Where are the women architects?

Sumita Singha OBE, RIBA, architect, teacher and author

How can the built environment be designed without the input of half the population? In spite of the significant number of women choosing to study architecture as undergraduates, once qualified, women remain in the minority. As professionals their expertise is often overlooked, their work devalued and their contribution to the canon forgotten. Yet women's work is critical to the sustainability of a profession that must aspire to design high quality buildings for the whole of society. How can architecture attract, recruit and retain women? And how can women find ways to thrive within it?

Thrive: a field guide for women in architecture (RIBA Publishing 2023) is architect, academic and author Sumita Singha’s latest book, based on the first ever practice-focused course about women in architecture that she led at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. This book references over 160 women architects and professionals from all over the world with projects, quotes and inspirational stories from current and historical women architects, co-professionals and students.

WiA event, 2022, 8 March 2022. © Boss Design

Sumita’s talk will focus on what women can do during education and work to help themselves and what support they need from practices and institutions in order to do this.

Sumita Singha is an award winning architect, teacher and writer. She founded Architects For Change, the Equality forum at RIBA. Singha has served on many RIBA committees for over 25 years and on the NHS Board for nine years. Sumita is a trustee of four built environment charities including the Architects Benevolent Society, and the founding director of Charushila, an environmental design charity. Sumita is the RIBA Board Trustee for Education. She has taught architecture for over 25 years. Singha is the author of many publications on architecture. She received an OBE for services to architecture in 2021.

The talk is chaired by Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar Trust.

This event includes a complimentary networking reception with the speaker and audience members following the talk.

Cover photo : Sumita Singha OBE, RIBA. Credit: Chater Paul Jordan