What’s next for women in architecture?

RIBA and VitrA tarafından düzenlenen etkinlikte; Sadie Morgan ve Melkan Gürsel, mimarlıkta liderlik ve cinsiyet eşitliği konularını tartışacak. Etkinlik, 24 Mart'ta BMA House'ta gerçekleşecek.

Join internationally acclaimed leaders in architecture, Sadie Morgan OBE and Melkan Gürsel, for an evening of insight, inspiration, and honest conversation about gender equity and representation in architecture today.

In conversation, Sadie and Melkan will share career-defining projects, and discuss their experiences co-founding and leading major practices across the cultural and professional landscapes of the UK and Turkey, as women in a profession that is still far from equal.

Sadie co-founded dRMM in the 1990s, taking it to the multi award-winning practice it is today. Melkan similarly joined TA_Tabanlıoğlu Architects as partner in 1995 and helped grow it into one of Eurasia’s most recognised award-winning practices. Both are passionate advocates and change-makers around gender equality, and both bring first-hand experience in leadership, design advocacy positions and infrastructure projects.

The event takes place during Women’s History Month, and follows the recent release of Build it Together, a landmark report we commissioned on women’s experiences in architecture, produced by the Fawcett Society. While gender inequality is not unique to architecture, its impact on who shapes our built environment – and how – is significant.

This event celebrates the remarkable achievements of women breaking down barriers, advocating for fairer futures, and asks how we can continue creating a design profession that better reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Who is this event for?

This event is for anyone curious about architecture, cities, leadership and building more inclusive futures in and beyond architecture. It forms part of our public programmes, bringing conversations about architecture and the built environment to all.

Event format

This event will be chaired by Head of Development at Ealing Council, Yẹmí Àlàderun. As an architect, Yẹmí serves as a board member of the Women’s Pioneer Housing association. She is a Mayor’s Design Advocate, supporting the Mayor of London’s Good Growth by Design programme, and a leading voice on equitable housing and inclusive regeneration. Yẹmí drives initiatives that prioritise equity, wellbeing and long-term positive impact in the built environment.

Yẹmi will lead a discussion with Sadie and Melkan about their careers, the progress made toward gender equality, and the work still to be done across the built environment profession.

You’ll then have the chance to ask questions during an audience Question and Answer session. After this, stay for a drinks reception and further conversation.

Melkan Gürsel – Int’l. Assoc. AIA, Principal Partner

Melkan is an architect and principal partner at TA_Tabanlıoğlu Architects, where she has shaped the practice’s vision for over three decades from Istanbul, establishing the studio as one of the region’s most influential architectural practices. Today, TA_ operates across five continents and has delivered more than 500 projects spanning diverse scales and typologies.

Melkan’s work is defined by thoughtful, contemporary solutions that respond sensitively to culture, climate, and place, layering modern interventions with enduring values. Her contributions have been widely recognised through major international distinctions, including ‘Europe 40 under 40’ and ‘Fifty under Fifty: Innovators of the 21st Century’, as well as multiple Architect of the Year awards in the Middle East.

Beyond practice, she produces installations for leading design events, serves on international juries, lectures internationally, and holds board positions at Istanbul Modern and the Baksı Museum. She is also a partner at the contemporary art gallery Galerist.

Sadie Morgan OBE

After graduating from Royal College of Arts at age 25, Sadie co-founded dRMM Architects. Winners of the RIBA Stirling Prize, dRMM became known for creating radical, sustainable, and socially useful architecture. This year, after 30 years in practice, Sadie stepped down to focus on new projects and advisory roles.

Sadie’s passion for design, sustainability, and social equity led to the creation of the Quality of Life Foundation in 2019, and more recently, Forefront—an initiative bringing art and culture to our struggling high streets.

Sadie has held a range of Non Executive Board and advisory roles, contributing to design, placemaking, and sustainability at a national level with organisations including the National Infrastructure Commission, Homes England, the Thames Estuary 2030 Commission, the Royal Commission for 1851, the Food and Farming Commission.