2014 Intergenerational Conversations

March 14, 2014 to March 15, 2014

In her lecture, Torre outlines the powerful and multifaceted — yet often ignored — influence that feminism has had on the fields of architecture and urban planning. She examines six themes to demonstrate the ways in which feminist ideas have contributed to change in these disciplines and how these contributions have been unacknowledged or misinterpreted: the design of domestic space; the changed structure of the suburb; the development of new building types, the redefinition of old ones, and the design of new construction norms and details; the engraving of collective memory in the American city; the radical revision of our attitudes towards the preservation, rather than the conquest, of nature, and the emergence of sustainable design as an ecological practice; and women’s culture and identity as a legitimate design paradigm.

From this historical perspective, Torre goes on to challenge persistent stereotypes of gender distinctions and detail some of the entrenched institutional values that continue to hinder change in the workplace today. Calling on the design community at large to do more to retain and promote the advancement of women in the profession, she concludes by identifying strategies for action and imploring the audience to encourage discourse on feminism and architecture with renewed vigor: “… [T]here is no conclusion — there never is — and … whatever agenda we propose to implement is valid for a few years only. … We now need to formulate the questions for the next stage of its evolution.”


Participants

Susana Torre

On March 18, 2014, architect, critic, and educator Susana Torre presented the keynote address for Feminism and Architecture: Intergenerational Conversations, a program co-organized by The Architectural League and Parsons School of Design. Torre was the curator of the 1977 League exhibition Women in American Architecture: A Historic and Contemporary Perspective, and editor of an accompanying book of the same name. The video of Torre's remarks is now available from the Architectural League of New York website. Additional information about Torre and her profound contributions to the area of feminism in architecture, can be found here.


Videos

Susana Torre


Resources

Below are links to publications, websites and other resources related to Architecture and Feminism

Where Are the Women?  Measuring Progress on Gender in Architecture, ACSA

Infographic: Women in Architecture, Arch Daily

Arc Vision Prize Awarded to Ines Lobo Women in Architecture

Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation

NYC: A City Built By Women, Brian Lehrer Show

Six Myths about Women and Architecture, ArchiParlour

In Defense of Zaha Hadid, Architect Magazine

Gender Inequity, Architect Magazine

11 Rules for Playing Nice with Women in the Architecture Office, Architizer

Women in American Architecture Exhibition, The Architectural League of New York

The Missing 32 Percent, AIA San Francisco  (from: AIA San Francisco The Missing 32% Origins )

The Incredible True Adventures of the Architectress in America , Places Journal

Girl Talk: Marion Mahony Griffin, Frank Lloyd Wright and Oak Park, Places Journal

What I learned from Architect Barbie, Places Journal

The Incredible True Adventures of the Architectress in America , Places Journal

Girl Talk: Marion Mahony Griffin, Frank Lloyd Wright and Oak Park, Places Journal

What I learned from Architect Barbie, Places Journal

Heresies Film Project 

Who Needs Feminism? Start Your Own Campaign Guide

Makers, PBS

Artist List from Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art

Some American Feminists, A film by Luce Guilbeault, 1980 Nicole Brossard and Margaret Wescott

Equality Now: Daniel Craig and Judi Dench on Need for Gender Equality, 2011