ensured a woman’s right to education and self-determination, and broke down the first barrier to our pursuing a profession best advice ever received If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification. Don’t pretend otherwise

Women in Practice

Michál Cohen Partner, Walters and Cohen First project Beach pools on the coast south of Durban. I used to go swimming after the site visits Design ethos Beautiful buildings that express a profound sense of place Sectors you work in Education and culture Biggest misconception That women leave to have families and don’t come back Why women leave I had no idea they did. They don’t in our office How to make it work Enjoy what you do On children The wonderful thing about architecture is that you can do quite a lot of work remotely, which is easy to do with a young child current challenge The idea that women have got a problem. We should be celebrating good design and good architects, and encouraging bright young people regardless of their gender on Sexism I have not experienced it. As an architect matures and gains experience, women win as much respect as their male colleagues. There may be clients who favour a male architect, but there are just as many, if not more, who favour female architects

place of study University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa current projects Masterplan and arts hub for Godolphin and Latymer School, arts centre for the Lady Eleanor Holles School, primary schools for a new town development in Scotland, two primary schools in Essex, an HIV clinic in Zimbabwe clients Bank of England, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, King Alfred School, the Drapers’ Company, the Duke of Fife, London boroughs of Havering, Wembley, Barking and Dagenham, Creative Education Trust featured project Hylands School client London Borough of Havering completed June 2011 budget £6.7 million £/sqm £2,700

cindy walters Partner, Walters and Cohen why you became an architect I liked the architecture library more than the law faculty library so switched degrees Biggest misconception That you need to be a prima donna in order to succeed Advice to aspiring female architects Architecture is a tough but fantastically rewarding vocation, whatever your sex Why women leave Our practice is made up of around 80 per cent women. This is not by design, but because these architects shine during their interviews and prove to be exceptionally good at their jobs. We aim to provide a creative, supportive working environment so people of either sex do not feel the need to leave What would MAKE THEM STAY? Lobbying government to provide good quality, affordable childcare how to make it work Find supportive partners in life and business, be a responsible employer, balance work against the need for time to think On Sexism Where it does exist, it is not where you expect, say on site, but in top-drawer institutions best advice ever received There is more to life than architecture

place of study University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa current projects Three London UTCs, Hackney, Greenwich and Southwark, an art building for the American School in London, new girls’ boarding house, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, South Camden Community School clients Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Bedales School, the Mercers’ Company, Horniman Museum and Gardens, City of London, Marlborough College, Ryde School, the American School in London, Ffotogallery, Colston’s Girls’ School featured project Garden Pavilion and Bandstand Terrace client Horniman Museum completed December 2011 budget Confidential £/sqm £200

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caroline buckingham board director, HLM Sectors you work in Education Biggest misconception If women work part-time, they are not as committed What would make women stay? Women as mentors in practices, a fast-track programme for young women and an RIBA collaborative network where women can share their skills on children Women should work out what suits their situation and discuss it openly with their practice. Don’t be afraid to set up as a sole trader or consultant on Sexism The only time I now experience sexism is overseas

sarah featherstone Co-director, Featherstone Young architects place of study University of Sheffield current projects New University in Abu Dhabi clients Tower Hamlets, Mubadala UAE, Kier Construction, Interserve, Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council featured project Brannel School client Cornwall County Council completed September 2011 budget £12 million

teresa borsuk Executive director, Pollard Thomas Edwards architects First project Tower 42 What would make women stay? Better pay and a rethink of architectural training – why does it take seven years to qualify? On children I don’t have children, but as a director of a practice with many working mothers in senior positions, we’ve embraced part-time and flexible working on Sexism All those women behind ‘great’ men, such as the artist Camille Claudel, who never got the recognition they deserved – now we can boast two RIBA presidents and Stirling Prize-winners

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why you became an architect My friends’ houses as a child – one of them lived in 23 Kensington Place by Tom Kay Sectors you work in Housing, community, cultural, education and commercial What would make women stay? A re-think on the way we practice architecture. We are still too steeped in the traditional notion of the singular architectural practitioner On children Share childcare with your partner. I couldn’t combine a family and working life without my boyfriend and business partner Jeremy Young

place of study Kingston University, the Bartlett current projects An arts building for a day centre for homeless people, artist studios, a large private house clients SERICC rape crisis centre, Providence Row featured project Ty Hedfan client Us completed 2010 budget £550,000 £/sqm £2,400

hilary satchwell director, Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design place of study The Bartlett clients Private developers, local authorities current projects CB1 Cambridge (169 homes); The Avenue, Saffron Walden; The Arcade site, Walthamstow; Chelmsford town centre featured project The Granary client Rooff completed 2011 budget £3.3 million

why you became an architect Because it related to an interest in the built environment. Once out of college, I realised I was more interested in delivering good places than in detailing them up What would make women stay? Support practices that offer flexible working. I also think it is useful to measure the proportion of female and male employees, directors/partners On children Be clear about what you need. Recognise that your employer is a business and keep your colleagues with you

place of study University of Plymouth current projects A masterplan for 950 homes, a school and a local centre north of Basingstoke clients Local authorities, London boroughs, CABE, the charitable sector featured project Enham village masterplan client Enham, a disability charity completed 2011 budget £50 million approx

Women in Practice

Cathy Hawley Director, Riches Hawley Mikhail Architects why you became an architect I loved making things Advice to aspiring female architects Form alliances with other women – feminism isn’t an outdated idea on children I’ve managed it by having a fantastic stay-at-home father and a good home computer on Sexism The most overt sexism I’ve experienced has been from older consultants, never the younger generation inspiration I’ve had some great female employers, so I’ve never doubted that it’s possible to run a successful practice as a woman

