| | MARCH 20248homes ChroniclesFIVE BEST WOMEN ARCHITECTS: THE CHANGE MAKERS &THE TABOO BREAKERSThe landscape of construction and real estate is predominantly male dominated profession, where women not really want to work because of their preoccupied notion regarding the complexities of work in this sector. From the numerous reports and data which are predominantly flying in the industry shows that, lion's share of women joins academics as professors or lecturers, course co-ordinators after completing their study of civil engineering due to the social stigma regarding environmental and societal preoccupied notions which was infused due to the past precedence and dilapidated mind-sets.Gradually women are entering this new era of modern architecture and construction filled with vibrant enthusiastic mind and redesigning & redefining the entire scenario of the sector.Give wings to the bird which wants to fly! Fasten the chauvinism and deep rooted morality of patriarchy!! Women are born to be leaders!!The report of World Trade Center, which was published in January 2023, reveals, "In the domestic construction and real estate sector, which employs 57 million workers, 50 million of the people employed are men, and only 7 million are women". It also highlighted that, the informal women workers engaged in construction in India earn 30-40 percent less than their male counterparts. Gender discrimination is prevalent in real estate and construction sector. India only has 2 percent women executives in construction companies against UK's 14 percent and US's 7 percent."Owing to pre-existing notions, gender-based differential growth trajectories, bias, and exclusivity, the real estate sector remains a deterrent rather than a preferred sector for Indian women", -Aarti Harbhajanka Construction is the second largest employment generator in India followed by agriculture which is significantly bestowing great impact on GDP. Standing on the threshold of the New Year 2024, only 10 percent of the workforce in this sector is women, and there is a significant scarcity of women in technical and managerial roles, particularly civil engineers, architects, structural engineers, electrical engineers, maintenance and supervisorial staff. It was observed that only 1.4 percent of women are engaged in such technical roles within the industry and even lesser employ themselves in the construction industry.Brinda SomayaToday, I will discuss a few inspiring individuals who refused to let these obstacles hinder them from achieving their goals. Their unwavering determination and hard work have helped to bring about positive change in society. Her name is regarded as one of the most successful women architect and conservationists in India. After the completion of her bachelor degree in Architecture from Mumbai, She headed towards pursuing her master's degree from Smith College in Northampton, MA, US. After coming back to India, she started her career as a professional architect and established her farm Somaya and Kalappa Consultants (SNK) in 1978 in Mumbai. From the same college she received her prestigious Doctorate award for exceptional excellence in the field.She also received Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement from Indian Institute of Architects and her name was also nominated for the arcVision Prize. Her design always reflects four key feature sustainability, contextualism, innovation, and collaboration. She loves to showcase true essence of unfiltered nature where all the elements of the ecosystem take part to make the design look complete.She believes nature and society are connected with each other through an invisible string. We need to refurbish or refine the existing piece of art without overshadowing the traditional attributes of classical architecture. She loves to restructure the old buildings which are glorifying part of our Indian heritage. Her farm was appointed to restore and preserve the Rajabai Clock Tower in Mumbai originally designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
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