Black Turtleneck, Round Glasses

According to a recent American study, sexism and racism are so widespread in architecture that there is a distaste for these topics within the branch itself. What are the reasons for this exclusionary working culture? Even in Germany, most architecture graduates since the turn of the millennium have been female—but a large number of conventions and assumptions within the discipline make it difficult for women to remain in the profession. As a result, a great deal of highly trained talent is lost. Black Turtleneck, Round Glasses uses an intersectional feminist perspective to examine the structural causes that push women—and anyone else who isn’t a white cis man—out of the field. How can architectural teaching and discourse, as well as the industry’s self-image, become more diverse? Where are the experiences of a pluralistic society missing from the built environment? How can we bring about cultural change in planning and architecture?

Featuring an interview with the Dutch architect Afaina de Jong