RIBA China ‘She is an Architect’ Exhibition

The ‘She is an Architect’ exhibition in Shanghai hosted by RIBA Business Information Consulting (Shanghai) Company Limited - RIBA China Chapter opened on 28 July. The exhibition is co-hosted by Meta Media and ZiWu. The opening ceremony was hosted by Enran Zhang, a key RIBA China Chapter committee member responsible for planning the exhibition and architect at Chapman Taylor, and Honorary Secretary of RIBA China Chapter.

The exhibition presents the accomplishments of women in architecture, of all ages, from across the world. It spans 124 years: from 1898, when Ethel Mary Charles became the first women architect to join the RIBA, to the present day. Curators use the perspective of women to share their growth, success, experiences, and stories and inspire the audience to examine and reflect on the "unconscious bias and differential treatment" that continues to exist.

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Guests on the opening night included British Consul-General, Chris Wood; British Council Area Director East China, Gill Caldicott; Acting Consul-General of Switzerland in Shanghai Istvan Kocsis and Swiss Consul General in Shanghai Cultural Section Deputy Head, Heidi Zhang. Together, they have helped to amplify the voices of women in architecture and promote the development of gender equality across the sector.

Ms. Azlina Bulmer, RIBA International Director, gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. This was followed by a keynote speech on gender equality by British Consul-General Chris Wood. Ken Wai, Global Design Principal Aedas, RIBA Council Member – Asia and Australasia Regions and Honorary Chair of RIBA China Chapter, introduced the curation of the exhibition and provided an overview of the content.

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Azlina emphasised that we need to draw expertise and experience from a much more diverse workforce at all levels. Consul-General Chris Wood flagged that architecture is still a profession dominated by men. Among the 48 Pritzker Prize winners, only 5 have been awarded to women.

This exhibition not only showcases outstanding designs led by women but also their research on cutting-edge design technologies. It aims to help raise awareness among professionals and the public and prompt action to remove forms of bias and discrimination. The work sits alongside personal messages from the architects.

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Chapman Taylor is exhibiting four projects:

Admission is free to the public and no reservation is required. It will remain open until 24 August.

Address:

Modern Studio Building 7, ZiWU 10 Middle Jianguo Road, Shanghai.

Opening hours 11:00 – 20:00 Tuesday – Sunday (last entrance at 19:00), closed on Mondays.

Please present a 72-hour-valid PCR negative test result to enter the exhibition.

Enran Zhang (BArch (Hons), MArch)

Architect, Shanghai

Enran received her Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) degree (ARB/RIBA Part I) at the University of Nottingham, and her Master of Architecture degree (ARB/RIBA Part II) at the University of Manchester.

Having worked in London and Shanghai for two years on prestigious Central London and Chinese mixed-use projects, she joined Chapman Taylor’s Shanghai studio in November 2018. Enran is also Honorary Secretary of the RIBA China Chapter.

Enran has strong conceptual design skills and expertise in parametric design. Within the Shanghai studio, Enran has participated in multiple high-profile architectural and masterplanning projects. She is currently the Project Coordinator for the Curio Chongqing Future Hotel, which will open in 2023.

Areas of expertise: Concept Design / Design Development / Parametric Design / Mixed-Use / Project Coordination