Women Architects

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 1 
Zaha Hadid
(Architect)
Zaha Hadid
11
Birthdate: October 31, 1950
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Baghdad
Died: March 31, 2016
Baghdad-born British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid is best remembered for her revolutionary and modern architectural designs, that involved abstraction and relied on curves. She won the Stirling Prize and was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize. She designed the Guangzhou Opera House and Rome's MAXXI Museum, among other marvels.
 2 
Neri Oxman
(Architect)
Neri Oxman
7
Birthdate: February 6, 1976
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Haifa

Neri Oxman is an American-Israeli designer best known for combining design, computing, biology, and materials engineering into art and architecture. She also serves as a professor at the MIT Media Lab, leading the Mediated Matter research group. Praised as one of the modern-time greats, Oxman was included in ICON's 20 Most Influential Architects to Shape Our Future list in 2009.

 3 
Maya Lin
(Designer)
Maya Lin
7
Birthdate: October 5, 1959
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Athens

Maya Lin is an American sculptor and designer whose competition-winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial earned her national recognition when she was still an undergraduate. Her life and career inspired an Oscar-winning documentary titled Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision. Maya Lin has won prestigious awards, such as the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 4 
Jeanne Gang
(architect)
Jeanne Gang
3
Birthdate: March 19, 1964
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Belvidere

American architect and the founder of Studio Gang Architects, Jeanne Gang is best known for her sustainable designs. The Aqua Tower in Chicago was designed by her and thus became the tallest building ever designed by a woman. She has also penned books such as Reverse Effect.

 5 
Gertrude Jekyll
(Horticulturist, Painter, Gardener, Non-fiction writer, Botanist, Architect)
Gertrude Jekyll
7
Birthdate: November 29, 1843
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: London
Died: December 8, 1932

Landscape architect Gertrude Jekyll was born into an affluent family and grew up in a refined environment, learning music and traveling. Initially interested in painting, she gave it up to focus on gardening when she developed eyesight problems. She built around 400 gardens and also collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens.

 6 
Julia Morgan
(American Architect and Engineer)
Julia Morgan
4
Birthdate: January 20, 1872
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: February 2, 1957

Julia Morgan was an American engineer and architect who is credited with designing over 700 buildings in California. She was the first woman to study at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the first woman to be honored with the AIA Gold Medal, which was conferred upon her posthumously. She also received a posthumous induction into the California Hall of Fame.

 7 
Mary Richardson Kennedy
(Architect)
Mary Richardson Kennedy
5
Birthdate: 1960 AD
Birthplace: Bayonne, New Jersey, United States
Died: May 16, 2012

Mary Richardson Kennedy, who was married to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the brother of Kerry Kennedy, was associated with green building practices and food allergy research in the U.S. She made headlines with her suicide in 2012. She was apparently found hanging in the garage of her Bedford home.

 8 
Rachel Lambert Mellon
(Art collector)
Rachel Lambert Mellon
3
Birthdate: August 9, 1910
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Princeton
Died: March 17, 2014

Horticulturalist Rachel Lambert Mellon, or Bunny Mellon, is best remembered for designing the White House Rose Garden. She was the wife of banking heir and philanthropist Paul Mellon. Apart from several apartments, she also owned a huge collection of paintings and artifacts, which fetched $158.7 million at a Sotheby's auction.

 9 
Denise Scott Brown
(Architect)
Denise Scott Brown
4
Birthdate: October 3, 1931
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nkana
Though Denise Scott Brown had mostly been known as the wife of postmodern architect Robert Venturi, she too was a talented architect. She also taught at UCLA and Yale. After Robert Venturi was announced as the winner of the 1991 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Denise snubbed the award ceremony in protest.
 10 
Tessa Kennedy
Tessa Kennedy
4
Birthdate: December 6, 1938
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Guildford

Tessa Kennedy is a British interior designer who works for prominent hotels, restaurants, multi-national corporations, clubs, celebrities, and royalty. She is credited with establishing her own company Tessa Kennedy Design, Ltd., which has received many design accolades. Tessa Kennedy made headlines in 1957 when she eloped with English portrait painter Bede Evelyn Dominick Elwes.

