ARTH 270 Icons of Architectural History: Women Architects in Latin America

• Thursdays, 8:45 - 11:30 am
• Instructor: Marcela Torres Molano

When we think about the meaning of architecture, we often reduce it to buildings, physical spaces, and a purely technical approach to the construction of the built environment. During this course, we will explore architecture through the lenses of place-making and the act of caring for spaces by communities. For Indigenous feminist Julieta Paredes, space is where life moves and where it is nurtured. The land, the house, the streets are places where life develops. Because architecture has been a highly patriarchal profession, we do not usually talk about the role of women in charge of building societies. Our course will explore the work of women from Abya Yala (Latin America), who have created community spaces, and who have been instrumental in the protection of their territories. We will review the work of women who are developing neighbourhoods, community places, artworks and cities, to create an extended concept of architecture that includes the relation between spaces and the nurture of life.