List of women architects facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This article is about amazing women who have shaped our world through architecture! Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and other physical structures. These women have created incredible spaces, from homes and schools to famous landmarks, showing that anyone can make a big impact in this field. They have broken barriers and inspired many others to follow their dreams in design.

Architects from Africa
Pioneers in Asia
Architects from Australasia
- Australia's Leading Architects
- New Zealand's Architectural Figures
European Architectural Talents
North American Architects
South American Architects

Architects from Africa

Many talented women architects have emerged from Africa, creating beautiful and important buildings across the continent.

Egypt's Talented Architects

Shahira Fahmy (born 1974) started her own architecture company in 2005.

Kenya's Creative Minds

Eugenie Dorothy Hughes (1910–1987) was the very first female architect in Kenya and East Africa.
Emma Miloyo (born 1981) is a partner at Design Source in Nairobi. She was also the first female President of the Architectural Association of Kenya.

Niger's Visionary Designer

Mariam Kamara (born 1979) is from Niger. She founded her own architecture and research company called Atelier Masomi.

Nigeria's Architectural Stars

Olajumoke Adenowo (born 1968) is often called "the face of architecture in Nigeria" because of her influence.

South Africa's Innovators

Sophia Gray (1814–1871) is known as the first female architect in South Africa.
Kate Otten (born 1964) has her own company. She has designed community libraries and waterfront areas.
Nadia Tromp (born 1977) also runs her own firm. She focuses on healthcare clinics and community centers.

Uganda's Academic Architect

Assumpta Nnaggenda-Musana (born 1970) is an architect, urban planner, and a university professor.

Zambia's Global Influence

Denise Scott Brown (born 1931) was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). She is a very famous architect who now lives and works in the US.

Pioneers in Asia

Asia has been home to many groundbreaking women architects who have left their mark on cities and landscapes.

Armenia's First Architects

Anna Ter-Avetikian (1908–2013) was the first Armenian woman to become an architect.

Bangladesh's Leading Designers

Khaleda Ekram (1950–2016) was an architect, teacher, and researcher.
Marina Tabassum is another prominent architect from Bangladesh.

China's Architectural Trailblazers

Lin Huiyin (1904–1955) is known as the first Chinese female architect.
Xu Tiantian (born 1975) founded DnA Design and Architecture. She helps rural areas in China through her "architectural acupuncture" projects.
Lu Wenyu worked with her husband, Wang Shu. Their firm won the Pritzker Prize, a top award in architecture.

India's Design Leaders

Eulie Chowdhury (1923–1995) was the first woman to become a qualified architect in Asia.
Revathi Kamath (1955–2020) was a pioneer in using mud for architecture.
Anupama Kundoo (born 1967) is known for her innovative designs in Auroville.
Sheila Sri Prakash (born 1955) was the first woman in India to start her own architecture company.
Brinda Somaya (born 1949) won a UNESCO prize for restoring a historic cathedral in Mumbai.

Indonesia's Bamboo Innovator

Elora Hardy (born 1980) is a Canadian-Indonesian architect. She is famous for using bamboo in her designs.

Iran's Global Architects

Farshid Moussavi (born 1965) is an Iranian-British architect. She founded her own firm, Farshid Moussavi Architecture.

Iraq's Pritzker Prize Winner

Dame Zaha Hadid (1950–2016) was an Iraqi-British architect. She founded Zaha Hadid Architects in London. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, which is like the Nobel Prize for architecture.

Israel's Influential Designers

Lotte Cohn (1898–1983) was born in Germany. She was a pioneering figure in Israeli architecture.
Ada Karmi-Melamede (born 1936) designed many educational buildings.
Nitza Metzger-Szmuk (born 1945) is known for her work in preserving historic buildings in Tel Aviv.

Japan's Architectural Visionaries

Itsuko Hasegawa (born 1941) has run her own firm since 1979.
Masako Hayashi (1928–2001) was the first woman to win the Architectural Institute of Japan Award.
Toshiko Mori (born 1951) was the first woman to become a tenured professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.
Kazuyo Sejima (born 1956) co-founded SANAA. She won the Pritzker Prize in 2010.
Nobuko Tsuchiura (1900–1998) was the first woman architect in Japan.

Lebanon's Academic Leader

Amale Andraos (born 1973) is the dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Pakistan's First Female Architect

Yasmeen Lari (born c. 1941) is known as Pakistan's first female architect.

Singapore's Urban Planner

Cheong Koon Hean (born 1957) is an award-winning urban planner and architect.

Sri Lanka's Pioneering Woman

Minnette de Silva (1918–1998) was the first Sri Lankan female architect.