 11 
Dara Huang
(Founded the architecture and design firm Design Haus Liberty)
Dara Huang
1
Birthdate: 1983 AD
Birthplace: United States
 12 
Lilia Skala
(Architect)
Lilia Skala
4
Birthdate: November 28, 1896
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: December 18, 1994

One of the first female architects from Austria, Lilia Skala later also became a reputed actor, winning an Academy Award nomination for her film Lilies of the Field. She had also worked in Broadway plays such as Letters to Lucerne and in soaps such as Claudia: The Story of a Marriage.

 13 
Elsie de Wolfe
(Actor, Architect, Socialite)
Elsie de Wolfe
4
Birthdate: December 20, 1865
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: July 12, 1950

One of the first female interior designers of her time, Elsie de Wolfe was largely known for her anti-Victorian elements in her designs. She was also a professional stage actor and had also launched her own theater company. Her works include the Colony Club, New York’s first women’s club.

 14 
Eva Gabrielsson
(Swedish Author, Feminist, and Political Activist)
Eva Gabrielsson
3
Birthdate: November 17, 1953
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lövånger, Sweden

Swedish author, feminist, and political activist Eva Gabrielsson is also an architect who chiefly deals in house and office construction with sustainable architecture. She was a partner of Swedish author Stieg Larsson till his death. Apparently, they never married to keep their whereabouts a secret from extremists.

 15 
Charlotte Perriand
(French Architect and Designer)
Charlotte Perriand
4
Birthdate: October 24, 1903
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: October 27, 1999

Charlotte Perriand was a French architect and designer known for her unique approach of correlating “the art of dwelling with the art of living.” She was interested in designing from a young age and received her training at the École de L'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. She worked with prominent Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier for several years. 

 16 
Lina Bo Bardi
(Architect)
Lina Bo Bardi
3
Birthdate: December 5, 1914
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: March 20, 1992
 17 
Kazuyo Sejima
(Architect)
Kazuyo Sejima
3
Birthdate: October 29, 1956
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
 18 
Lota de Macedo Soares
(Architect)
Lota de Macedo Soares
0
Birthdate: March 16, 1910
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 25, 1967
 19 
Hilda Taba
(Architect)
Hilda Taba
3
Birthdate: December 7, 1902
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kooraste, Estonia
Died: July 6, 1967
 20 
Gerdy Troost
(Architect)
Gerdy Troost
2
Birthdate: March 3, 1904
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany
Died: January 30, 2003
 21 
Lorena Ponce de Leon
(Architect)
Lorena Ponce de Leon
3
Birthdate: October 6, 1976
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
 22 
Lilly Reich
(Designer)
Lilly Reich
2
Birthdate: June 16, 1885
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: December 14, 1947
 23 
Aino Aalto
(Prominent Architect and a Pioneer of Scandinavian Design who Co-founded the 'Artek' Design Company)
Aino Aalto
2
Birthdate: January 25, 1894
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died: January 13, 1949

Prominent Finnish architect and designer Aino Aalto considered a pioneer of Scandinavian design, co-founded Artek design company with her architect husband, Alvar Aalto and others. She served as its first creative director and collaborated on most of its famous designs. It has been discovered that work of the Viipuri Library, which typifies 1920s functionalist architectural design, was completed by her.  

 24 
Pernille Vermund
(Member of the Danish Folketing)
Pernille Vermund
2
Birthdate: December 3, 1975
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
 25 
Gaetana Aulenti
(Architect)
Gaetana Aulenti
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1927
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Palazzolo dello Stella, Italy
Died: October 31, 2012
 26 
Yvonne Farrell
(Architect)
Yvonne Farrell
2
Birthdate: 1951 AD
Birthplace: Offaly, Ireland
 27 
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
(Architect)
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
3
Birthdate: January 23, 1897
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: January 18, 2000

Apart from being the first female architect from Austria, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was also a staunch communist and played a significant role in the resistance to Nazism. Her best-known work was the model known as the Frankfurt Kitchen, which led to the regular kitchen model found in Western homes.