RACHEL HAUGH FOUNDING PARTNER/DIRECTOR, IAN SIMPSON ARCHITECTS place of study University of Sheffield, University of East London current projects A number of small infill housing projects for Peabody Housing clients Urban Splash, Peabody Housing featured project Clay Field (26 sustainable, affordable homes) client Orwell Housing Association completed August 2008 £/sqm £1,500

Jo Wright managing partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios First project The Lantern Centre, Ringwood Design ethos Contextual, sustainable, integrated, socially responsible Biggest misconception That we’re less capable than men in dealing with big projects advice to aspiring female architects It’s a great career if you’re committed, focused and energetic Why women leave They are tired of juggling children and practice and feel they cannot give 100 per cent in both roles On sexism We’ll only be beyond it when attendees at the BCO dinner are 50 per cent women (I’d guess it’s currently 15 per cent)

place of study University of Bath current projects The Hive, Worcester, the Leventis Gallery, Cyprus clients National Trust, Woodland Trust, Grosvenor Estate, ING, Swire Property, Galliford Try, Kier, various universities featured project The Hive client Galliford Try completed January 2012 budget £35 million £/sqm £2,500

Why you became an architect I was introduced to three books as a child, namely Peter Blake’s monographs on Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. The books are in our office library Biggest misconception It was suggested to me early in my career that I would become part of ‘the velvet trouser brigade’, a direct reference to the persistent and sad misconception that women are best dealing with the more cosmetic aspects of architecture Why women leave The extent of commitment required and the classic female ‘juggle’ of family and career. Apart from the obvious effect of stepping out of the profession at a key time to have children, it’s very difficult to balance the demands of a family with leading an architectural project where an immediate response may be required five days (at least) a week. Inevitably, women often fall into a supporting role, which generates greater flexibility, but also frustration in terms of career advancement What would make them stay? Removing the expectation that good work can only be produced by working long, anti-social hours current challenge Preconceptions about women and their role, held by the construction industry in general best defence against sexism Ignore it and do your job to the best of your ability inspiration Jane Drew visited my university and, as a student, I found her captivating. Against all odds – she paid her fees at the AA by teaching French in the evening, then found it difficult to find architectural work as many practices did not employ women – she designed and built outstanding pieces of architecture across the world best advice ever received The poem If by Rudyard Kipling, which ironically ends with: ‘And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!’

place of study University of Bath current projects A variety ranging in scale from £1 million to £250 million construction value encompassing masterplans through to inner-city new-builds clients Ask Property Developments, Beetham Organisation, Berkeley Group, Downing Developments, KMDA, Lend Lease, Manchester City Council, Treasury Holdings, Trinity College, Urban Splash, University College London, University of Manchester, West Properties – a combination of private and public sector clients featured project Newcastle University Business School client Downing Developments completed Spring 2011 budget £24.5 million £/sqm £246 (budget includes basement for larger site)

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Julia Barfield principal, Marks Barfield Architects why you became an architect At school, I resisted the choice we were expected to make between the arts and sciences. I enjoyed both and architecture seemed a great marriage between the two first project Design of self-build housing and a community centre for Barriada in Lima, Peru. While at the Richard Rogers Partnership, the Lloyd’s Building as a model maker, and the Inmos microchip factory, Newport as an architectural assistant Sectors you work in Open to all Advice to aspiring female architects Define your own future. Concentrate on the job in hand and being the best architect you can. Assume gender blindness Why women leave It’s a combination of factors – inflexible/ family-unfriendly working arrangements, the long-hours culture, low pay, the ‘glass ceiling’ and macho culture in some practices What would make them stay? Many factors reflect persistent gender inequalities in society as a whole, not just the construction industry, such as the assumption that women should be the principal child carers. It would be good if architects took a lead, however I have noticed that the most innovative, foward-thinking architects are not necessary forward-thinking socially. For more than 20 years, MBA has had 50 per cent men/women without really trying. It’s not hard! It would be useful if the RIBA pooled ‘best practice’ and published advisory notes for practices On children There are no easy answers; work/child balance is an impossible circle to square. When my children were young, I constantly felt I should be in the other place – the ‘child pull’ always being the stronger of the two. However, we did find that au pairs lightened the load. Good running shoes also help! current challenge The cost of childcare in relation to salary makes it hard, and it’s not an easy profession to do part-time or take five years out and then return to On sexism There is definitely less than when I started. I remember ads with scantily clad women inexplicably reclining on fire doors and those calendars in engineers’ offices, not just on site. However, there is still a long way to go best advice ever received Embrace what you cannot avoid

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place of study AA current projects Special structures for a hospice in Kuwait; a mosque for Cambridge; a school in Birmingham; masterplan for Devonshire Park, Eastbourne; urban realm in Lambeth, Vauxhall and Clapham featured project Think Tank client Lincoln Council completed December 2008 budget £9.15 million £/sqm £2,198

