An innovative research project has focused on highlighting the contributions of women to architecture in Spain, covering the period from the democratic restoration until the economic crisis of 2008. Titled “Situated Glances: Women’s Architecture in Spain from Peripheral Perspectives, 1978-2008,” the aim of this work is to characterize and recognize architectural works by female authors, which have historically been relegated to the background.
Led by María Elia Gutiérrez Mozo at the University Institute for Gender Studies Research at the University of Alicante, this project boasts a multidisciplinary team that includes architects and professionals from various fields. Recently, this initiative was awarded the ‘Architecture Dissemination’ prize at the A&U Awards of the COACM for its application NAM, a tool designed to facilitate access to more than 500 documented works on the platform.
During the award ceremony in Cuenca, Ana Gilsanz accepted the recognition, emphasizing its importance not only for the application but also for the female architects whose works are now gaining visibility. NAM is part of a broader context of efforts to valorize and preserve the architectural history of women in Spain, relating their practices to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emphasizing the contemporary quality of architecture.
The NAM application uses geolocation technologies to offer users the option to create customized routes, which can be filtered by various criteria such as authorship, typology, and proximity of the works. Each entry on the platform provides details like the author, year of the project, photographs, and graphic documentation, thus improving access to information.
It is important to note that NAM is not only a resource for architects and students but also promotes gender equality by making visible the work of often forgotten female architects in dominant narratives. The project fosters a more inclusive understanding of architecture, highlighting technical, functional, and formal aspects characteristic of works by female authors.
In addition to its recent prize, NAM has been selected in the 2023 CSCAE Architecture Awards and recognized as one of the ten outstanding cases in the report “Culture in the Sustainable Development Initiatives” created by REDS-SDSN Spain. Therefore, the project not only documents but also serves as a key tool for dissemination and activism in the field of architecture.
