‘Breaking Ground’ Celebrates a Century of Women Architects’ Work
More than 200 architecturally significant buildings around the world are featured in architect Jane Hall’s new book
When the team at Phaidon books approached British architect Jane Hall about writing a book about architecture designed by women, there was some concern that there might not be enough prominent examples of “world’s best buildings” to fill the pages. By the time Hall started her draft of Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women, however, she was pulling from a spreadsheet she’d made of more than 700 worthy subjects. The finished book, out this month, features more than 200 architecturally significant buildings around the world and celebrates the trailblazing women who designed them.
Franklin Court in Philadelphia, designed by architect Denise Scott Brown. Photo from VSBA
The concept of separating out women architects as a category is inherently problematic in some ways, Hall says, as it puts men and women on two different professional planes and could suggest that a woman architect’s gender is her defining characteristic. But because architecture designed by women traditionally hasn’t been taught or heralded in the architectural world or in the public consciousness in the same way that men’s work has, the book might serve as a demonstration of that lesser-known body of work.
“At the heart of this problem is the retelling of architectural history, and its preoccupation with singularity in the attribution of authorship of a building,” Hall writes in the book’s introduction. “In saying this, given the increasing complexity of contemporary identity categories, is there value in re-attributing authorship today? Or indeed drawing attention to an individual at all, particularly based solely on their sex? The simple answer is that because authorship, over and over again, has been attributed, celebrated and promoted by and on behalf of men, this history needs correction.”
Historically, the book points out, better-known female architects often earned recognition in relation to a famous male architect rather than on the merits of their own work. Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house, for instance, was known for its connection to Le Corbusier. Denise Scott Brown – who designed Philadelphia’s Franklin Court, shown here – is quoted in the book as saying, “No matter how my work was published or credited, it was seen as [my partner Robert] Venturi’s. The notion that we might both design seemed inconceivable.”
The professional landscape and conversation have shifted in recent years, Hall says, but there’s a lot of time to make up for and work to reexamine. She says that in selecting the buildings the book would feature, she was eager to showcase the wide spectrum of female architects all over the world and emphasise that each woman’s experience and how they want to frame their practice are different.
“This book, then, does not support the idea of ‘women’ as an aesthetic category but rather presents an architectural history of buildings through a female lens,” she writes.
The concept of separating out women architects as a category is inherently problematic in some ways, Hall says, as it puts men and women on two different professional planes and could suggest that a woman architect’s gender is her defining characteristic. But because architecture designed by women traditionally hasn’t been taught or heralded in the architectural world or in the public consciousness in the same way that men’s work has, the book might serve as a demonstration of that lesser-known body of work.
“At the heart of this problem is the retelling of architectural history, and its preoccupation with singularity in the attribution of authorship of a building,” Hall writes in the book’s introduction. “In saying this, given the increasing complexity of contemporary identity categories, is there value in re-attributing authorship today? Or indeed drawing attention to an individual at all, particularly based solely on their sex? The simple answer is that because authorship, over and over again, has been attributed, celebrated and promoted by and on behalf of men, this history needs correction.”
Historically, the book points out, better-known female architects often earned recognition in relation to a famous male architect rather than on the merits of their own work. Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house, for instance, was known for its connection to Le Corbusier. Denise Scott Brown – who designed Philadelphia’s Franklin Court, shown here – is quoted in the book as saying, “No matter how my work was published or credited, it was seen as [my partner Robert] Venturi’s. The notion that we might both design seemed inconceivable.”
The professional landscape and conversation have shifted in recent years, Hall says, but there’s a lot of time to make up for and work to reexamine. She says that in selecting the buildings the book would feature, she was eager to showcase the wide spectrum of female architects all over the world and emphasise that each woman’s experience and how they want to frame their practice are different.
“This book, then, does not support the idea of ‘women’ as an aesthetic category but rather presents an architectural history of buildings through a female lens,” she writes.