Women in Practice

Joanna van Heyningen partner, van Heyningen and Haward Architects why you became an architect It wasn’t until I had completed my first degree and been in work for a year that I decided to be in architect. In the end, my reason was a love of buildings and scope to combine the artistic and the technical first project A crèche for the college where I did my first degree Sectors you work in Community and cultural buildings of all sorts Biggest misconception That we are great listeners. We are, but so are men… Why women leave It may be down to lack of confidence about how to build What would make them stay? Schools of architecture in Britain don’t teach you how to build. They should help their students understand that, when they go into a practice, they cannot be expected to know what they haven’t been taught, and they shouldn’t be ashamed of this. It is the responsibility of those practices that employ students (on a low salary) to fill in the gaps left by architecture schools how to make it work Work with other women. Our practice is 50:50, and that goes for the partners too on children I got round this by starting my own practice. My advice to those for whom this is not on the cards is to take full advantage of the protection and support that the law gives returning parents and share the responsibilities of childcare with the father. Returning mothers are our favourite employees; they are exceptionally focused current challenge The same as those facing men: achieving quality in a culture of low budgets, daft programmes and low fees on Sexism I haven’t suffered much except in petty things. When I started, the proportion of women in offices was eight per cent, so it has improved, but there’s a long way to go best defence against sexism Not letting it sap your confidence – and going to the top to complain if you encounter it. In all businesses the ethos comes from the top best advice ever received It was many years ago from Jamie Troughton, in response to my anxiety about a possible building defect. His philosophy was: Do your best not to be negligent and make sure you are properly insured, then leave it to them. Architecture is by its nature a mistake-making profession, and one can only do one’s best inspiration Eileen Gray for the lasting strength of her design, carried out in a male milieu

place of study University of Cambridge current projects Several schools, a visitor centre in East Tilbury, university buildings, a performance building and masterplanning clients Range of private, public and charitable clients featured project New North London Synagogue (NNLS) client NNLS completed March 2011 budget £4.7 million £/sqm £2,626

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Rute Ferreira Partner, Anne Thorne Architects Why you became an architect My dad used to say he wished he’d trained as an architect Sectors you work in Housing, education and children’s buildings, green retrofit Biggest misconception At university, that we’re scared of the workshop; in practice, that we’re good at colour schemes What would make women stay? Maybe being unionised would help current challenge That there are so few of us. It’s not uncommon being the only woman in a meeting with 10 men in suits – it’s not nice

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Stefanie Fischer Principal, Burrell Foley Fischer place of study University of Westminster, Royal College of Art current projects Terrace of family houses in West Hendon, feasibility study for a North Camden and Islington housing co-op clients L&Q, Barratt Metropolitan, Albemarle School, Centre 404 featured project Bateman Mews client Metropolitan Housing Trust completed 2010

Why you became an architect Visits to my grandmother in Vienna, where I developed an interest in Wagner, Hoffman, Olbrich and Loos Sectors you work in Independent cinemas, listed buildings, private and public residential What would make women stay? Mentoring, role models On children It is the low-fee, low-wage culture that makes architecture challenging for women with children, compared with law and medicine On sexism Almost non-existent, though I was asked recently if I wanted pink site boots

place of study University of Cambridge current projects Forum for Royal Academy of Engineering clients Academy of Medical Sciences, BFI, Curzon, Complex Development Projects, Pocket Living featured project Kavli Royal Society International Centre client Royal Society completed May 2010 budget £8.6 million £/sqm £2,600

Women in Practice

clare wright partner, Wright & Wright

Annalie Riches architect/director, Riches Hawley Mikhail architects

first project Creating complex level changes requiring major excavation of our garden, as a child working with my father Sectors you work in Special projects of any sort design ethos To respond contextually to the client’s aspirations while ourselves aspiring to create something that touches the human spirit, whatever the budget or brief biggest misconception Because women in architecture have been the exception in a very male field, inevitably they are seen by some as archetypal stereotypes. This can mean being cast in a role: as helpless or overbearing, for example what would make women stay? Most practices are small businesses (under 300 people) and invest little time or thought in management and personnel strategies. They have conventional attitudes and could be much more creative. When I worked from 8am to 3pm in a housing association, I learned to be very efficient and my employer had a great deal. So show good examples, such as John Lewis and the Civil Service how to make it work Make the most of the situation in which you find yourself. When I couldn’t get a job in an architects’ office after a career break, I worked at Circle 33 housing trust. It was the best architectural career move I could have made current challenge The financial crisis on sexism People now know it isn’t acceptable. When I was young, minor(ish) sexual assault was par for the course inspiration Almost all the post-1960s practices doing interesting work had women founders or principals: Fosters, Rogers, Hopkins, Shalev and Evans. Perhaps women who chose to go into this field against the grain were especially talented or committed best advice ever received When you get knocked back, keep getting up again

First project Charles de Gaulle Airport terminal three Design ethos Start with what is there Biggest misconception The pseudo-scientific notion that men have a better spatial ability and women are better communicators ADVICE TO ASPIRING FEMALE ARCHITECTS Become the boss – it gets much easier What would make women stay? I’d rather the RIBA concentrate on equality for the small and medium practices who make up the majority of their membership. Indirectly, that would encourage more women to set up in practice

place of study Mackintosh School of Architecture current projects Architectural Association masterplan implementation; school for Balfour Beatty; research for the Glass-House; Library and Archives for the Church Commissioners of England; Institute of Cancer Research; work at St John’s College Oxford and Magdalen College Oxford; special needs school for Morgan Sindall; work at the National Gallery; housing for the elderly for Aspen Retirement clients Aids & Housing Trust, Corpus Christi College Cambridge, the Courtauld Institute of Art, DETR, Gwalia, Hull Truck Theatre, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon, London Guildhall University, Metropolitan Housing Trust, One Housing, The Royal College of Art, the RIBA, the Society of Antiquaries of London, Somerset House, the V&A, the Women’s Library featured project Hull Truck Theatre completed late 2010 budget £18 million £/sqm £2,640

place of study University of Sheffield and North London University current projects Housing in Brentford for ISIS Waterside Regeneration (IWR), housing for Peabody clients Urban Splash, Peabody, Orwell Housing Association featured project Brentford Lock West masterplan client IWR completed Due for planning submission