 28 
Anca Petrescu
(Architect)
Anca Petrescu
2
Birthdate: March 20, 1949
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Romania
Died: October 30, 2013
 29 
Sophia Hayden
(Architect)
Sophia Hayden
3
Birthdate: October 17, 1868
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Santiago, Chile
Died: February 3, 1953
 30 
Aupee Karim
(Actress)
Aupee Karim
2
Birthdate: May 1, 1979
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Aupee Karim is a Bangladeshi actress, dancer, model, and architect. She is best known for playing Sathi in the 2004 comedy drama film Bachelor, which earned her the prestigious Bangladesh National Film Award under the Best Actress category. Aupee Karim has also won the Meril Prothom Alo Award on three occasions.

 31 
Jane Drew
(Architect)
Jane Drew
2
Birthdate: March 24, 1911
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Surrey, England
Died: July 27, 1996
 32 
Norma Merrick Sklarek
(American Architect)
Norma Merrick Sklarek
2
Birthdate: April 15, 1926
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States
Died: February 6, 2012
 33 
Nora Stanton Blatch Barney
(Civil Engineer, Architect, Women’s Rights Activists)
Nora Stanton Blatch Barney
2
Birthdate: September 30, 1883
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Basingstoke
Died: January 18, 1971

One of the first female engineers in the US, Nora Stanton Blatch Barney was also a leading suffragist and the granddaughter of women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was also the first woman to graduate in engineering from Cornell and sued the ASCE for denying her a full-membership.

 34 
Mariasela Alvarez
(Dominican TV Host, Beauty Queen, and Architect)
Mariasela Alvarez
2
Birthdate: January 31, 1960
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 35 
Minnette de Silva
(Architect)
Minnette de Silva
1
Birthdate: February 1, 1918
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kandy, Sri Lanka
Died: November 24, 1998
 36 
Lesley Lokko
(Architect)
Lesley Lokko
1
Birthdate: 1964 AD
Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland

Born to a Scottish mother and a Ghanaian father, Lesley Lokko grew up to be not just an architect but also an educator and an author. Her written works deal with themes such as politics, urbanism, and racial identity. After her debut novel, Sundowners, became a bestseller, she penned several other novels.

 37 
Louise Blanchard Bethune
(Architect)
Louise Blanchard Bethune
2
Birthdate: July 21, 1856
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Waterloo, New York, United States
Died: December 18, 1913
 38 
Suad Amiry
(Author)
Suad Amiry
1
Birthdate: 1951 AD
Birthplace: West Bank, Ramallah
 39 
Yoko Alender
(Estonian Civil Servant, Politician, and Architect)
Yoko Alender
1
Birthdate: June 13, 1979
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tallinn, Estonia

Yoko Alender is an Estonian civil servant, politician, and architect. From 2013 to 2014, she worked as an adviser on design and architecture for the Estonian Ministry of Culture. Yoko Alender is also a trained yoga practitioner and teacher. She is credited with founding the Estonian Institute of Buddhism in 2001.

 40 
Sylvia Crowe
(Landscape Architect)
Sylvia Crowe
0
Birthdate: September 15, 1901
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Banbury, England
Died: June 30, 1997
 41 
Marjetica Potrč
(Artist)
Marjetica Potrč
0
Birthdate: 1953 AD
Birthplace: Ljubljana, Slovenia
 42 
Rachel Wischnitzer
(Architect)
Rachel Wischnitzer
1
Birthdate: April 14, 1885
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Minsk, Belarus
Died: November 20, 1989
 43 
Ana Maria Duran Calisto
(Ecuadorean Architect)
Ana Maria Duran Calisto
0
Birthdate: 1970 AD
Birthplace: Ecuador
 44 
Lyubow Usava
(Architect)
Lyubow Usava
0
Birthdate: September 6, 1921
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Irkutsk, Russia
Died: January 2, 2015
 45 
Hana Elhebshi
(Activist, Architect)
Hana Elhebshi
1
Birthdate: 1985 AD
Birthplace: Libya