Hadaway House in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, designed by Patricia Patkau of Patkau Architects. Photo by James Dow/Patkau Architects
The buildings featured in Breaking Ground date back to 1912 – Marion Mahony Griffin’s Rock Crest-Rock Glen housing development in Iowa – and are as recent as Stephanie Macdonald’s 2019 MK Gallery in England. (The 200-plus buildings are also organised in a photo timeline at the back of the book, and include the work of icons such as Zaha Hadid.)
Hall says she also tried to include as many examples as possible by women from parts of the world that are underrepresented in mainstream architectural history. Pages feature projects like Patricia Patkau’s Hadaway House in Canada, shown here, and Jeanne Gang’s Eleanor Boathouse at Park 571 in Chicago; but they also feature Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro in São Paulo, Brazil; Sook Hee Chun’s ABC Building in Seoul, South Korea; and Mariam Kamara’s Hikma religious and secular complex in Dandaji, Niger.
The buildings featured in Breaking Ground date back to 1912 – Marion Mahony Griffin’s Rock Crest-Rock Glen housing development in Iowa – and are as recent as Stephanie Macdonald’s 2019 MK Gallery in England. (The 200-plus buildings are also organised in a photo timeline at the back of the book, and include the work of icons such as Zaha Hadid.)
Hall says she also tried to include as many examples as possible by women from parts of the world that are underrepresented in mainstream architectural history. Pages feature projects like Patricia Patkau’s Hadaway House in Canada, shown here, and Jeanne Gang’s Eleanor Boathouse at Park 571 in Chicago; but they also feature Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro in São Paulo, Brazil; Sook Hee Chun’s ABC Building in Seoul, South Korea; and Mariam Kamara’s Hikma religious and secular complex in Dandaji, Niger.
Football stadium in Borisov, Belarus, designed by Špela Videčnik of OFIS Architects. Photo by Tomaz Gregoric, OFIS Architects
Aside from the building photos and their corresponding architects’ biographies, the book’s Further Reading list is something Hall felt would be valuable in painting a fuller picture of women in architecture. Several key female figures who contributed to the industry through architectural education, theory or policy are highlighted.
“They weren’t going to be in the book because they don’t have buildings to put against their name potentially, but we thought it was really important to draw attention to women who shape architecture in other ways,” Hall says.
The book, she hopes, will also serve as a resource and an inspiration to women entering the field of architecture, particularly as the number of women who study architecture but don’t go on to practice remains high and architectural school curricula still focus largely on men’s work.
“Hopefully, what this book can do for a student, potentially, or a young architect in practice,” Hall says, “is to demonstrate the wealth and diversity of what women have achieved in architecture and that there’s a place for everyone.”
Your turn
Which female designer or designers have inspired you most? Share your answers in the Comments.
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Aside from the building photos and their corresponding architects’ biographies, the book’s Further Reading list is something Hall felt would be valuable in painting a fuller picture of women in architecture. Several key female figures who contributed to the industry through architectural education, theory or policy are highlighted.
“They weren’t going to be in the book because they don’t have buildings to put against their name potentially, but we thought it was really important to draw attention to women who shape architecture in other ways,” Hall says.
The book, she hopes, will also serve as a resource and an inspiration to women entering the field of architecture, particularly as the number of women who study architecture but don’t go on to practice remains high and architectural school curricula still focus largely on men’s work.
“Hopefully, what this book can do for a student, potentially, or a young architect in practice,” Hall says, “is to demonstrate the wealth and diversity of what women have achieved in architecture and that there’s a place for everyone.”
Your turn
Which female designer or designers have inspired you most? Share your answers in the Comments.
More
Two Irish Women Win the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Q&A With the Headliners of Archifest’s Women & Architecture
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“I sat down when I was going to do the book, and I managed to come up with 40 women I could name off the top of my head since 1900, and I had to think really hard,” Hall told Houzz. A founding member of London architecture and design collective Assemble, she added that “it’s just the way people are conditioned to think. You would think of the top buildings in the world and the top architects, and you probably know of amazing women and architecture by them, but you’d say the men first.”
The often unsung women the book spotlights range from turn-of-the-20th-century pioneers like American architect Julia Morgan to contemporary visionaries like Japan’s Kazuyo Sejima.