Ann Marie CarragherAguilar associate director, Arup Associates Why you became an architect The collaboration between philosophy, art, science and humanity Biggest misconception That we are not strong enough Why women leave Raising children and working full-time are in conflict on a day-to-day basis. Arup Associates was the first practice that allowed me to work three days a week for my first two years. My specialism allowed me flexibility and meant my deliverables were identified early in the project Best defence against sexism Knowledge and confidence

place of study New York Institute of Technology current projects Two confidential data centres in Qatar, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies & Research Centre clients Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Fidelity Investments, Chevron Oil and British Land featured project Harlequin 1 headquarters client BSkyB completed February 2010 budget £127 million

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Sarah Wigglesworth Director, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects Why you became an architect Thought it suited my aptitudes First project Old people’s home in Hornsey Sectors you work in Education, housing, cultural, public realm and infrastructure Design ethos Proposing a sustainable future for everyday life, and theorising it Biggest misconception Sexist stereotypes (our brains are not spatial, feminists are humourless, feminists hate men, blah blah blah) Advice to aspiring female architects Stick together Why women leave The construction industry’s culture, long hours and low pay, the monoculture What would make THEM stay? Higher salaries How to make it work Join forces with other women and carve your own niche. Don’t pander to expectation: be yourself. Make a difference current challenge Hanging onto your values while all around don’t share them, and the male networking culture on sexism During my year out, the discussions were about the unacceptability of girly calendars in the site hut. Now sexism has gone underground and manifests more subtly Best defence against sexism Raise awareness. Tell people quietly but firmly when they are being sexist: they are probably not aware of it inspiration Denise Scott-Brown for her bravery and dignity; Lina Bo Bardi for her design work; Anne Lacaton for her championing of the everyday; Germaine Greer for being the public voice of feminism Best advice EVER received Knowledge is power

mark hadden

place of study University of Cambridge current projects Housing, primary school, competitions for various sectors (housing, cultural, public realm and community) featured project Sandal Magna Community Primary School client Wakefield Council completed January 2011 budget £5.25 million £/sqm £2,800

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Women in Practice

Siân Moxon Associate, Jestico + Whiles why you became an architect It’s a renaissance subject that combines artistic and academic disciplines advice to aspiring female architects Focus on being yourself and doing a good job. Ignore the pressure of being a minority Why women leave Maternity leave gives women a chance to assess the disparity between their career and their expectations when studying architecture. More men would leave if they had a similar opportunity for reflection Best advice ever received Specialise to set yourself apart

Jennifer Dixon Partner/London Studio Principal, Austin-Smith:Lord place of study Cardiff current projects Pitzhanger Manor and Walpole Park, Ealing; Gunnersbury Park, Hounslow; Sustainability in Interior Design (Laurence King, March 2012) clients Ealing Council, East Thames Group, Furlong Homes featured project Elgar Room client Royal Albert Hall completed 2009 budget £1 million

Eleanor Fawcett head of design, Olympic Park Legacy Company First project A gatehouse at Lord’s cricket ground advice to aspiring female architects Have a go at non-traditional roles, your skills as a multi-tasking designer can be put to good use and you can always rejoin mainstream practice On sexism From my perspective, it’s rarely an issue – our small team is 80 per cent female Best advice ever received ‘Do the drawings and you’ll win’ – a reminder to keep drawing and not spend too much time answering emails inspiration My mum, Diane Haigh

place of study University of Cambridge, MIT current projects Redevelopment of the Olympic Park after the Games and co-ordinating local projects clients Lord’s, Royal Parks, Oxford colleges, private clients featured project Hackney Marshes Centre by Stanton Williams client London Borough of Hackney completed 2011 budget £5 million

why you became an architect My father is an architect and I grew up in his practice. I was acutely aware of the built environment and of buildings from an early age; by the time I was 16 it was clear there was little else I would rather do Sectors you work in Industry and infrastructure, transportation, masterplanning and urban design biggest misconception That this predominantly male profession is hostile to women. Such hostility may exist, but I don’t believe it’s widespread what would make women stay? A drive towards more appropriate fee levels, with a knock on effect on salaries how to make it work It’s a demanding profession and most of the challenges are not particular to women. I’m convinced that you can only make it work if making buildings is fundamentally your vocation, so I’d say don’t pursue it on a whim, make sure you love the subject matter enough to transcend the practical difficulties on children Simply earning enough to cover full-time childcare is generally not the solution. The real challenge is to find a financial and professional model that allows you to spend the amount of time being a parent that suits you at each stage, given the project-based, intense nature of practice. You have to find a way of working that allows you to be in control of your own time, ideally finding a niche off the critical path of projects that allows you to be flexible and fairly autonomous On sexism I think it is improving as those for whom sexist behaviour is the norm gradually reach retirement age. It’s now much rarer for people to attribute any professional conflict that arises to the fact that you are a woman inspiration Innette Austin-Smith, the female founder of our practice in 1949, a groundbreaking practitioner who still takes a close interest in the firm

place of study Mackintosh School of Architecture, University of Westminster former clients Grosvenor, TfL, various local and national government clients in the UK and overseas, private developers featured project Guilford civic concert hall, G-Live Theatre client Guilford Borough Council completed September 2011 budget £21.5 milion £/sqm £3,644

