Feminist Pasts and Female Futures

Title: Feminist Pasts and Female Futures: The Evolution of Ideas Within Feminist Architectural Practices in the UK

Author: Aisha Khan

Year: 2020

Abstract: Feminist architectural practice has progressed considerably in the past 60 years, the 1970s being the first preview for explicitly feminist spatial practices in the UK. Over time, the definition of feminism and its social connotations have adapted, but currently stands as the ‘advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes’. Feminist design principles stem from inclusive design, seeing a building’s occupants as people rather than just users of space.

This study outlines the evolution and transformation of ideas within British feminist architectural practices to assess the priorities of ideas within the field. Following this development of specific feminist practices gives an opportunity to track the evolution of ideas and their adaptation to changing social factors. Many of these practices share values, each with an ethos that lies alongside feminism and inclusivity in design, allowing them to evolve with these ideas at their core.
However, changes in social and political contexts have seen new ideas come in
an out of the feminist theory. I have therefore decided to investigate case studies
to draw parallels and identify differences throughout the decades. To summarise this evolution, this study analyses six key practices:
1970s: The New Architecture Movement
1980s: Matrix
1990s: muf
2000s: taking place
2010s: Tactility Factory 2020s: PRAXXIS