BEAT is pleased to introduce Women [RE]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures (Applied Research + Design, ORO editions), co-edited by BEAT Executive Member, Ramona Adlakha.
Published by ORO Editions/AR+D, Women Re[Build] discusses contemporary, topical, and important subjects related to gender, architectural education, and practice. It includes original essays and four interviews/conversations with leading international practitioners, educators, and feminist scholars including BEAT advisory member Shirley Blumberg. The majority of contributions are in the nature of position statements and advocacy. While the voices are diverse, the overall tone is intentionally polemical and activist; the editors believe that such a book is much needed in our field today and that this sense of urgency distinguishes it from contemporary and previous publications by and about women architects.
Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemic, Futures is exemplary in its mission to combine in one resource reflections on the renewal of feminist thought in architecture (Framing Stories), challenges to practice made possible by activism (Shaping Polemics), and portrayals of inspiring practitioners who pave the way for future women architects (Building Futures). The goal of this edited book is to increase the visibility and voice of women who everyday challenge the definition and practice of architecture. Women [Re]Build gathers words and projects of leading women thinkers, activists, designers, and builders who have dared to ask, “where are the women?” Where are the women whose architectural work should be celebrated and recognized for its courage and impact; who have cultivated female leadership while challenging the very principles of the discipline they represent; and who’ve asked the most difficult and rigorous of questions of those who build their visions?
About the authors:
Ramona Adlakha currently lives in Toronto and practices architecture at Diamond Schmitt Architects. She was born in Calcutta, India, speaks five languages and has been lucky enough to call multiple places across the globe her home. Ramona holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania where she co-founded Penn Women in Architecture (PWIA), received the Alpha Ro Chi Medal for professional merit and the William Melhorn Scholarship in architectural history and theory. Ramona holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Fine Art and Literary Studies from the University of Toronto where she was the recipient of the Government of Canada’s Millennium Provincial Laureate scholarship awarded for exhibited excellence in community involvement, innovation, and leadership. Ramona is an executive member of Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT) – a national movement across Canada promoting equity in design, a board member of the Penn-Wharton Club of Toronto and a LEED accredited professional. Ramona is deeply committed to promoting the incidence and visibility of women in design.
Ramune Bartuskaite holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a minor in Marketing from Miami University. During her studies, she also had the privilege of participating in exchange programs in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, U.K. At Penn, she co-founded Penn Women in Architecture (PWIA) and was a recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Medal for leadership, willing service, and promise of professional merit. She practices architecture at JKRP Architects in Philadelphia and serves as Chief Creative Director of Rise First—a non-profit for first—generation students. She is actively involved in the Philadelphia Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Philadelphia’s Green Building United. She hopes to be an advocate for more equitable, diverse and inclusive development within our cities.
Dr. Franca Trubiano is associate professor in Architecture at Weitzman School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania and a registered architect with l’Ordre des Architectes du Québec. Her research on “Fossil Fuels, the Building Industry, and Human Health” is sponsored by the Kleinman Energy Center. Her edited book Design and Construction of High-Performance Homes: Building Envelopes, Renewable Energies and Integrated Practice (Routledge Press, 2012), was translated into Korean and winner of the 2015 Sejong Outstanding Scholarly Book Award. She is presently completing a manuscript Building Theories (Routledge) which challenges late 20th-century definitions and practices of architectural theory. Franca was president of the Building Technology Educators Society (BTES) (2015); and a member of the Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) (2013-2016).
Other Contributors
Joan Ockman, Ila Berman, Mary McLeod, Despina Stratigakos, Marion Weiss, Sadie Morgan, Samantha Hardingham, Manijeh Verghese, Lori Brown, Julie Moskovitz, Annelise Pitts, Shirley Blumberg, Nicole Dosso, Winka Dubbeldam, Billie Tsien, Jeanne Gang, Margaret Cavenagh, Penn Women in Architecture (PWIA)