In a series of posts this week, we are sharing recommendations from the jmarchitects team about individuals or organisations who are seen as trailblazing or championing gender equality within the construction industry and beyond. Please feel free to share these with anyone you think they would be of interest to.

Lisa Rubython – Architect, Edinburgh Studio

“This book – Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez – has been on my to read list for a while…”

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Graham Miller – Associate, Edinburgh Studio

“There is an interview episode of the Building Talks podcast with the two female founders of LETI who are at the forefront of the net zero guidance. I just found it quite refreshing to hear a construction discussion on an important topic like net zero with all female voices.”

Building Talks Net Zero Podcast

Ian Alexander – Design Director, Glasgow Studio

“Eileen Grey was an Irish designer and architect whose professional career largely took place in France. In the 1980’s her furniture designs were reproduced by Aram and her reputation began to grow as a unique and original voice of 20^th Century design. Her masterpiece, however, was Villa E-1027 which remained in private ownership.

In the years after Eileen Grey lived in the house with Badovici, the house was visited by Le Corbusier and his studio. Le Corbusier’s Cabanon, or holiday hut, sat on the adjacent site so had a great awareness of E-1027 even adding it to one of his publications but unattributed to Grey. At one point a number of murals by Le Corbusier were added to the house which further blurred authorship. E-1027 was eventually sold off by Jean Badovici, desperate times followed with the house not being cared for and eventually lying derelict.

In the spring of 2019, I took a trip to Nice with the aim of visiting E-1027 which had just been recently restored. In many ways the restoration of the physical house also became the restoration of Grey herself.

In 2014 Marco Antonio Orsini wrote and directed ‘Gray Matters’ a documentary which shed a new light on all aspects of the Eileen Gray phenomenon. More information about the documentary can be found here,”

Gray Matters – The Documentary