Taiwan's Architectural Pioneer

Xiu Zelan (1925–2016) was Taiwan's first female architect.

Turkey's Mosque Designer

Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu (born 1955) redesigned Istanbul's Şakirin Mosque. Her work received wide international praise.

Architects from Australasia

Australasia has produced many influential women architects, especially in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia's Leading Architects

Ruth Alsop (1879–1976) was the first woman to qualify as an architect in Victoria, Australia.
Brit Andresen was born in Norway. She was the first woman in Australia to receive the RAIA Gold Medal, a major award.
Louise Cox (born 1939) was honored for her services to architecture.
Marion Mahony Griffin (1871–1961) was one of the first registered female architects in the world.
Ellison Harvie (1902–1984) was the first Australian woman to graduate with a Diploma of Architectural Design. She was also the first woman elected to an Australian Architectural Institute council.
Beatrice Hutton (1893–1990) was the first female architect accepted into an Institute of Architects in Australia.
Phyllis Murphy (1924–2004) was known for designing the 1956 Olympic Pool in Melbourne.
Dimity Reed (born 1942) was the first female president of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victoria).
Florence Mary Taylor (1879–1969) was born in England but moved to Australia as a child. She was Australia's first qualified female architect.
Kerstin Thompson (born 1965) is a Melbourne-based architect and a professor of design.

New Zealand's Architectural Figures

Kate Beath (1882–1979) was likely the first female architect in New Zealand.
Lucy Greenish (1888–1976) was the first woman to be a Registered Architect in New Zealand.
Nancy Northcroft (1913-1980) was an architect and town planner.
Alison Sleigh (1898–1972) was the first New Zealand woman to become a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

European Architectural Talents

Europe has a rich history of architecture, with many women making significant contributions.

Albania's First Female Architect

Valentina Pistoli (1928-1993) was the first Albanian female architect.

Austria's Pioneering Designers

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897–2000) was the first Austrian female architect.
Liane Zimbler (1892–1987) was possibly the first European woman to graduate in architecture in Austria. She practiced in the United States until she was 90 years old.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Groundbreaker

Vesna Bugarski (1930–1992) was the first female architect in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bulgaria's Influential Architects

Victoria Angelova (1902–1947) built the first modern national art gallery in the Balkans.
Milka Bliznakov (1927–2010) founded the International Archive of Women in Architecture.

Czech Republic's Modernists

Eva Jiřičná (born 1939) moved from Czechoslovakia to London in 1968 and became very famous.
Milada Petříková-Pavlíková (1895–1985) was the first female architect in Czechoslovakia.

Denmark's Diverse Designers

Inger Exner (born 1926) worked with her husband Johannes on churches and restoration projects.
Dorte Mandrup-Poulsen (born 1961) has her own company in Copenhagen.
Lene Tranberg (born 1956) has designed many high-profile buildings in Copenhagen since 2000.

Estonia's Architectural History Makers

Erika Nõva (1905–1987) was Estonia's first female architect.
Valve Pormeister (1922–2002) was very influential during the Soviet era.

Finland's Functionalist Pioneers

Aino Aalto (1894–1949) was the first wife of Alvar Aalto. She used the Functionalist style and later focused on interior design.
Elissa Aalto (1922–1994) was Alvar Aalto's second wife. She designed the opera house in Essen with him.
Signe Hornborg (1862–1916) was possibly the first qualified female architect in the world.
Wivi Lönn (1872–1966) designed several notable buildings. She was the first woman to be granted the title of professor by the Finnish Association.

France's Award-Winning Architects

Katherine Briçonnet (ca. 1494–1526) oversaw the building of the Château de Chenonceau.
Odile Decq (born 1955) is an award-winning architect.
Anne Lacaton (born 1955) is a French architect and teacher. She co-founded Lacaton & Vassal.
Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999) was a visionary designer and architect who inspired famous architect Le Corbusier.

Germany's Innovative Builders

Anna Heringer (born 1977) is an award-winning supporter of sustainable architecture.
Lilly Reich (1885–1947) was a German modernist designer and interior architect trained at the Bauhaus school.
Emilie Winkelmann (1875–1951) was Germany's first independent female architect.

Greece's Design Leaders

Souzána Antonakáki (1935–2020) founded Atelier 66 in Athens.

Iceland's Building Designer

Högna Sigurðardóttir (1929–2017) was the first woman to design a building in Iceland.

Ireland's Award-Winning Firms

Yvonne Farrell (born 1951) co-founded the award-winning Grafton Architects in Dublin.
Eileen Gray (1878–1976) lived and worked mostly in France.
Shelley McNamara (born 1952) also co-founded Grafton Architects.

