Making Space: Women and the Man Made Environment

Description

Making Space is about women's relationship to buildings and to the spaces between them. Originally published in 1984 it was a groundbreaking work of feminist design, and was the first text of second wave feminism and architecture to provide a full blown critique of the patriarchal built environment and outline alternative forms of feminist practice. With the recent surge in activism around gender and equality in practice, education and research, nationally and internationally, a younger generation is also showing a tremendous interest in revisiting and learning from feminist architecture and community-based practice from the 1960s - 1990s. The new edition comes with a new introduction written by many of the founder members.

Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative was set up in 1980 as an architectural practice and a book group that grew out of the Feminist Design Collective. They were one of the first architectural groups in Britain to take an overtly feminist stance in their way of working and designing, and in the projects they took on. Although there were as many as twenty members of the collective, initial members include Frances Bradshaw, Susan Francis, Barbara McFarlane, Anne Thorne, Julia Dwyer, Jos Boys and Benedicte Foo.

Matrix defined feminist architectural practice in twentieth century Britain: their influence however, resonated globally. They achieved this through publishing the first clear articulation of feminist design theory in Making Space. -- Chris Wall, University of Westminster Matrix has exerted a long-lasting international influence through their 1984 book Making Space. -- Dr Karen Burns, University of Melbourne ..the work of Matrix expanded the discipline's reach. Their work continues to inspire so many of us today. -- Prof Lori Brown, Co-founder of ArchteXX Syracuse University