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Anna Liu director, Tonkin Liu first project Brooklyn Productive Park with Peter Lynch in 1991 design ethos Architecture is how we live, how we relate to others, and how we relate to nature Biggest misconception That women are not good with technical details. Why not? Why can’t they be? Architecture is a craft like any other, only larger and involving a more complex myriad of people Advice to aspiring female architects Build up, keep up, enjoy: build up your skills, keep up your confidence, and enjoy the breadth of architecture Why women leave Architecture is a tough and male-orientated profession. It is extremely difficult for women to find roles that are not marginalised but genuinely fulfilling What would make them stay? Celebrate all the roles of women architects, and broaden the remit of architectural culture. I went to an all-women college because I wanted to be in an environment where women were expected to excel in all kinds of roles How to make it work Pursue work that interests you, relish the longevity of architecture; it can still flourish for you later in life On children Keeping your skills up is very important. When our son was very young, someone said to me, ‘It gets easier when they’re older’. When your children are older you can learn new skills, through them and with them Current challenge Today, most men still speak with more authority than women. People therefore presume that female architects cannot speak with authority to male contractors on site. Women need to tackle technical details and speak with more confidence On sexism The digital age will transform the way we work and free us from remnants of the medieval, male-organised building industry. Women: embrace the tools and craft of the digital age, to inform the beauty of construction! best defence against sexism Be brave and passionate about what you do. Don’t be concerned with what other people think of you and don’t be afraid to stand out best advice ever received The architect Billie Tsien gave me a really hard time at an interview. I was torn apart and put back together again, fitter and stronger. What she did was the best thing anyone has ever done for me. Women have to work much harder than men to get to the same place

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place of study Columbia Graduate School of Architecture current projects A family house in Dover, Kingston’s Ancient Market Area, a cardboard disaster-relief shelter clients City of London; Kingston, Islington, Kent councils; CABE; TfL featured project Rain Bow Gate client Burnley Council  completed September 2011 budget £120,900 £/sqm £2,000

Women in Practice

Kathryn Findlay Director, Ushida Findlay Architects

Patricia Woodward Partner, Matthew Lloyd Architects

First project I worked for Arata Isozaki on a natal clinic in Kyushu design ethos Read the issues, research them and respond to the situation. And make the solution practical, coherent and a beautiful spatial experience ADVICE TO ASPIRING FEMALE ARCHITECTS Focus and be open to possibilities – don’t be put off by the aggression of others. Think things through, quietly get things done and communicate clearly, always taking into account the position of the other parties. The advantage we have as women, I think, is that we are natural mediators, not only between people but also between man and nature. Perhaps it’s our innate ability to nurture that gives us this sensibility. Either way, it’s a distinct advantage when it comes to communicating, negotiating and responding to clients, community, a site, etc Why women leave It’s very gruelling and not as financially rewarding as it should be, given the time we put into it. Maybe more women leave the profession because they work that out faster that the remaining quota of men! What would mAKE them stay? I would make RIBA committees more accessible to a wider range of the profession and re-introduce a formal professional fee scale to minimise undercutting. Bargain-basement bidding puts pressure on people to work even harder and longer for diminishing returns and pay inspiration Christine Hawley, a brilliant teacher; Zaha Hadid’s extraordinary imagination; Farshid Moussavi’s self-confident ideas; Jane Wernick’s inspired insight; Eva Jiricna’s ability to create jewels; my daughter Miya Ushida’s practicality and aesthetic sensibility; Deborah Saunt’s articulacy; Jo Bacon’s ability to see the big picture; Sarah Wigglesworth’s intellectual rigour; Cany Ash’s forthright outspokenness

why you became an architect A love of drawing First project Redevelopment of Lewisham hospital by Sheppard Robson Why women leave The same reason women GPs don’t leave practice. Architecture cannot by definition be sessional – projects have a beginning, duration and end; if you work part time you may miss what’s going on current challenge Being the only woman sitting on a design review panel with a group of forty-something men who act like a bunch of schoolboys at a reunion

place of study Architectural Association, University of Tokyo current projects Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s ArcelorMittal Orbit; York Art Gallery; Art Foundation, Doha, Qatar clients Contractors, private clients, museums and galleries, government authorities, developers, public authorities featured project ArcelorMittal Orbit client ArcelorMittal completed May 2012 budget £22.7 million

place of study Edinburgh College of Art current projects expansion of two Grade-II listed primary schools in Hackney clients London Boroughs of Hackney and Islington, large registered social landlords featured project William Tyndale School client London Borough of Islington completed September 2011 budget £3.3 million £/sqm £1,950

Suzette Vela Burkett studio director, Aukett Fitzroy Robinson Design ethos Good design should be ingeniously simple On children There are a things that could be improved such as on-site childcare and flexible working hours. I have friends who successfully job-shared the role of project architect and it is possible current challenge Critical mass at senior levels Best defence against sexism If you know what you are talking about it makes little difference whether you are male or female inspiration Wangari Maathai – I was impressed by her passion and belief in change

place of study Queensland University of Technology, University of Westminster clients Land Securities, De Beers, PRUPIM current projects Mixed-use in Covent Garden, department store Colchester featured project Anatomical Facilities Project client The Royal College of Surgeons of England completed 2011

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Susan Le Good Associate director, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Annette Fisher partner, FA Global (Formerly Fisher Associates)

First project A small new-build house at Avanti Architects Design ethos Pragmatically analysing a brief and context, then developing a creative response which is tested iteratively Sectors you work in Schools, residential, mixed-use Advice to aspiring female architects You need to be inspired and passionate about architecture, because it can be relentless and hard. You have to keep working at it, always understand the detail of it and if you don’t know it, then ask why women leave I think some women may leave architectural study and practice because they just decide it is not for them – I think this applies to men too. From my observation, I think the main reason that women leave architecture, at least temporarily, is because of decisions and challenges related to childcare What would make them stay? Greater flexibility in working hours how to make it work The architectural profession has to involve both women and men working together well. I believe this is key to creating buildings since they are always a product of collaboration and teamwork. Therefore, apart from being good at what you do, continual communication, talking and dialogue is vital on sexism I am lucky to work in a practice that has a high percentage of women (at least 45 per cent) and many of those in senior roles. Attitudes are changing but there is still an element of ‘old school’ behaviour Best defence against sexism Be good at what you do and if there is an issue, have the confidence to turn to someone – they are more than likely to help. Sexism is a form of bullying and bullying also happens to men Best advice ever received My aunt told me not to work for the same practice as your spouse. I did marry an architect and I think she was right – my husband thinks so too

first project 108 London Street, Reading, a Grade-II listed office refurbishment Biggest misconception That we’re all interior designers Advice to aspiring female architects Know your market and pursue it vigorously current challenge Being seen as essential to the bottom line On sexism During this last recession many of the first architects let go in firms were women or minorities, so it’s still a work in progress Best defence against sexism Simply being better – excellence trumps all the ‘isms’

