12 arhitektov bilten • architect's bulletin • 228 / 229 Iz arhitekture v življenje / From Architecture into Life The present issue of architectural magazine AB is the result of three years' work by the group Ženske v arhitekturi [Women in Architecture], active under the au- spices of the Chamber of Architecture and Spatial Planning (ZAPS) of Slovenia. The contributions in this special edition do not seek to uncover differences betwe- en the way women and men practise our profession, but chiefly to showcase the work of women architects, their competencies, potentials and diversities, and how by example, women architects introduce these qualities into the profession, the professional community, and the society at large. At the same time, we wish to inspire young architects of both sexes to responsibly and determinedly apply their knowledge for the benefit of the space and the society. The group Ženske v arhitekturi was founded after the exhibition Inženirke oblikuje- jo prihodnost [Women Engineers Shape the Future], organised by ZAPS in collabo- ration with female colleagues from Austria active in the Chamber of Civil Engineers for Styria and Carinthia. In the exhibition, fifty Austrian and thirty Slovene women architects presented their contributions to the development of the architectural profession. From 2018 onwards, the group Ženske v arhitekturi has been involved with the workgroup Women in Architecture within ACE, the Architects’ Council of Europe; from November 2019, it has been involved with the project entitled Yes, we plan!, funded by EU's Erasmus+ programme, as a partner organisation. An architecturally designed space is capable of establishing solid conditions for human habitation and activity. This is a key value of the architectural profession and its fundamental mission in the society. Us, women in architecture, wish to stimulate the debate in the professional community and the wider public in order to provide support for the necessary improvement in the conditions for the pursu- it of professional goals. In most European countries, particularly in Western Europe, women in enginee- ring professions continue to be in a position of inequality and are often not active in their desired profession despite their education. As part of ex-Yugoslavia, Slove- nia had been progressive in terms of women's equality even then, including as regards the architectural profession. The equality of sexes and the organisation of Slovenia's social structure have acted as support to women exercising their active social role to this day. Women in the profession nevertheless still face two key challenges: economic empowerment, and the quest for the balance between be- ing active in the profession and leading a family life. The research that we conduc- ted in 2019 under the auspices of ZAPS, which included an on-line poll on the equality of the sexes, revealed the existence of certain differences between archi- tects of the two sexes, yet most of them are a compounded expression of the issu- es pertaining to the professional community as a whole. Numerous discussions and discoveries prompted us to prepare a themed issue of AB on the role of women in Slovene architecture, from the pioneers to the present day. The accounts by renowned and esteemed women experts, architects, urban designers, and landscape architects of all generations - women whom we deem to have distinguished and continue to distinguish Slovene architecture, space, Pričujoča številka arhitekturne revije AB je rezultat triletnega dela skupine Ženske v arhitekturi, ki deluje pod okriljem Zbornice za arhitekturo in prostor Slovenije. Prispevki te posebne izdaje ne želijo iskati razlik med delovanjem žensk in moških v našem poklicu, temveč predvsem osvetliti delo arhitektk, njihove kompetence, potenciale in pestrost, ki jih s svojim zgledom vnašajo v poklic, stroko in družbo nasploh. Obenem želimo navdihniti mlade arhitektke in arhitekte, da bodo tudi oni odgovorno in vztrajno uveljavljali svoje znanje v dobro prostora in družbe. Skupina Ženske v arhitekturi je bila ustanovljena po razstavi Inženirke oblikujejo prihodnost, ki jo je ZAPS leta 2017 organiziral v sodelovanju z avstrijskimi kolegi- cami iz Kammer der ZiviltechnikerInnen für Steiermark und Kärnten. Na razstavi je petdeset avstrijskih in trideset slovenskih arhitektk predstavilo svoje prispevke k razvoju arhitekturne stroke. Od leta 2018 je skupina Ženske v arhitekturi vključe- na tudi v delovno skupino Women in Architecture v okviru ACE (Architects’ Coun- cil of Europe), od novembra 2019 pa kot partnerska organizacija sodeluje pri pro- jektu z naslovom Yes We Plan!, ki ga financira EU-program Erasmus+. Arhitekturno načrtovan prostor lahko vzpostavi kakovostne pogoje za človekovo bivanje in delovanje, kar je ključna vrednota in temeljno poslanstvo arhitekturne- ga poklica v družbi. Članice skupine Ženske v arhitekturi želimo na svojstven način spodbuditi razpravo v strokovni in širši javnosti ter tako podpreti spremembe, po- trebne za izboljšanje pogojev za poklicno udejstvovanje. V večini evropskih, zlasti zahodnoevropskih držav so ženske v inženirskih poklicih še vedno v neenakopravnem položaju in pogosto, kljub izobrazbi, ne delujejo v svojem izbranem poklicu. Slovenija je bila v smislu enakopravnosti žensk, tudi v arhitekturni stroki, že v okviru nekdanje Jugoslavije napredna. Enakopravnost spolov in organizacija družbene strukture v Sloveniji še danes podpirata žensko v njeni aktivni družbeni vlogi. Kljub temu pa se ženske v stroki še vedno soočajo z dvema glavnima izzivoma, ekonomskim opolnomočenjem ter iskanjem ravnoves- ja med poklicnim delovanjem in družino. Raziskava s spletno anketo Enakoprav- nost med spoloma, ki smo jo v okviru ZAPS pripravile leta 2019, je namreč poka- zala, da nekatere razlike med arhitekti in arhitektkami vendarle obstajajo, a so večinoma potenciran