AA XX 100: AA Women in Architecture 1917-2017

This autumn sees the launch of AA XX 100: Celebrating 100 Years of Women at the Architectural Association. The project marks the centenary of the first intake of the school’s women students in 1917 and takes the form of an exhibition, accompanying book and culminates in a three-day international conference.

AA XX 100 represents the work of AA women, its graduates and teachers, who are among the most important architects and designers, educators and historians of the 20th-21st century; some are celebrated: Dame Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete, Farshid Moussavi and Patty Hopkins, and many others unrecognised. 

International Conference: AA XX 100: AA Women and Architecture in Context 1917-2017 (November 2-4, 2017)
The international conference AA Women in Context 1917-2017 takes place November 2–4 at the Paul Mellon Centre, London and includes presentations, panel discussions, distinguished keynotes, and an open jury. It will not only celebrate the centenary of women at the AA but also provide a platform to discuss the themes of diversity, collaboration, and what gender means today, in order to promote change across the discipline and move forward to the future.

Speakers include AA School Interim Director Samantha Hardingham and AA Council Past President and co-founder of dRMM Sadie Morgan, Architect Elsie Owusu OBE, as well as a discussion between the collaborative practices Matrix, Muf and Australian collective Parlour.

To purchase your tickets and see the full programme please visit: xx.aaschool.ac.uk/conference

Exhibition: AA XX 100: AA Women in Architecture 1917-2017
Celebrating the history, global reach, ambition and influence of AA-trained women, this free-to-visit exhibition includes paintings, drawings and models by the likes of Dame Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete, Julia Barfield and Patty Hopkins. Archival material and historic photographs shine light on the life of women at the AA since 1917 as well as the AA XX 100 Oral History Project—which offers an interactive collection of interviews with esteemed AA alumnae. The exhibition is designed by the architect and AA Council Past President, Eva Jiricna and the architect, Georgina Papathanasiou.

Book: AA Women in Architecture 1917-2017
Published by AA Publications and edited by Dr. Lynne Walker and Dr. Elizabeth Darling, the accompanying book considers the period from 1917-2017, offering an historical account of women at the AA and their subsequent work in architecture, design and education in Britain and the wider world. It includes original essays by academics, architects and writers, and a rich panoply of visual archival material.

AA Interim Director Samantha Hardingham said of the project “With AA XX 100 we wanted to highlight the impact the AA’s women students have had on the quality of architecture in Britain and the world over the last one hundred years. I’m immensely proud to be a former AA student, to work amongst so many incredibly talented women and men, and now have the privilege to be the first female director of the AA at this historic moment. Though much has changed since 1917, there is much that this work can do to inspire and inform future generations of women in architectural education, the profession and industry. I hope this project fires the imagination of all to continue to push boundaries both as women and architects.”

AA XX 100 sees the culmination of a collaboration between the AA and leading architectural historians Dr. Elizabeth Darling (Oxford Brookes University) and Dr. Lynne Walker (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), the editors of the book, curators of the exhibition and co-organisers of the conference. Together they have led over four years of research, talks and initiatives by women academics and students.