Jos Boys facts for kids

Jos Boys is an amazing person who works to make the world a better place through architecture and design. She's an activist, a teacher, an artist, and a writer. She helps people think differently about how buildings and spaces are designed.

She was one of the people who started the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative. This group wrote a book in 1984 called Making Space: Women and the Man-Made Environment.

Since 2008, Jos has been working with artist Zoe Partington on something called The DisOrdinary Architecture Project. This project helps disabled artists share new ideas about how to design buildings. They want to make sure everyone can use and enjoy spaces.

Her books, like Doing Disability Differently (2014) and Disability, Space, Architecture (2017), are very important for people studying this field. These books help others learn about how disability, space, and design are connected.

Jos Boys has given many important talks around the world. She has also been a visiting professor at different universities. In 2021, she was named one of the BBC’s Women of the Year.

Jos Boys' Career and Work

Making Spaces Better for Everyone

Jos Boys is currently a co-director of The DisOrdinary Architecture Project. This project helps explore new ways to think about disability in architecture. They work with disabled artists to create more inclusive designs.

Before this, she worked at The Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment, University College London. There, she led a course about learning environments. She also worked as a consultant, studying how learning spaces are designed.

Jos has written a lot about how teaching, planning, and building design all connect. She has taught architecture in many places, both in the UK and other countries. Her main goal is to understand how people use spaces every day. She wants to improve built environments for everyone, especially those who are often overlooked.

Education and Early Work

Jos Boys studied at the Bartlett School UCL. She earned master's degrees in Advanced Architectural Studies (1981) and Photography (2003). She also completed her PhD in 2001, focusing on how housing design affects daily life.

She started her career as a journalist for Building Design magazine. She also worked at the Greater London Council (GLC), writing guides about women and planning. She helped start the Women's Design Service.

Throughout her life, Jos Boys has been involved in many groups that support women and design. She helped create an exhibition about the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative at the Barbican in 2021. She also helps manage an online archive for Matrix, making their work available to everyone.

Sharing Knowledge Through Exhibitions

The Matrix online archive has been shown in many exhibitions around the world. These include "Found Cities Lost Objects" and "Chronos: health, access and intimacy." These exhibitions help people learn about the important work of the Matrix group.

Key Projects by Jos Boys

Designing for Inclusion

Jos Boys has led many exciting projects that focus on making spaces more inclusive. Here are some of them:

• Reimagining Disability, Access, and Inclusion (2024): This project created new ideas and stories about how to design for people with disabilities. It helps designers think beyond just basic rules.
• Seats at the Table (2023): For the London Festival of Architecture, Jos helped create temporary art installations in a London park. This project aimed to make public spaces more welcoming.
• Festival Pavilions for Theaterformen (2022 and 2023): She co-designed temporary buildings for a disability arts festival in Germany. These designs were inspired by "DeafSpace" ideas, working with Deaf architects and artists.
• Matrix Open Feminist Architecture Archive (MOFAA) (2020–): This is an online learning tool. It shares old documents from the 1980s to explore how bodies, spaces, and buildings are connected.
• Architecture Beyond Sight (ABS) (2018–): This project created a special architecture course for people who are blind or have low vision. It was a team effort with The Bartlett UCL.
• Disabled Artists Making Dis/Ordinary Spaces (DAMD/OS) (2017–2019): This project brought disabled artists together with design students. They worked on new ideas for architecture and interior design courses across England.
• Making Discursive Spaces (2008): This project helped disabled and Deaf artists work with interior design students. They explored new ways to create spaces at the University of Brighton.
• A Sense of Place (2007): Jos helped create audio descriptions of buildings for people who are blind or have low vision. This was part of special architecture festivals in London.

Professional Groups and Roles

Jos Boys is part of several important professional groups:

• Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative
• 2022 – Member of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advocate Network at the University of Westminster School of Architecture and Cities.
• 2021 – 2022 Expert for a study on The Future of Learning Design.
• 2017 – 2020 Visiting Professor at London Metropolitan University.
• 2016 – 2019 Visiting Professor at Ulster University in Northern Ireland.
• 2016 – 2018 Member of an advisory board on learning spaces at the University of Calgary, Canada.