Thrive: A field guide for women in architecture

“Thrive: A Field Guide for Women in Architecture” opens with contextualising the journey of early women design pioneers who are often overlooked, setting the stage for why uplifting marginalised voices matters even today. Speaking from experience, veteran architect and educator, Sumita Singha, reveals overlooked histories of remarkable yet marginalised talents, while reassuringly guiding budding creatives to find conviction, challenging the latent systemic biases still prevalent today.

Mirroring wider discourse, while more women pursue architecture education today, glaring gaps in representation persist at critical career points, as the ARB statistics reveal - only 31% of registered architects in the UK are women. Bridging diversity gaps through conscious inclusion is vital for an ethical sector, reflecting society's full creative potential.

In the “Context” chapter, Singha reveals the overlooked histories of many remarkable yet sidelined talents like, Marion Mahony and Minette da Silva, whose works showcased exceptional creative abilities similar to their male counterparts, despite facing societal prospects to conform to mainstream methods.

In “Education”, themes of discrimination and racial profiling exist, like the case of Maya Lin’s design prowess being questioned as she was singled out for being a young woman of Chinese heritage, despite winning a public design competition. Singha suggests mentoring connections to counter studio inequities, encouraging women to continue studying architecture.

In “Practice”, to avoid systemic prejudices in practice, many women architects collaborate to shape empowering narratives, while championing better compensation, work-life balance, and organisational support enabling retention and growth.

Heartwarming stories in “Projects” reveal conviction bridging struggles – as Tatiana Bilbao advances design solutions through collaborative construction models upholding people-first values over ego. Inspiring case studies provide insights into women-led firms’ guiding principles and design philosophy as well.

“Promotion” urges personal branding to establish professional ties, as Melissa Woodford advocates entering global design competitions to proactively challenge existing hierarchies that limit representation and advancement.

“Intersectionality” unveils complex layered struggles women architects face based on overlapping aspects of identity spanning age, ethnicity, religion and disability alongside gender. Customised equitable solutions crossing societal divides warrant deeper examination. Ultimately, prioritising empathetic, sustainable spatial approaches over individual notoriety offers a constructive perspective.

As Singha aptly says in the Afterword, “This book is only an introduction” to women's indispensable spatial contributions. Peppered with key takeaways and inspirational quotes, this well-introduced manual aims to help architects of all genders equitably thrive across career phases - an invaluable effort unpacking overlooked design contributions.

I enjoyed this book so much and learned from every single page! So well written, the author Sumita Singha, takes us in a journey exploring the past to understand the present of women in Architecture. It gives us a light at the end of the tunnel, optimism and hope.  It's a book that educates, inspires and guides the reader through a diverse and rich collection of stories of women architects from all around the world and stages in practice. I strongly believe this is a "must read" book for women architects. The book provides as well current data that show us not only about the percentages of male and female architects around the world but also the numbers that speak by themselves about the challenges we face as women in this beautiful profession. Beautifully written stories of struggle, challenges, achievements and success will definitely inspire present and future generations of women architects. Thank you Sumita for sharing such wealth of knowledge, advise and stories and to finish I would like to take some of your own words: ..." I am moved and inspired on the women on whose shoulders we stand", so thank you to all of you!