Italy's Influential Figures

Gae Aulenti (1927–2012) was an architect, interior designer, and industrial designer.
Lina Bo Bardi (1914–1992) moved to Brazil and became a Brazilian citizen.
Plautilla Bricci (1616–1690) was an architect and painter in Rome.
Elena Luzzatto (1900–1983) was the first woman to graduate from an architecture program in Italy.

Luxembourg's First Female Firm

Arlette Schneiders (born late 1950s) was the first woman in Luxembourg to have her own architecture company.

Malta's First Female Architect

Isabelle Barratt-Delia (born 1938) was the first Maltese female architect.

Montenegro's Pioneering Architect

Svetlana Kana Radević (1937–2000) was the first Montenegrin female architect.

Netherlands' Innovative Designers

Francine Houben (born 1955) is a founding partner of Mecanoo, a famous architecture firm.
Margaret Staal-Kropholler (1891–1966) was the first woman architect in the Netherlands.
Tonny Zwollo (born 1942) built 35 schools in Mexico and a large market in Ecuador.

Norway's Architectural Leaders

Lilla Hansen (1872–1962) was Norway's first female architect.
Kirsten Sand (1895–1996) was the first woman to graduate in architecture from the Norwegian Institute of Technology.

Poland's Notable Architects

Barbara Bielecka (born 1931) designed the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, Poland's largest church.
Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak (1920–2018) was the first woman to receive the Honorary Award of the Association of Polish Architects.

Portugal's First Female Graduate

Maria José Marques da Silva (1914–1996) was the first female architecture graduate from Porto's School of Fine Arts.

Romania's Early Architects

Virginia Andreescu Haret (1894–1962) was the first female graduate in architecture and the first female Romanian Architectural Inspector General.

Russia's Metro Designer

Nina Aleshina (1924–2012) designed 19 stations of the Moscow Metro.

Serbia's Award-Winning Designers

Jelisaveta Načić (1878–1955) was the first female architect in Serbia.
Ljiljana Bakić (born 1939) designed the award-winning Aleksandar Nikolić Hall.

Spain's Pritzker Prize Winner

Matilde Ucelay Maortúa (1912–2008) was the first woman licensed in architecture in Spain.
Carme Pigem (born 1962) is a member of RCR Arquitectes, which won the Pritzker Prize.

Sweden's Pioneering Graduates

Anna Branzell (1895–1983) was the first woman to graduate in architecture in Sweden.
Margit Hall (1901–1937) was the first woman in Sweden to graduate in architecture as a regular student.
Agnes Magnell (1878–1966) was the first woman accepted into the architecture program at the Royal Institute of Technology.

Switzerland's Early Architects

Lux Guyer (1894–1955) was the architect behind the SAFFA women's fair in Bern.
Flora Steiger-Crawford (1899–1991) was the first Swiss woman to graduate in architecture.

Turkey's First Qualified Woman

Leman Tomsu (1913–1988) was one of the first Turkish women to qualify as an architect in 1934.

United Kingdom's Influential Architects

Julia Barfield (born 1952) co-founded Marks Barfield Architects. She is known for designing the London Eye.
Ethel Charles (1871–1962) was the first woman to be admitted to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Dame Sylvia Crowe (1901–1997) was a famous landscape architect.
Dame Jane Drew (1911–1996) was an architect and town planner who supported modernism.
Patty Hopkins (born 1942) won the Royal Gold Medal, a prestigious award.
Edith Hughes (1888–1971) was probably Britain's first female practicing architect.
Kate Macintosh (born 1937) designed public housing in London.
Ruth Reed was the first female president of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 2009–2011.
Elisabeth Scott (1898–1972) was the first woman architect to win an international architecture competition.
Alison Smithson (1928–1993) was known for her Brutalist architecture style.
Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632–1705) is probably the first known female architect.

North American Architects

North America has seen many women architects break new ground and create significant structures.

Belize's First Female Architects

Esther Ayuso (born 1958) is the first female architect of Belize. She specializes in hospital design.

Canada's Architectural Leaders

Alexandra Biriukova (1895–1967) was the first woman to register with the Ontario Association of Architects.
Blanche Lemco van Ginkel (born 1923) was a Modernist architect.
Esther Hill (1895–1983) was the first female architect to graduate in Canada from the University of Toronto in 1920.
Phyllis Lambert (born 1927) is a famous architect and supporter of the arts.
Brigitte Shim (born 1958) was born in Jamaica. She is a founding partner of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects.

Cuba's Modernist Designer

María Margarita Egaña Fernández (1921–1975) was a Cuban modernist architect.

