METALCON '23! LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER OCTOBER 18-20, 2023

In celebration of the start of Women In Construction Week (WIC), we highlight “7 Bold Buildings Designed by Women,” as brought to us by Architectural Digest last year. These magnificent buildings bring some of the brightest female architects into light. Despite inequalities with their male counterparts in the architectural field, many women have not just survived in the male-dominated industry but have thrived. AD rounds up seven of the boldest, most culturally significant buildings around the world designed by women.

Aqua Tower in Chicago, Illinois (pictured above) – American architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang is one of the most exciting architects in the world today. She designed the Aqua Tower, a 859-foot tall skyscraper that was the third tallest building in the world to have a woman as lead architect.

The Lieb House, Barnegat Light, New Jersey – Designed by the husband-and-wife duo Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, the iconic house (which was completed in 1969) takes the extraordinary and places it in an ordinary environment. Everything from the massive number nine (indicating the address) to the flat roof (all other surrounding roofs are pitched), two-tone color scheme, and abnormally geometric windows allow this banal box to stand out through innovative design.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC – The American-born Maya Lin was awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom by then president Barack Obama.

Atlantis Condominium, Miami, FL – Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is an American-born architect who cofounded the Miami-based firm Arquitectonica. Plater-Zyberk is very much part of the New Urbanism movement that first took off in the 1980s. The concept is to design urban environments that promote environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighborhoods. 

Citroen Flagship Store, Paris, France – Manuelle Gautrand is a French architect who, with her Citroën showroom on the Champs-Élysées, found international recognition. Not only does Gautrand design stunning structures, but she also gives back to the next generation by teaching in universities across Europe and the United States.

METI Handmade School, Rudrapur, Bangladesh – German architect Anna Heringer is one of the world leaders in the sustainable architecture movement. Projects such as the METI Handmade School in Bangladesh prove that implementing local materials and traditions in design is not only good for the environment and regional culture but also high-minded design.

The Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan – The Centre is the work of the late Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-born architect whose untimely death in March 2016 shocked the architectural world. She was a trailblazer for women in the industry, and was finally recognized for her talents when, in 2004, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize. Hadid also won the Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011, and she received a RIBA International Award for the Galaxy Soho in 2013.

The focus of Women in Construction (WIC) Week is to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry. WIC Week also provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities.