What’s it Like to Be a Woman in Architecture?
To mark International Women’s Day, three Houzz architects share their experiences of working in this creative profession
To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, we asked three of the many brilliant female architects on Houzz to talk about what inspired them to study architecture, the challenges they’ve overcome along the way, and the skills they bring to their profession.
Insight from: Denise O’Connor of Optimise Home; Lydia Robinson of Design Storey; Veronica Congdon of VC Design Architectural Services
Insight from: Denise O’Connor of Optimise Home; Lydia Robinson of Design Storey; Veronica Congdon of VC Design Architectural Services
“My grandfather was an architect and my father is a civil engineer,” Lydia Robinson says. “When I was growing up, my father used to take me on-site to see big engineering projects. I was in awe of the ambition of these projects, but found the scale a little daunting. Being an architect seemed like a good compromise – it involves construction on a scale I could comprehend.
“I think it was about 60% to 40% of women to men in my year at architecture school,” Lydia continues. “I remember watching the first Grand Designs in my first year and Sarah Wigglesworth was the architect, which was very inspiring. It demonstrated that it was possible to be a female architect.”
“I think it was about 60% to 40% of women to men in my year at architecture school,” Lydia continues. “I remember watching the first Grand Designs in my first year and Sarah Wigglesworth was the architect, which was very inspiring. It demonstrated that it was possible to be a female architect.”
“I loved drawing at school, as well as science and maths,” Veronica Congdon says. Her father developed property and built all their homes from scratch, and he encouraged Veronica to study architecture rather than her first preference of fashion design for its longevity.
“My strength was creative problem solving, so I guess I was a natural,” she says. “I achieved the top prize for studio work when I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Cape Town after just six years, while many of my peers took longer. We were 10 girls in a class of 50 – I gather female enrolments now well exceed male ones.”
Find the perfect architect for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“My strength was creative problem solving, so I guess I was a natural,” she says. “I achieved the top prize for studio work when I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Cape Town after just six years, while many of my peers took longer. We were 10 girls in a class of 50 – I gather female enrolments now well exceed male ones.”
Find the perfect architect for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Did you face any challenges when you started working as an architect?
“Thinking back to the first three office jobs after I graduated, I was the only female in the practice – all other women were secretaries,” Denise says. “I was also the only woman on the building sites and I could never get site boots or jackets to fit me.
“I moved to London a year after graduating,” she says. “I decided to try out a couple of firms in different sectors to see what I liked. Coincidentally, I settled in a practice where my boss was a woman. Her practice combined interiors and architecture and was the inspiration for my own firm. But my boss struggled to find men to work for her – interior design was seen as a woman’s role and not something that attracted men.”
“Thinking back to the first three office jobs after I graduated, I was the only female in the practice – all other women were secretaries,” Denise says. “I was also the only woman on the building sites and I could never get site boots or jackets to fit me.
“I moved to London a year after graduating,” she says. “I decided to try out a couple of firms in different sectors to see what I liked. Coincidentally, I settled in a practice where my boss was a woman. Her practice combined interiors and architecture and was the inspiration for my own firm. But my boss struggled to find men to work for her – interior design was seen as a woman’s role and not something that attracted men.”
“After I finished university, I lived in Vancouver, Canada, for seven years,” Lydia says. “I worked at a practice with a high proportion of women and a female director. That was very liberating and made me believe women and men could be treated equally in the industry.
“I used to manage a lot of the residential projects and, if I went on site with my supervising director, the contractors would sometimes treat me as if I was an administrator and ask me to take notes and make tea,” she says. “This wasn’t viewed as patronising, but instead was seen as a typical reaction, the status quo.”
“I used to manage a lot of the residential projects and, if I went on site with my supervising director, the contractors would sometimes treat me as if I was an administrator and ask me to take notes and make tea,” she says. “This wasn’t viewed as patronising, but instead was seen as a typical reaction, the status quo.”
“Despite South Africa generally being a patriarchal society in the 1980s, the firms I worked for recognised my skills,” Veronica says. “I was project architect on some major builds right from the get-go, and elevated to associate director at the age of 27. I never felt out of my depth, as my employers invested their trust in me to manage jobs as well as any man could.”
Veronica says she did experience sexism in a couple of her jobs, both in South Africa and in the UK. The first incident prompted her to find a better position elsewhere, but the second led to her taking legal advice. “I got some compensation, but it still knocks one’s confidence, given that I had to step back on the ladder, with financial demands as a homeowner and mum,” she says.
Veronica says she did experience sexism in a couple of her jobs, both in South Africa and in the UK. The first incident prompted her to find a better position elsewhere, but the second led to her taking legal advice. “I got some compensation, but it still knocks one’s confidence, given that I had to step back on the ladder, with financial demands as a homeowner and mum,” she says.
