Odile Decq on women in architecture and 'narrow' teaching methods
– Odile Decq
French architect and urban planner Odile Decq has spoken to CLADglobal about the role of women in architecture and her concerns about the “narrow” way architecture is being taught.
“Things have improved a little bit for women in architecture since I started out, but not enough,” she said. “There are more and more women studying architecture, but there are very few actually working in the field of architecture, particularly as leaders of architectural practices.
“It’s such an important issue. When you think about the question of creating public space, women have to use it, to feel comfortable in it. A wide range of people need to be designing spaces, because a wide range of people use spaces.”
Decq also spoke about her views on the need for more freedom in the way architecture is taught.
In 2014, Decq opened an international architecture school in Lyon, France, mixing architectural teachings with other disciplines including physics, sociology, neuroscience and the visual arts. The Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture is based in a 2,200sq m (23,600sq ft) building designed by Decq in Lyon’s former docking area.
“I believe in teaching architecture alongside lots of other disciplines, because that’s how it was taught 100 years ago – a wide-open mind was encouraged,” she said. “Today architectural teaching has become narrower, more professional, and ill-adapted to change.
“This has led to architects who are trained to think about buildings as products. A building is not a product, it’s a place for people, for living, for society, for ‘leisuring’.
“Architecture is a way of thinking and acting in the world. We need to integrate many disciplines, to propose solutions for the world.”
In 2016, Decq won the Jane Drew Prize – part of the Women in Architecture Awards – for raising the profile of women within the profession. Recent projects include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, Italy; FRAC Bretagne in Rennes, France; and the Tangshan Fangshan Geopark National Museum in Nanjing, China.
The architect was interviewed for the latest issue of CLADglobal’s quarterly publication CLADmag, which can be read online, in print or on digital turning pages.
Other interviewees include Steven Holl, Alison Brooks, ABConcept’s Ed Ng and landscape architect Adriaan Geuze from West 8.
Odile Decq CLADmag The Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture Jane Drew Prize Women in Architecture AwardsOdile Decq among the judges as architecture competition launches for Egyptian Science City complex
FEATURE: CLAD people – Odile Decq
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
How Portugal’s biggest brewer enlisted the help of one of the country’s best known architects to turn two historic nature parks into thermal spa and nature destinations