On Women’s International Day, it is important to say that women are raising rightful voices and taking more space every day in all fields, including architecture, which is a male-dominated industry. It is a fact that architecture can be a challenging career path for women, especially in communities where women are discriminated against—however, this hasn’t stopped them from being successful and creating masterpieces—here are some of the impressive buildings designed by women!
10 Remarkable Architecture Projects Designed by Women
Location: Av. Brasília, 1300-598 Lisboa, Portugal
Photography by Hufton+Crow
Photography by Hufton+Crow
Amanda Levete’s MAAT museum in Lisbon is covered with 15,000 white ceramic tiles and has an undulating shape inspired by the flowing waters of the adjacent Tagus River. Three-dimensional crackle glazed tiles articulate the façade and provide a complex surface that gives changing interpretations of water, light, and shadow, drawing on Portugal’s rich legacy of craft and ceramics. The sun is reflected off the water and into the structure by the overhanging roof, which provides pleasant shelter. The Jane Drew Prize for Women in Architecture was recently presented to Levete, who heads the firm AL_A.
Location: Chicago, United States
Courtesy of Hedrich Blessing
Courtesy of Hedrich Blessing
Aqua Tower is one of the few tallest buildings in the world to construct a community on its facade, with 82 floors and a height of 876 feet. It fosters strong connections between people and the city by combining a hotel, offices, rental apartments, condominiums, and parking, as well as one of Chicago’s largest green roofs. The design makes use of architecture to capture and recreate the natural human-to-nature interactions that occur while living closer to the ground. Gang rose to prominence after designing the Aqua Tower, as it is the world’s second-tallest structure designed by a woman.
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The FORUM Associative | Manuelle Gautrand Architecture
Location: Saint-Louis, France
Courtesy of Manuelle Gautrand
Courtesy of Manuelle Gautrand
The “Forum” is a cultural facility designed to accommodate social, sports, and cultural activities. It is located in Saint-Louis. The building is a harmonious response to the surrounding individual residences, consisting of 13 diverse volumes arranged in one large jigsaw in the center of the land. At the same time, the use of a one-of-a-kind material for the entire structure –copper-colored expanded metal– distinguishes it as unique equipment and a landmark in Saint-Louis. Gautrand has executed a wide range of projects, including residential buildings, office buildings, and cultural developments.
Location: Sain-Louis, Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is surrounded by the alpine peaks of the Zillertal, Ortler, and Dolomites, and is located on the summit of Mount Kronplatz. The sixth and final MMM, founded by legendary climber Reinhold Messner, covers the traditions, history, and discipline of mountaineering. “The idea is that guests can descend within the mountain to explore its caverns and grottos, before emerging on the other side through the mountain wall, out onto the terrace overhanging the valley far below with breathtaking, panoramic vistas,” says Zaha Hadid.
Location: Miami Design District, Miami, FL, United States
Image by Imagen Subliminal
Image by Imagen Subliminal
The Museum Garage sits in the Miami Design District, which is known for its cutting-edge architecture. Amale Created a building that promotes social interaction, sustainability, art, music, and the natural world. Miniaturized public spaces —a garden, a lending library, an art space, and a playground– emerge and disappear behind a perforated metal screen that provides visual contrast, shade, and protection in an ant colony-inspired display of human activity. Amale Andraos, founder of WORKac is also the dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
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Mleiha Archaeological Centre | Sumaya Dabbagh of Dabbagh Architects
Location: Sharjah, UAE
Courtesy of Dabbagh Architects
Courtesy of Dabbagh Architects
The Mleiha Archaeological Centre in Sharjah was built to be “environmentally and historically sensitive” to its surroundings. The structure emerges from the earth organically, with a slope that leads to a roof terrace where visitors can observe a historically significant Bronze Age tomb and its surroundings. The building’s form is a set of concentric sandstone walls that fit into the red-sand environment, inspired by the round tomb. Sumaya is the founder of Dabbagh Architects and the Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter. Her goal is to create an environment that promotes both inner and exterior well-being.
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GSW Headquarters | Louisa Hutton of Sauerbruch Hutton
Location: Berlin, Germany
Courtesy of Sauerbruch Hutton
Courtesy of Sauerbruch Hutton
The GSW Headquarters pays homage to both the Baroque logic of the street plan and the 19th-century urbanization regulations. It also registers the confrontational gap that had created between the highrises on each side of the Berlin Wall and absorbs the object-like nature of the existing office skyscraper from the 1950s. The new high-rise slab is the element associated with the present and future in this combination of diverse spatial arrangements of successive generations. Louisa Hutton is a leading architect of her generation and a co-founder of Sauerbruch Hutton with Matthias Sauerbruch.
Location: Dandaji, Niger
Courtesy of James Wang
Courtesy of James Wang
In today’s religious context, the freedom to pursue knowledge alongside religious practice could be used. By converting a disused mosque into a library that shares its location with a new mosque for the village of Dandaji in Niger, the Hikma project reintroduces these principles rooted in Islam itself, with the help of local leaders, women, and youth. The initiative is a cultural and educational center where secular and religious people can peacefully coexist. Mariam Issoufou Kamara’s designs emphasize open living areas and make use of locally manufactured materials that are readily available in Africa.
Location: Los Angeles, US
Courtesy of Phaidon
Courtesy of Iwan Baan
The 120,000-square-foot, $140-million structure has two levels of exhibition space to showcase The Broad’s comprehensive collections and will be the home of The Broad Art Foundation’s worldwide lending library, thanks to its novel “veil-and-vault” design. The Broad also includes a 24,000-square-foot public plaza adjacent to the museum, which adds to Grand Avenue’s important green space. Elizabeth Diller, better known as Liz Diller, is an American architect who co-founded Diller Scofidio + Renfro in 1979. She is also a Princeton University architecture professor.
