Womens Day Female Architects
“She Built This”
Celebrating women in homebuilding and design
While the phrase “behind every great man is a great woman” has long been echoed through history, when it comes to houses, quite literally, women have often been in front, with bricks in hand, paint on their clothes and that uncanny knack for knowing exactly where the couch should go.
As we celebrate South African Women’s Day, let’s raise a (tool)belt in honour of the women who have helped build not just homes, but cultures of care, creativity, and community.
From mud huts to modern masterpieces—ladies, this one’s for you.
Long before there were building regulations, Pinterest boards, or KitchenTok, women played an instrumental role in building homes. In many early societies, especially in Africa, building a house was considered women’s work.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, it was often women who shaped the mud bricks, thatched the roofs, and decorated the walls with natural pigments. Zulu women, for example, have long been admired for their intricate beehive huts (iQukwane) and their decorative wall painting in rural kraals. In West Africa, the Mousgoum women of Cameroon built sculptural clay homes called teleuk, complete with beautiful, functional geometric patterns that effectively cooled their houses long before electric aircon was invented.
And don’t forget the hearth!
Across cultures, the cooking fire wasn’t just for stew—it was the symbolic heart of the home, designed and tended by women.
Historical She-Roes of Construction
Let’s get into the blueprints of time. Did women get their hands dusty with “serious” building? Oh yes!
Hypatia of Alexandria (4th century AD) wasn’t a builder per se, but as a philosopher and mathematician, she contributed to early understandings of geometry and spatial design—basically the ancient version of an AutoCAD wizard.
Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt (1479–1458 BCE), one of the few female pharaohs, didn’t just lead her people—she built monumental architecture, including her jaw-dropping mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, which still stuns tourists and architects alike.
Take note: In Native American societies, Iroquois women built longhouses – communal dwellings made from wooden frames and bark coverings. They were also the owners of these homes. Talk about property empowerment!
Modern Mavens of Architecture – By Decade
Though her fame peaked earlier, Gray’s legacy as a pioneer of modernist architecture and furniture echoed well into the 1940s. Her E-1027 house is still admired for its clean lines and human-cantered design – think minimalist before it was cool.
Working alongside her husband Robert Venturi, Scott Brown was instrumental in redefining how we see urban spaces. Her co-authored book “Learning from Las Vegas” (1972) taught architects to embrace the everyday, the quirky, the neon…an approach that paved the way for postmodern architecture. (Fun fact – she was born in Zambia and raised in Joburg!)
Dubbed the “Queen of the Curve,” Hadid shattered gender stereotypes and concrete alike. She became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (in 2004, though her star rose in the 1990s). Her futuristic forms and impossible angles made her one of the most recognisable architects of our time.
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Present Day: Sumayya Vally (South Africa)
Yes, homegrown talent! Born in 1990, Vally became the youngest architect commissioned for the Serpentine Pavilion in London (2020). Her work focuses on cultural memory and spatial justice—blending the African narrative into global architecture with flair. She is the founder and principle of Counterspace.
The Domestic Goddess of Interior Design
If we must hand a golden tasselled cushion to one woman in the past 50 years who’s shaped our living rooms, it has to be Terence Conran’s not-so-silent design partner and later rival: Ilse Crawford.
Ilse made “comfort” cool again—championing emotional design, tactile surfaces, and homes that feel like hugs. Through brands like IKEA and projects with Soho House, she brought lived-in elegance to the masses.
Local talent
But wait—South Africa has had its own homegrown legends too! Think of Sumien Brink, founding editor of VISI Magazine, who showcased local, lekker design long before it was trending.
The unsung She-roes
Of course, there’s also every mother, gogo, auntie, and sister who ever made a house smell like Sunday lunch or insisted that scatter cushions have seasonal updates.
Young women, bold futures (So what’s next for women and homes?)
The future is not just about building houses. It’s about building inclusive, sustainable spaces that reflect our identities, cultures, and communities. Younger women today are climate-conscious and community minded, demanding green buildings, using eco-materials, and thinking long-term. They prioritise flexibility, designing homes that morph from WFH zones to zen dens. Where families can be nurtured and ideas can be developed.
Still the heart of the home
What’s more, they insist on emotional safety as much as physical safety. Homes must now reflect values like inclusivity, autonomy and holistic care.
With the rise of female-owned design firms, community-led architecture, and digital-savvy DIY creators (hello, TikTok home renovators!), we’re seeing a future where the definition of home expands to fit modern womanhood—dynamic, productively multi-tasking, and proudly personal.
The Magic of the Female Touch
Let’s face it. there’s just something about a home shaped by a woman’s hand. Whether it’s the scented candle that smells like lemongrass and possibility, or the throw blanket that just happens to match the cat, a female touch isn’t about gender roles. It’s about intention, intuition, and love.
Anyone can tile a roof, paint a wall, and plug in a fridge—but only a woman can tell you where the heart of the home beats, whether it’s around the kitchen island or in the sun on the stoep on a Sunday morning.
Homemaking magic-makers
So, this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the women who’ve built homes with mud and thatch, with plans and permits, with budgets and Pinterest boards, with love and grit. They’ve taught us that a house is just a structure…but a home? That can be any place where a woman works her magic.
