In general, architecture is not only about building and spaces, it is a form of social reconstruction.
One has to consider the social, cultural, historical, futuristic aspects , behavioral patterns of people, society, city and surroundings.
Architecture is demanding for anyone, but women face added challenges. “Historically, creativity hasn’t been gender specific. In every creative discipline women have played a major role. And in architecture, there isn’t anything to hold back women either. To excel, one need all sorts of people around the table; in order to really make things work, one need all sorts of perspectives. As Ar. Dubbeldam says, “I don’t like to think of myself as a female architect, I think of myself as an architect, period.” “‘A woman on site! That’s so cute,'” she recalls.
For a century and a half, women have been proving their passion and talent for design and architecture in a male dominated profession. It is a paradox that even in the 21st century, architecture still is a challenging career path for women and gender inequality continues to be the biggest cause of concern. The role that women have played in architecture and building has been historically and conveniently overlooked.
Nearly 44% of India’s 58,646 registered architects are women, according to the Council of Architecture. Compared to the US, where women make up just around 26% of the total number, that’s pretty impressive. However, Woods’ research showed that, like in most other professions, these women have to contend with a field and people who aren’t always hospitable for them.
These difficulties abound in India, too, where as of November 3, just 0.72% of women practice as partners in firms, though they are numerous at entry-level positions and as students in architecture schools.
“As in the West, women begin to disappear from the profession after a few years,” Woods said.
The biggest names who have been initially dubbed as “paper architect”, Dame Zaha Hadid’s plans were once perceived to be unbuildable. For years, her designs struggled to move beyond the sketch phrase and be transformed into bricks and mortar. But she did not just do away with boundaries; her flamboyant buildings arguably helped to popularise and thus glamorise architecture into something for onlookers to enjoy rather than merely utilise.
Nevertheless, this did not last long. Thanks to her unshakeable determination and fierce dynamism, the Iraqi-born British architect became known for building the unbuildable.
We think, being able to put across ideas on paper are equally important as they getting constructed. Huge amount of thought process that goes into designing is worth all the wait it takes to see it get built. Women have a far more superior approach than men wrt to designing. Women has to balance between her career, home, kid, society, office, male counterparts. In being laden with so many subheads, it’s the natural instinct to be able to slowly and steadily manage all aspects of the being successful. Today, in India many female architects are leading the industry and proving their meat. Having been able to sustain in industry with so many ifs and buts, its indeed possible only because “She’s a Women”. Many male architects eventually turn towards doing interiors or only consultancy. No offence to any gender or type of work. But the overall trend has been that a women takes in time to settle into her practice due to various pressure. But once she settles, there’s no looking back.
I definitely feel, we need more women architects/ designers in world today if want to truly make world a better place to live in. In the years after Independence, the focus was on building institutions required for a new nation state. Despite the difficulties of convincing the government to grant commissions for large projects to women, architects such as Hema Sankalia and Urmila Eulie Chowdhary managed to build housing projects, state institutions, and other structures that established them as pioneers in the field. For example Revathi Kamath, one of the many taking on the tough task of preserving centuries of local traditions while still producing iconic modern structures. Often called the “queen of mud architecture,” Kamath pioneered the use of a material normally relegated to India’s most impoverished communities to build luxurious structures, including a resort in Rajasthan and the Tower House in South Delhi’s tony Hauz Khas neighbourhood. Many leading Indian ladies are the top CEO’s, Owners, co-owners of numerous architectural firms today. We can see a gradual and definite rise in the overall development of those companies.
Today, we can proudly say that women are leading the once male dominated industry with a BANG!!
Few famous Western counties female architects: Lina Bo Bardi, Maya Lin, Odile Decq, Amale Andraos, Momoyo, Neri Oxman, Shahira Fahmy Amanda Levete, Kazuyo Sejima, Zaha Hadid, Elizabeth Diller, Annabelle Selldorf,Marion Mahony Griffin.
Few famous Indian female architects: Somaya, Anupama Kundu, Sheila Sri Prakash, Chitra Vishwanath, Shimul Javeri Kadri,Revathi S. Kamath, Ranjini Kalappa, Sonali Bhagwati, Samira Rathod, Sonali Rastogi,Hema Sankalia, Minakshi Jain
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