izraz problematike celotne stroke. K pripravi tematske številke revije AB o vlogi žensk v slovenski arhitekturi od pio- nirk do danes so nas napeljali številni pogovori in spoznanja. Izpovedi uveljavlje- nih in priznanih strokovnjakinj, arhitektk, urbanistk ter krajinskih arhitektk vseh generacij, ki so po našem mnenju zaznamovale in še vedno zaznamujejo sloven- sko arhitekturo, prostor in oblikovanje ali pa so posebej prodorne v tujini, odstira- jo raznolike in nadvse zanimive izkušnje ter poglede na življenje in arhitekturo. Govorijo o odnosih med moškim in žensko, o specifikah ustvarjalnega poklica, o vlogi arhitekture in prostora v družbi, o ravnotežju med delom in zasebnim življe- njem, o bistvu, odgovornosti in prihodnosti arhitekture ter še o marsičem. Nastal je pisan mozaik razmišljanj o izzivih, širini in možnostih zahtevnega poklica, ki je do nedavnega veljal za izrazito moškega. Nizanje intervjujev po časovni premici hkrati osvetli spreminjanje vloge ženske skozi zgodovino stroke. Uvodnik / Leader Mika Cimolini, Polona Filipič Gorenšek, Irena Kirn, Špela Kuhar, Urška Kranjc, Špela Nardoni Kovač 13arhitektov bilten • architect's bulletin • 228 / 229 and design, or who have left a particular mark abroad - unveil diverse and most interesting experiences, as well as views on life and architecture. A vivid pat- chwork of reflections on the challenges, scope, and possibilities of this demanding profession, one until recently regarded as markedly male-dominated, has been created. They talk about relationships between men and women, the peculiarities of a creative profession, about the role of architecture and space in the society, the balance between work and private life, about the meaning, responsibility and future of architecture, and about much more. The way the interviews are arran- ged along the chronological timeline highlights the transformation of a woman's role throughout the history of the profession. Just how precious these accounts are was proven during the course of the project as circumstances prevented us from talking with some of the pioneers of Slovene architecture (Majda Dobravc Lajevic, Tija Badjura, Nives Starc, and others). he invited interviewees comprise a distinctive realm of creative endeavour within the architectural profession - a profession also ennobled by all those female individu- als, architects, urban designers, and landscape architects whose groundbreaking and targeted professional or scientific activities create important environments in various institutions, municipal departments and administrations, ministries, and faculties. There is no doubt that their contribution is equally significant for the quality of our shared space. Another important segment is the recap of the round table entitled Ostati ženska v poklicu, Izzivi arhitektk in inženirk [Remaining a Woman in the Profession: Chal- lenges of Women Architects and Engineers], which we organised in September 2021. In Plečnik's Garden in Ljubljana, we were joined by five exceptional visiona- ries: dr. Eva Boštjančič, mag. Violeta Bulc, dr. Alenka Rebula Tuta, dr. Renata Sale- cl and mag. Špela Videčnik, experts in diverse fields of business, finance, the psychology of personal life and work, networking, project management, and ar- chitecture. These fields do not pose a challenge only to women architects being that the challenge in question is more comprehensive. Our guests shed light upon the current issues of the architectural profession from the perspective of different, inspiring experiences and views. There is no end to opinions on the differences between women and men. There is an awareness of the general principles regarding the biology and sociology, but there are always exceptions. Both success and satisfaction are to be found in the exchange and a respectful confrontation of the difference of each individual's vi- ews, in the diversity of women and men, in complementation and co-operation. This is the message the women's stories wish to convey. We hope you find the accounts collected herein inspiring. Kako dragocena so ta pričevanja, se je izkazalo že med pripravo projekta, saj okoli- ščine niso več omogočale pogovora z nekaterimi pionirkami slovenske arhitekture (Majda Dobravec Lajovic, Rotija Badjura, Nives Starc ...). Vabljene intervjuvanke gradijo prepoznavni del kreativnega udejstvovanja v arhitekturni stroki. Plemeniti- jo pa jo tudi vse tiste posameznice, arhitektke, urbanistke in krajinske arhitektke, ki s svojim prodornim in usmerjenim strokovnim ali znanstvenim delovanjem ustvar- jajo pomembne miljeje v različnih institucijah, občinskih oddelkih in upravah, mi- nistrstvih, fakultetah. Nedvomno je njihov doprinos enako pomemben za kakovost našega skupnega prostora. Pomemben del je tudi povzetek okrogle mize Ostati ženska v poklicu – Izzivi arhi- tektk in inženirk, ki smo jo organizirale septembra 2021. Na Plečnikovem vrtu v Ljubljani smo gostile pet izjemnih vizionark: dr. Evo Boštjančič, mag. Violeto Bulc, dr. Alenko Rebula Tuta, dr. Renato Salecl in mag. Špelo Videčnik, ki so strokovnja- kinje z raznolikih področij poslovnega delovanja, financ, psihologije osebnega ži- vljenja in dela, mreženja, projektnega vodenja in arhitekture. S področij, ki niso izziv le za arhitektke, pač pa tudi širše. Aktualno problematiko arhitekturne stroke so osvetlile v perspektivi drugačnih, navdihujočih izkušenj in pogledov. Veliko je mnenj o razlikah med ženskami in moškimi. Znane so splošne, biološke in sociološke zakonitosti, a vedno obstajajo izjeme. Uspeh in zadovoljstvo tako tičita v izmenjavi in v spoštljivem soočanju raznolikih pogledov vsakega posameznika, v različnosti ženske in moškega, v dopolnjevanju in sodelovanju. To želijo sporočiti zgodbe žensk. Naj vas zbrana pričevanja navdihnejo. Mika Cimolini, Polona Filipič Gorenšek, Irena Kirn, Špela Kuhar, Urška Kranjc, Špela Nardoni Kovač