The Top 5 Barrier-breaking Women Architects
The Importance of Women in Architecture
As a woman-led architecture firm, our team at DK Studio recognizes the importance of female representation in what has traditionally been the male-dominated field of architecture. Throughout history, women have had to fight to get their architectural plans noticed and forge a space for themselves in the design world. Thanks to these barrier-breaking women, we have some of the most iconic buildings ever designed and a cleared path for future generations of women to follow into the world of architecture. Here are 5 of our favorite female architects who have broken barriers in the field and showed the importance of having diverse representation in design.
Mary Colter
1869 – 1958
Mary Colter was an American architect credited with not only pioneering space for women in the field but also defining the signature architectural style of the Southwest. She started her career at the California School of Design in San Francisco, where she graduated with a degree in architecture and apprenticed with a local architect in 1890. At the time, she was one of only 22 female architects in the entire United States. By chance, she befriended Fred Harvey’s daughter, who was partnering with the Santa Fe Railway to turn the region into a tourist destination lined with hotels, restaurants, and shops. He commissioned Colter to design some of the most iconic structures lining the landscape because of her ability to create romance through her design motifs and material selections. Her work now defines the Southwest style as we know it today, combining Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Native American design elements. After working for the Fred Harvey Company as a full-time architect for 38 years and designing 21 landmark buildings, she retired in 1948 at age 79.
Notable Architecture Projects by Mary Colter
Mary Colter is known for her landmark designs throughout the Grand Canyon National Park. Notable buildings include Lookout Studio, Desert View Watchtower, Hermit’s Rest, and Hopi House.
Julia Morgan
1872 – 1957
Julia Morgan was a California architect who designed over 700 buildings in the state, defining the region’s landscape and architecture. She started her architecture journey when she enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, to study civil engineering. From there, she applied to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the world’s most prestigious architecture school at the time. At 26, she was the first woman to pass the school’s rigorous entrance exams. In 1904, she became the first woman in California to receive an architecture license and opened her own firm. One of her first major projects was the Fairmont Hotel’s renovation. The property was destroyed along with 80% of San Francisco in the 1906 earthquake. This project garnered attention and launched her career. She built a reputation for prioritizing client needs and creating reinforced structures designed to withstand California’s earthquake-prone landscape. Morgan was able to turn the biases against her into assets, making history as one of California’s greatest architects. Years after her death, she was honored with the 2014 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, which was the first time the organization gave its highest honor to a woman.
Notable Architecture Projects by Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan designed hundreds of commercial buildings and residential homes, but she is most famous for one project – the Hearst Castle (pool at Hearst Castle photographed below). She spent over 25 years working on the commission with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, creating a monument to European-inspired design and a beloved California landmark. Morgan also designed over 30 YWCA buildings, giving women across the country beautiful spaces to exercise, gather, and connect.
Zaha Hadid
1950 – 2016
Zaha Hadid was a British-Iraqi architect who redefined 21st-century architecture and created one of the most innovative architectural studios that still endures today. Hadid began her journey into architecture when she moved to London in 1972 to attend the Architectural Association School, where she received the Diploma Prize in 1977. She taught at the school until 1987 and founded her own architecture firm in 1979. Her designs for public spaces with an organic feel earned her the title of “Queen of the Curve,” and her expressive forms received notoriety for their successes. In 2004, she was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She also earned the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects and was made a Dame by Elizabeth II for her architecture services.
Notable Architecture Projects by Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid is known for famous structures like the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics and the Guangzhou Opera House, viewed left to right reference Getty images.
Jeanne Gang
1964 – Present
Jeanne Gang is an American architect and founder of Studio Gang, one of the world’s most famous urban design practices with offices in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Today, Gang is known as one of the top architects of her generation. She began studying architecture at the University of Illinois and graduated in 1986. She then went on to earn her master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1993, where she continues to teach classes today. Her projects are inspired by ecological systems and strive to create an integrated community feeling. She has been honored with many awards, including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture.
Notable Architecture Projects by Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang is known for beautifully master-planned urban communities that defy expectations. Her Aqua Tower in Chicago is currently the tallest woman-designed building in the world but is soon to be passed up by the new Vista Tower, also designed by Gang.
The Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara Duo
1951 – Present & 1952 – Present
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are an architecture duo who co-founded Grafton Architects in Dublin in 1978. The pair have designed buildings worldwide and recently started receiving recognition and notoriety for their fantastic work. They were both named the 2020 laureates of the Pritzker Architecture Prize for the integrity with which they approach their designs and run their practice. They are the first Irish recipients of the award and the fourth and fifth women to be named winners, following Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Sejima, and Carme Pigem. The jury described the pair as "pioneers in a field that has traditionally been and still is a male-dominated profession" and "beacons to others as they forge their exemplary professional path,” giving a great sense of accomplishment and hope for future diversity in architecture.
Notable Architecture Projects by Farrell and McNamara
The Grafton Architects studio was awarded the 2020 Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Gold Medal and won the 2008 World Building of the Year Award for the Universita Luigi Bocconi in Milan.
Why Female Representation in Architecture is Necessary
While these women have been able to break barriers in the field of architecture and redefine the profession, there is still a need to continue the fight for equal representation. According to an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) study, one-half of architecture graduates are women. Still, only 15% of them go on to become licensed architects in the workforce. Reasons for this include wage gaps, social biases, and poor work-life balance for women in architecture. At DK Studio, we are dedicated to providing a space where women can work and leave their mark on the design world.
Do you have a favorite female architect or women-led architecture firm?