LGBTQ Architects
There are many LGBTQ Architects around the world who have made notable contributions to the design and building of iconic buildings and homes. Each has used their own personal design elements and style to create memorable architectural wonders. Many have applied their architecture skills to other artistic endeavors, such as painting and furniture design.
Louis Sullivan, a gay American architect, is often referred to as the 'Father of Skyscrapers' and the 'Father of Modernism'. He represents the inauguration of a long line of LGBTQ architects.
Many global architectural organizations include working groups of LGBTQ architects. For example, the American Institute of Architects sponsors an annual diversity conference focusing on the links between gender, sexuality, and cultural experience. This is an important step to establishing role models for the community within the profession, something which is currently lacking according to recent surveys.
The British Architectural Journal recently completed a survey of the UK's LGBTQ architects. What is interesting is that this survey showed architects being comfortable with being out at the workplace but not so in relation to their clients and at the construction site. This presents quite a conundrum for practicing architects and reveals that much work on tolerance must still be done in the profession. As a result, a new support and social network for LGBTQ architects was launched in the UK in 2016 – Architecture LGBT+. The organization points out that no architectural firm ranks in the top LGBTQ employers list in the country.
The epitome for an LGBTQ architect would be to design a building for specific use by the community itself. This includes community centres, homeless centres, medical facilities, and more. This raises the question as to whether being a gay architect influences the design process and output for the individual?
The architects who publicly identify as LGBTQ hail from countries as diverse as Brazil, Canada, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Great Britain, Mexico, the United States, France, South Africa, Cypress, and Germany. Simply click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Cypress
France
Germany
Great Britain
Mexico
Sri Lanka
United States
- Phyllis Birkby
- Alan Buchsbaum
- Ralph Adams Cram
- Barry Dierks
- Roger Ferri
- Bruce Alonzo Goff
- Jane Greenwood
- Matthias Hollwich
- Franklin D. Israel
- Philip Johnson
- Mark Kaminski
- Marc Kushner
- Pierre Charles L'Enfant
- Charles Moore
- Mark Pasnik
- Lionel Pries
- Charles Renfro
- Mark Robbins
- Paul Rudolph
- Stanley Saitowitz
- David Schwarz
- Robert A. M. Stern
- Louis Sullivan
See Also
- Notable LGBTQ Individuals in Real Estate and Property Markets
- Prominent Furniture Designers Who Identify as LGBTQ
- LGBTQ Interior Designers
- Notable LGBTQ Landscape Painters, Architects and Photographers
