Title: Feminism and Architecture: A Manifesto. An analysis of feminist theory
within Western architecture

Author: Louise Taylor

Year: 2018

Abstract: First conceived as an accessible guide to feminism within architecture, Feminism & Architecture: A Manifesto explores the disciplinary areas that contemporary feminist theory traverses. The primary goal of this project is to raise awareness within and outside of the profession about how feminist methodologies can change our perceptions of design, and our relationship with the built environment around us. The manifesto simultaneously analyses the patriarchal context within which gender intersects with the architectural
profession.

Dividing the project into six categories offers the reader a structure to follow, though all are self-sufficient enough to be perused at leisure, without the need for a more linear, hierarchical reading experience. The premise for this project stemmed from my experience as both a student of architecture and architectural practitioner. In both areas, it was clear that there were far fewer women and
minorities in positions of power – if any at all. This persistent gender imbalance within architectural production, practice and education is an issue that has remained prevalent despite considerable research and justice campaigns. Therefore the issues discussed and personal accounts assembled by this project have each been influenced or constrained by socially constructed chains of gender distinction, and their contributions offer this project an empirical narrative to follow. A new era of feminist critique is gathering momentum, ‘fourth-wave’2 feminism is colliding with a reinvigorated public interest in social politics. Consequently, the architectural sphere is only now beginning to shift its attention towards the dimensions of gender that are interwoven into the profession.