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place of study The Bartlett clients Stanhope, British Land, Oaklands College, Redrow Regeneration, Laing O’Rourke, Lend Lease, Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall current projects Student housing/ mixed-use scheme in London, Royal Court Theatre refurbishment in Liverpool, residential project in Brighton and Oaklands College featured project Kirk Balk College client Barnsley Metropolitan County Council/Laing O’Rourke completed 2011 budget £18.4 million

place of study Strathclyde University current projects A factory; luxury houses in Nigeria clients Mobil, Old Albanians Sports Association, Promasidor, QVC featured project Business lounge refurbishment, Murtala Mohammed airport, Lagos client Airline Services completed October 2011 budget £525,000 £/sqm £1,733

Caroline Dove Project Director, HTA Advice to aspiring female architects Don’t give up How to make it work A partner who understands why you are doing what you do, and shares in domestic responsibilities on children It’s helpful to live near to work and schools. Working in housing, residents are amenable if your baby has to come to evening meetings inspiration My mother – an architect at a time when having a profession after marriage was still difficult, raising three children and sharing in the running of her own successful practice

place of study University of Edinburgh current projects Housing for older people, Arbourthorne; new flats on Gilbert Street, Enfield clients Housing associations, housebuilders, local authorities featured project Dee Park extra care flats client Catalyst Housing completed December 2011 budget £6 million £/sqm £1,100

Women in Practice

Essay Penny Lewis ‘ The big question is whether the gatekeepers of the profession are sufficiently flexible for the next generation to flourish’

below Facade of the SPAVO women’s refuge in Nicosia, Cyprus by Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects

t has become fashionable in recent years to replace the word equality with diversity. The assumption is that women must be accommodated in the profession because they bring ‘different’ qualities to the process of making buildings and places. Samir Pandya from the RIBA Equality Forum talked recently about how, ‘alternative perspectives and contextual understanding can both enrich our cities and alter the terms on which we judge them’. The idea that a diverse profession made up of ‘different’ genders and ethnic backgrounds gives rise to a rich culture of architecture is debatable. Certainly young female architects are challenging conventional practice, but not because they are driven by an ideological commitment to assert their gender difference or identity. The impetus seems to be coming from a desire to address the practical question of how they can operate creatively throughout their career on an equal footing with their male peers. Of the young female architects featured here, it’s clear they don’t think of themselves as ‘different’. Miya Ushida works for Ushida Findlay Architects, a practice set up by her mother and father in the 1980s. ‘The fact that I am female makes no difference in the practice at all,’ she says. Ushida also recognises that in the current climate, ‘you have to work hard to win commissions and sometimes that means late evenings and weekends. I don’t have children so I can only imagine how hard it would be to juggle professional and family life. I think my generation accept that you can’t have it all.’ This sentiment is echoed by other interviewees, whose architectural work is driven by passions unconnected to their gender. Where their practice is unconventional, it springs from the aspiration for more creative and personal freedom. There are two ways to think about the contemporary question of women in architecture. One deals with intellectual concerns relating to the nature and boundaries of the profession, the other with practical questions of employment and child-rearing. While on the surface these two areas of concern may look as if they are completely divorced from each other, in practice they are what could be described as dialectical. Take for example the practice of Nicola Read. Read founded the 815 Agency in 2010 and the agency’s name deliberately flouts the

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Women in Practice

Essay Penny Lewis ‘ The big question is whether the gatekeepers of the profession are sufficiently flexible for the next generation to flourish’

below Facade of the SPAVO women’s refuge in Nicosia, Cyprus by Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects

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tradition of taking the name of the individual founders (not a new idea) but goes a step further into the anonymous and ordinary by taking the time of the train she used to take to Nottingham for a previous teaching job. Read studied at the University of Cambridge and London Met, and worked for Hopkins Architects, DRDH and Florian Beigel’s ARU and now teaches undergraduates at Kingston University. 815 Agency does not ‘build buildings’ but through ‘provocations’ seeks to ‘explore and delight in architecture, playfulness and the city’. Read’s work, undertaken for public clients as part of teaching and as personal speculative projects, explore themes such

as ‘abandoned spaces, urban infrastructures, narrative, ritual, spectacle, collectivity and play’. Read’s work can be understood within a tradition established by Liza Fior at Muf (a predominately female practice) in the mid-90s. Muf describes its practice as ‘driven by an ambition to realise the potential pleasures that exist at the intersection between the lived and the built’. For Muf, the creative process is underpinned by a capacity to establish effective client and broader user relationships, hence the emphasis on consultation. This theme has had a significant influence on British architectural thinking over the past decade. But Read’s approach can equally be seen to work within

another strand of thinking that incorporates the philosophy of both Cedric Price and Florian Beigel, who looked beyond the building as a single autonomous object to the creation of architectural infrastructure. Read’s approach to client relations, public space and the profession is echoed in the work of Fran Balaam of Pie Architecture. Balaam trained at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, University of East London and London Metropolitan then worked in practice in London and New York. On Pie’s website, buildings carry the same status as urban design, research and teaching. Clearly a significant amount of creative >>

nicola read (29) 815 AGENCY, LONDON

Miya Ushida (28) Ushida FinDlay, London

the chip factory, Tate Britain

york art gallery

The 815 Agency was commissioned by Home Live Art to create a ‘mini landscape’ for the Tate Local at Tate Britain in September 2011. The Tate Local programme aims to enhance people’s relationships to the places where they live, work and play by connecting communities and celebrating creativity and innovation. The Chip Factory was designed to be playful and engage the broadest section of the public with the origins of the humble chip. Members of the public were invited to dig their own potato from the bed, wash, peel, rinse and chop it, before it was fried and returned to them as a cone of chips.

