Women Architects in the Modern Movement rewrites the history of modern architecture to elevate the often-overlooked female architects who helped build the movement. Starting with a theoretical analysis that situates women’s roles both in society and architecture specifically, Carmen Espegel examines the transition from women as objects to subjects at the advent of modernity. This theoretical basis is grounded through four case studies on pioneering women architects: Eileen Gray, Lilly Reich, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and Charlotte Perriand. Along with illuminating their lives and work, Espegel aims to help us examine and observe the world from a perspective where the feminine and masculine are not exclusive, so that we might learn from the past in order to build with dignity in the future.

Translated from the original Spanish by Angela Giral.

Carmen Espegel (b.1960) is a Spanish PhD Architect and Full Professor in the Design Department of the School of Architecture of Madrid at ETSAM-Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, and has lectured in the USA, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Portugal. Her research focuses on Women in Architecture and Housing. She leads the Grupo de Investigación en Vivienda Colectiva (GIVCO), a research group on collective housing; directs and teaches the Projects Design Module Housing Projects within the Master of Collective Housing (MCH) in Madrid; participates with Doctoral Dissertations on Housing in the School of Architecture of Porto, Portugal; and lectures Master Courses for the Master in Housing (MH) at the University Roma Tre, Italy.