Have things changed for women in architecture?
“I feel things have changed a lot,” Denise says. “The gender barriers have been removed and there’s more balance and crossover between the architecture and interior design roles.
“But the most significant change is that we now have role models,” she says, citing the recent RIBA Royal Gold Medal awarded to Dublin-based Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. “However, this is just the second time in the award’s 172-year history that the prize has been given to a women-led firm, following Zaha Hadid’s win in 2016. Women need to be the norm, not the exception.” Grafton Architects have also recently won the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
“I feel things have changed a lot,” Denise says. “The gender barriers have been removed and there’s more balance and crossover between the architecture and interior design roles.
“But the most significant change is that we now have role models,” she says, citing the recent RIBA Royal Gold Medal awarded to Dublin-based Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. “However, this is just the second time in the award’s 172-year history that the prize has been given to a women-led firm, following Zaha Hadid’s win in 2016. Women need to be the norm, not the exception.” Grafton Architects have also recently won the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
“There’s more respect, openness and recognition for the role that women play in the industry,” Lydia says. “I also believe there’s more interest in what a feminine perspective can bring to the design of spaces and places. Design Storey is female-led, and employs more women than men, so things have moved on.”
“I’d say the challenges of the cyclical nature of the economy will always be with us,” Veronica says. “The challenge is not to undervalue your skills just because there’s more competition in a congested market, but to know your worth and stick with it.”
“I’d say the challenges of the cyclical nature of the economy will always be with us,” Veronica says. “The challenge is not to undervalue your skills just because there’s more competition in a congested market, but to know your worth and stick with it.”
How do you think diverse architecture teams benefit homeowners?
“A more diverse design team creates more options for my customers,” Denise says.
She also points to how women can tune in to how people want to feel, although this is something many male architects are good at, too. “It’s particularly important when designing spaces and buildings,” she says. “How our environment makes us feel has a direct impact on how we interact with each other and the quality of our day-to-day lives.”
“I do enjoy listening to the client’s perspectives on the project and incorporating everyone’s views into the final design,” Lydia says. “A client once told me that 30 years ago, meeting an architect was like having a meeting with the headmaster – you were talked to and not listened to. I want to dispel that and show that the client and architect relationship is a dialogue.”
Veronica agrees and points to how she’s sympathetic to clients who are also juggling jobs and family life.
What happens when you hire an architect for your renovation?
“A more diverse design team creates more options for my customers,” Denise says.
She also points to how women can tune in to how people want to feel, although this is something many male architects are good at, too. “It’s particularly important when designing spaces and buildings,” she says. “How our environment makes us feel has a direct impact on how we interact with each other and the quality of our day-to-day lives.”
“I do enjoy listening to the client’s perspectives on the project and incorporating everyone’s views into the final design,” Lydia says. “A client once told me that 30 years ago, meeting an architect was like having a meeting with the headmaster – you were talked to and not listened to. I want to dispel that and show that the client and architect relationship is a dialogue.”
Veronica agrees and points to how she’s sympathetic to clients who are also juggling jobs and family life.
What happens when you hire an architect for your renovation?
What advice would you give to other women who’re setting up an architecture firm?
“Someone suggested early on that, if I was offered help, I should take it,” Denise says. “That was very good advice. It’s impossible to do it all on your own. It’s OK to delegate. The sooner you learn to delegate and outsource so you can focus on what brings you the best returns, the better for your business and for you.”
“Be true to yourself and your beliefs,” Lydia advises. “Don’t be tempted to adjust your way of doing things or your ideas to suit the status quo, otherwise you’ll lose your unique voice, which is what will make you stand out from the crowd.”
“Go for it!” Veronica adds. “Who needs bosses?”
Tell us…
Have you found working with a diverse team of architects particularly positive for your home renovation? Share your experience in the Comments section.
“Someone suggested early on that, if I was offered help, I should take it,” Denise says. “That was very good advice. It’s impossible to do it all on your own. It’s OK to delegate. The sooner you learn to delegate and outsource so you can focus on what brings you the best returns, the better for your business and for you.”
“Be true to yourself and your beliefs,” Lydia advises. “Don’t be tempted to adjust your way of doing things or your ideas to suit the status quo, otherwise you’ll lose your unique voice, which is what will make you stand out from the crowd.”
“Go for it!” Veronica adds. “Who needs bosses?”
Tell us…
Have you found working with a diverse team of architects particularly positive for your home renovation? Share your experience in the Comments section.
“I graduated from University College Dublin in 1997,” Denise O’Connor says. “I always wanted to be an architect – apart from a brief desire to be an air hostess after a flight to the States when I was six.
“When I was in college,” she says, “I remember a female tutor telling us she was one of only three women in her class during the 1970s. Things were a lot more balanced when I was there – my class was about 50-50 girls to boys.”