Dominican Republic's Pioneer Engineer

Margot Taule (1920–2008) was the first registered professional engineer and architect in the Dominican Republic.

Jamaica's First Female Architects

Nadine Isaacs (1942–2004) was the first female head of the Jamaican Institute of Architects.
Verma Panton (1936–2015) was the first female architect of Jamaica and the Anglo-Caribbean.

Mexico's Creative Minds

Tatiana Bilbao (born 1972) is best known for the Botanical Garden of Sinaloa.
María Luisa Dehesa Gómez Farías (1912–2009) was the first female architecture graduate in Mexico and Latin America.
Frida Escobedo (born 1979) is known for her 2018 Serpentine Pavilion design.

Puerto Rico's Conservation Expert

Beatriz del Cueto (born 1952) specializes in architectural conservation.

United States' Influential Architects

Diana Agrest (born 1945) is an architect and urban designer in New York City.
Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856–1948) was the first American woman known to work as a professional architect.
Denise Scott Brown (born 1931) is a very influential architect and theorist.
Emily Helen Butterfield (1884–1958) was Michigan's first licensed female architect.
Judith Chafee (1932–1988) designed residential buildings in Arizona.
Mary Colter (1869–1958) was the chief architect for the Fred Harvey Company.
Elizabeth Diller (born 1954) co-founded Diller Scofidio + Renfro in 1979.
Henrietta Dozier (1872–1947) was the first female architect in Georgia.
Beatrix Farrand (1872–1959) was a pioneering landscape architect.
Jeanne Gang (born 1964) is an award-winning leader of Studio Gang Architects.
Marion Mahony Griffin (1871–1961) was one of the first licensed female architects in the world.
Sophia Hayden (1868–1953) was the first woman architecture graduate from MIT. She designed the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition.
Anna Keichline (1889–1943) was the first registered female architect in Pennsylvania.
Fay Kellogg (1871–1918) was called "the foremost woman architect in the United States" in the early 20th century.
Florence Knoll (1917–2019) was a famous architect and furniture designer.
Maya Lin (born 1959) designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Julia Morgan (1872–1957) was the first woman to get an architecture degree at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
Mary L. Page (1849–1921) was the first American woman to graduate in architecture in the United States.
Nelle Peters (1884–1974) was a very productive architect in Kansas City.
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born 1950) is a co-founder of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company in Miami.
Eleanor Raymond (1888–1989) was a prominent architect in Boston.
Lilian Jeannette Rice (1889–1938) worked in California in the Spanish colonial style.
Theodate Pope Riddle (1867–1946) was the first female licensed architect in both New York and Connecticut.
Norma Sklarek (1926–2012) was the first black female licensed architect in the US.
Sharon E. Sutton (born 1941) is an African American architect and teacher.
Olive Tjaden (1904–1997) was the only woman member of the American Institute of Architects for many years.
Anne Tyng (1920–2011) was a close collaborator of famous architect Louis Kahn.
Beverly Willis (born 1928) was influential in design development, mainly in San Francisco.
Zelma Wilson (1918–1996) was active mainly in California.

South American Architects

South America has also seen many women architects making significant contributions to urban design and building.

Argentina's Architectural Figures

Diana Agrest (born 1945) co-founded Agrest and Gandelsonas Architects in New York City.
Alicia Cazzaniga (1928–1968) is best known for designing the National Library of the Argentine Republic.
Filandia Elisa Pizzul (1902–1987) was the first female architecture graduate in Argentina.
Susana Torre (born 1944) is a feminist architect and teacher who strongly supports women's roles in architecture.

Brazil's Modernist Icons

Lina Bo Bardi (1914–1992) was an Italian-born Brazilian modernist architect.
Carla Juaçaba (born 1976) received the first arcVision prize for Women and Architecture.
Carmen Portinho (1903–2001) was the third woman to graduate as an engineer in Brazil. She designed the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.

Chile's Award-Winning Designers

Antonia Lehmann (born 1955) was the first woman to receive the National Architecture Prize in Chile.
Dora Riedel (1906–1982) was the first Chilean woman to receive a degree in architecture.
Cecilia Puga (born 1961) is an architect, teacher, and director of the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

Colombia's First Female Architect

Luz Amorocho (1922–2019) was the first woman to graduate with a degree in architecture in Colombia.

Paraguay's Talented Partner

Gloria Cabral (born 1982) is a partner at the firm Gabinete Arquitectura.

Uruguay's Pioneering Woman

Giulia Guarino (1897–1985) was an Italian-born architect. She was the first woman architect in South America.

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