Breaking Ground

Description

A ground-breaking visual survey of architecture designed by women from the early twentieth century to the present day

‘Would they still call me a diva if I were a man?’ asked Zaha Hadid, challenging as she did so more than a century of stereotypes about female architects. In the same spirited approach, Breaking Ground is a pioneering visual manifesto of more than 200 incredible buildings designed by women all over the world. Featuring twentieth-century icons such as Julia Morgan, Eileen Gray and Lina Bo Bardi, and the best contemporary talent, from Kazuyo Sejima to Elizabeth Diller and Grafton Architects, this book is, above all else, a ground-breaking celebration of extraordinary architecture.

Jane Hall is the inaugural recipient of the British Council Lina Bo Bardi Fellowship (2013) and a founding member of Assemble, the London-based, Turner Prize-winning collective.

“Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women marks and celebrates women’s roles in the architectural world, and presents a glorious visual manifesto of more than 180 exceptional buildings from around the world.”—ELLE Decoration

“Breaking Ground illustrates a diverse range of styles… Hall has selected striking images of prominent buildings… [and] less widely known gems stand alongside them… A compelling and visually powerful introduction to the strength and variety of the groundbreaking work of over a century of outstanding female architects.”—Morning Star newspaper

“Features more than 200 architecturally significant buildings around the world and celebrates the trailblazing women who designed them.”—Houzz

“…The breadth is impressively wide, shining a welcome spotlight on lesser-known names. Recent vocal campaigns have helped to highlight overlooked contributions of many women, from Denise Scott Brown to Madelon Vriesendorp, and this book helps expand the canon.”—RIBA Journal online

“Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, Raili Pietilä, Flora Ruchat-Roncati – just three of the many names I hadn’t even heard of, but about whom I’m now compelled to find out more, after flicking through the new Phaidon book, Breaking Ground… [and] there are many more such discoveries in this new book… The breadth is impressively wide, shining a welcome spotlight on lesser-known names.”—RIBA Journal

“We’re not at all surprised that some of the world’s most impressive structures were designed by women architects. This new visual survey celebrates their groundbreaking projects.”—Architectural Digest Online/Clever

“For the Grand Designs disciple.”—ELLE

“Breaking Ground celebrates women in architecture from the early 20th century through the present day with a detailed account of over 200 masterpieces around the world. Quotes from the likes of Eileen Gray and Elizabeth Diller provide inspiration from women of the past, present, and future.”—The Architect’s Newspaper

“A quick survey of the wide-ranging influence of women in the field, the book is a good jumping-off point that prompts deeper exploration.”—Architectural Record

“Breaking Ground is an ideal gift for a young woman unsure of a career direction that might bridge art and science. Hopefully this book will inspire more efforts to finally give women in architecture their just place at a welcome table.”—ArchNewsNow

“Eye-opening.”—Metro

“A celebration of some of the greatest female architects of the past century, Breaking Ground showcases the many profound contributions that women have made within the discipline.”—Broadway World

“A visual manifesto of over 200 richly illustrated structures by seminal figures and contemporary icons.”—Azure Online

“Breaking Ground reevaluates the authorship of buildings that have been wrongly attributed to men, and attempts to disentangle the often complex working relationships of architectural husband-and-wife teams.”—The BBC

“The often neglected achievements of female architects throughout the 20th century are celebrated here in 200 eye-opening images.”—The Metro

“Breaking Ground dispels the notion that projects by women have a particular aesthetic. There is no uniting thread of curved forms or soft lines through the projects chosen; the only commonality is the quality of the work presented. It makes this book deserving of a place on the coffee tables and bookshelves of many architects: men and women alike.”—Canadian Architect

Additional information