Women in Architecture

Female architects are often less visible in the male-dominated world of architecture, though architectural achievements and breakthroughs by women have left their mark on society and the world we live in. With the new Women in Architecture exhibition, Copenhagen’s Danish Architecture Center is redressing the invisibility of women in architecture.

The show provides insight into Danish architecture history. Along with projects by Danish women architects such as Hanne Kjærholm, Karen Clemmesen, Lene Tranberg and Dorte Mandrup, it presents spectacular installations by international architecture studios like Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Helen & Hard and Ensamble Studio.

The Women of Danish Architecture

The historical part of the exhibition focuses on female Danish architects who played a decisive role from the 1920s until the 1970s in the conception, design and development of Denmark. It sheds light not only on the opportunities for those women at that time, but also on their legacy. In the archive, visitors will become acquainted with kitchen architect Ulla Tafdrup, who opened up the kitchen to the living room, thus forging a path for an open kitchen with dining area, and with architect Ragna Grubb, Karen Hvistendahl and Ingeborg Schmidt, who promoted the idea of the separate children’s room.

The Women Designing Today’s Denmark

Dorte Mandrup, Lene Tranberg, Lene Dammand Lund, Thea Christine Høeg & Christina Gimenez from Sexism in Architecture, as well as many other women, report in the exhibition on their experiences as female architects in contemporary Denmark. Should equality and equal opportunity in the industry still be on the agenda in 2022? Viewpoints on the equality debate vary: some had never considered that conditions for women could be different from those for men. Others believe that the topic of gender must be addressed. They are involved in the public discourse about gender issues and demand equality.

© Laura Stamer

A Room of One's Own

The exhibition builds on the 1929 essay A Room of One’s Own by the English writer and feminist Virginia Woolf, in which Woolf claims that in order to be able to create influential works, women must be financially independent. They must have space for themselves in both the physical and metaphorical senses. Three international architects, Tatiana Bilbao of Mexico, Siv Helene Stangeland of Norway and Débora Mesa of Spain, are presenting their works for A Room of One’s Own at the exhibition.

© Laura Stamer

© Laura Stamer

Visions of Future Generations

Four young female architects from the areas of urban space, design, building and the green transition will also have their say. They share the conviction that architecture can promote integration, diversity and security in the physical environment; they report on their experiences, aspirations and dreams.