This project involves the renovation and extension to the existing Grade II-listed York Art Gallery, which will bring it up to international standards. York is a city that is rich in history and it has been an interesting part of the process to merge a traditional structure with new ideas. One of the most exciting elements is the ‘secret gallery’, a Victorian arched roof space that has been closed off to the public for many years, which Ushida Findlay open up and connect with the rest of the gallery space, as well as the city.

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fran balaam (30) pie architecture, LONDON the london, whitechapel The London seeks to recognise the importance of the Royal London Hospital to Whitechapel and the wider city. Behind the remnants of the original Royal London Hospital buildings, a new hospital has been growing. Pie has been awarded a High Street 2012 grant to develop and implement its project to record the disappearing story of the hospital. As the relationship of the hospital with the urban fabric of Whitechapel changes, the project aims to encourage a dialogue about the future of the area. The project, which is both permanent and ephemeral, includes the installation of physical pieces to mark out and record local history and the revival and creation of customs and events.

Women in Practice

energy is invested in the relationship with the client throughout the briefing, design and development process. Since Balaam set up Pie with her business partner Michael Corr, they have both become more sensitive to clients’ attitudes to young female architects. Often clients are sceptical about the abilities of young women to manage complex situations. ‘I don’t think it’s different because I am a young woman, but at times it can seem unfair. One of the benefits is that I have to work harder to build relationships with clients and they are then strong relationships,’ says Balaam. Like many of her peers, having seen working mothers struggle to play anything beyond

Anna Gibb is currently working towards her Part 3. Gibb studied in Aberdeen in Alan Dunlop’s hand-drawing master’s unit and has picked up a number of drawing prizes since she graduated. She is currently working for Glasgow’s MAST Architects, getting valuable site and project management experience during the day while continuing her drawing projects at night. ‘I just love drawing. I envision something in my head and I have to draw it. I’m learning a lot during the day – but I am following the designs of others. I want the freedom to be creative and drawing provides that. I have thought about setting up a practice with friends, but I think it will be in 10 years’

a perfunctory role in traditional offices, she understands that this kind of freedom may be important to her in the future. The key factor in which these twenty-somethings are different is not their gender, identity or cultural upbringing, but the fact that they will be confronted with difficult choices in the next few years. They will have to decide if they want to have a family and maintain their position in a profession in which wages barely cover childcare costs. As a result, it’s likely that they will adopt a more flexible interpretation of what it means ‘to practice’. The big question is whether the gatekeepers of professional standards are sufficiently flexible for them to flourish.

It’s widely held that attitudes towards women in the profession have improved dramatically over the past 50 years. Architect Margaret Richards, now in her eighties, provides a passionate refutation of the idea that being a woman in architecture was ever difficult. Is it possible that the less closely regulated profession of the past allowed women greater freedom and flexibility within the system? Richards began her career in 1945 at the age of 16, when she began studying architecture at Kingston upon Thames. She recalls that her first year contained six men and six women but that the years above were dominated by women with only four men (including Joe Chamberlin of Chamberlin Powell and Bon) unfit for national service. ‘Everyone was committed to making the world a better place, providing people with the buildings that they needed. There was no big-headedness about creating a building; you were solving a problem.’ Richards was employed by her Kingston tutor Philip Powell of Powell and Moya, where she was dubbed the Drainage Queen of Pimlico, and by Robert Matthews’ Edinburgh office. ‘There was no problem going on site or getting the job if you could draw quickly and tidily, and you could inspect and see that

things were built properly.’ She says, ‘I never found being a woman a hindrance’ and recalls one of the only times she was patronised as a woman architect as when she met Margaret Thatcher. She admits that she was lucky that her personal situation allowed her to continue her career after having children. After RMJM, Richards ran her own practice until she had her fourth child. She later taught and joined her husband in practice for the last 12 years of her working life. ‘I was married to an architect and have always been able to work. Had I not married an architect (former RMJM partner, the late John Richards), I might have given up, but we read and talked about architecture all of the time.’

Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Library Photographs Collection

looking back: margaret Richards, the drainage queen of pimlico

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Women in Practice

above Olympic North Park hub and playground by Ushida Findlay

time when I have more experience.’ In a decade, Anna will be 38 and the point at which she hopes to launch her own practice will coincide with the period when she might be expected to be bringing up a young family. ‘I’m happy not thinking about that. I am sure that I am going to be an architect, but I don’t have the same control over what happens in my personal life.’ It’s easier to plan for the future if you run your own practice. After studying and working in Australia and London, Elena Tsolakis became a founding partner with her father in Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects. She thinks women architects are slightly better represented in

Cyprus than they are in the UK, which may be because Cyprus has a larger proportion of small private practices that are set up on the basis of a modest commission from a relative and then sustained because they allow women the flexibility to bring up children and practice. ‘I have chosen to be self-employed because it gives me more control over what I do and when I do it. One day when I decide to have children, I will have more time and more flexibility.’ Penny Lewis is a lecturer at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and edited the Scottish architecture magazine Urban Realm (formerly Prospect), 2003-2008

Elena Tsolakis (30) Kyriakos Tsolakis, Nicosia and London

looking back: margaret Richards, the drainage queen of pimlico

Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Library Photographs Collection

Women’s Refuge Nicosia, Cyprus

Anna Gibb (28) MAST Architects, Glasgow

The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO)’s new centre in Nicosia is the first purpose-built women’s shelter in Cyprus. This new €1.1 million shelter will house accommodation, space for counselling and the charity’s offices. The four-storey building will have two separate entrances for the shelter and offices. The character of the shared spaces and bedrooms will respond to the needs of the women and their children. Built on a corner site, the shelter organises rooms around a central courtyard so as to connect the guests with the consoling rhythm of the seasons.

Heaven and Hell Anna enjoys working in an office environment but finds drawing allows her complete freedom. After graduating and working in Australia, she returned to Scotland and now works for MAST Architects on social housing projects while continuing to draw. Heaven and Hell is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and is a personal reflection on the seven best and worst things about the profession. Hell is: money (recession), housebuilders, regulations, time (lack thereof ), so-called ‘icons’, clients (some of ) and architectural waffle. Heaven is: the office environment, clients (can be great), money, grid-iron city plans, medieval towers, a heart (the love of it) and the Pantheon (awe-inspiring).

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Back Page

Ian Martin A pop-up bubble bursts, a death foretold in blue ironwork, and a grumpy app monday. There’s nothing like getting back to work

wednesday Refuse to get drawn into the debate over whether Baroness Thatcher should have a state funeral. On one hand she fucked everything up for at least two generations. On the other, I’ll take no pleasure from the death of an elderly widow with Alzheimer’s. Ooh, I feel a warm glow of self-regard flooding my body like fentanyl.

after the holidays. Cracking open a new diary. Facing the future with sustainable levels of humane yet dynamic positivity. Creating world-class present participles we can all truly believe in. But the diary looks a bit bleak and grim. That’s because there’s no architecture in it. The architecture seems to have run out early on 1 Jan, along with the festive booze. It’s a sobering thought indeed that the pop-up high street I devised last month for the Coalition’s Retail Rescue Unit may have been my last proper gig for a while. Even that didn’t go down as well as I’d hoped. Apparently a touring pop-up high street is too ‘ambitious’. You know for people who constantly fantasise about a private sector recovery, government ministers really don’t have much bloody imagination do they? It was a BRILLIANT idea: a caravan of prototypes rolling from one sleepy market town to another like a touring circus, inspiring plucky little retail revivals in its wake. A pop-up Top Shop shop. An inflatable mobile phone kiosk. A tented mini-Waitrose. A Cancer Research charity shop in a shipping container. Individual fish pedicure barrels. A flat-pack IKEA Micro. A bamboo and canvas artisan patisserie. A laminated cardboard off licence. An adobe Waterstones. An exciting new take on the traditional café, offering all-day vegan breakfasts for a tenner and the sort of casual contempt you’d expect at home, in a demountable responsibly sourced clip-together giant recycled aluminium gourd. I’d even sourced ‘motley beggars and chuggers’ from a theatrical agency. All for nothing. Meanwhile Wally Morecambe, secretary of state for communities and bins, goes on the Today programme banging on about recovery through local autonomy. Well good luck pulling out of recession without hair fascinators, mobile upgrades, ready meals, secondhand books, discounted booze, fish that nibble your feet and arsey, pompous entrepreneurs in Laura Ashley aprons selling cakes, that’s all I can say.

thursday. Wow! There’s a competition to

design a Tomb For Thatcher! I am so entering THAT! The brief calls for ‘an elegant yet forceful design, well away from any area of high deprivation which might subsequently benefit from tourism but would still vote Labour anyway’. My mind’s alive with possibilities. Blue ironwork. Falklands stone. Caryatids in the shape of union leaders and Russians. Thatched roof – too much, too soon?

friday My friend Amy Blackwater the extreme environmental activist calls. I’m not in the mood for a shouty lecture so I let it go straight to voicemail. ‘Yeah, so-called Happy New Year, whatever, it’s all corporate bullshit. Listen, architects are dedicated professionals right? They have a morally driven vocation, don’t they? Basically, their job is to enable inhabited spaces, yeah? Spaces that are OCCUPIED…’ I pour myself a drink, still pretending not to be in. ‘So why don’t we network? Push hard for local architects to get in touch with Occupy and other political resistance groups, create a national wave of protected, humane squats, bringing back into use dead space, using architects’ brilliant skills of design, problem-solving, legal and planning knowledge, eh? ‘Wouldn’t it be great if architects rejoined the social revolution? They could have their own political slogan: OCCUPATION IS OUR OCCUPATION. Something like that, eh? EH?’ She must be on drugs or something.

Hanna Melin

tuesday Thinking day. Devise an architecture app that works like Shazam, the in-phone device that tells you what song you’re listening to in a pub. My architectural version works on the same principle. Point it at a building and it’ll tell you the style, date, any remarkable features and who designed it. You can adjust the intensity of the ‘gaze’ and the tone of the summary, as it has five different settings: Gushing, Circumspect, Haughty, Dismissive and Excoriating. I will call it the ‘Pevsnapp’.

saturday Still wrestling with an iconic shape for the Thatcher tomb. Handbag? First-term bouffant? Partially-submerged Argentine cruiser? Hm. Might outsource the conceptual stage altogether. SUNDAY. Turn my liberal equivocation into a ‘centre of gravity’ by occupying the recliner.

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