Francine Houben of Mecanoo participates in “Madame Architect Presents: Women Who Shape Our World” panel

Tue, Mar 26 - Tue, Mar 26  2024

As part of the 7 Stories Up at SNFL, Author Talks series at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Don’t miss!

Madame Architect Presents: Women Who Shape Our World, a conversation with Madame Architect Founder and Editor-in Chief Julia Gamolina, Susanna Sirefman, President of Dovetail Design Strategists, and architect of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, Francine Houben, Founding Partner of Mecanoo.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)
Event Center, 7th Floor
455 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Tickets available for in person and streaming: REGISTER

With this program, SNFL hosts the March 2024 installment of talks series “Madame Architect Presents.” Madame Architect  Founder and Editor-in-Chief Julia Gamolina will speak with the lead architect of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, Mecanoo’s Francine Houben, as well as President of leading architect selection firm, Dovetail Design Strategists’ Susanna Sirefman, on the foundations of both firms, how Mecanoo was selected as the design architect of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library project, the design of SNFL, and what lies ahead for architecture and for library design in 2024 and beyond.

Francine’s new book will also be available at the program: Mecanoo: People Place Purpose Poetry.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

About the speakers

Francine Houben is the Founding Partner and Creative Director of Mecanoo. Her work ranges from theaters, museums and libraries to neighborhoods, housing and parks. Each design is founded on the observations of people, location, culture and climate. This analysis amounts to designs that respond to current needs yet are also prepared for (un)predictable change. With her practice, she has gained international acclaim. She holds Honorary Fellowships of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Francine Houben was professor of mobility aesthetics at Delft University of Technology and also taught at the universities of Harvard, Yale and Mendrisio. As curator of the First International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (2003), she brought the theme of the aesthetics of mobility to the forefront of international design consciousness. In 2014, Francine was named Woman Architect of the Year by the Architects’ Journal and in November 2015 Queen Máxima of The Netherlands presented Francine with the Cultuurfonds Prize for her wide-ranging career. Francine was awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Université de Mons, Belgium (2017) and the Utrecht University (2016). In 2018, Francine received the BNA Kubus Award for her oeuvre; the International Prize, Prix des Femmes Architectes in 2019; and was distinguished with the TU Delft Alumnus of the Year in 2020. In 2021, Mecanoo and Francine were presented with the European Prize for Architecture.

Susanna Sirefman is the Founder and President of Dovetail Design Strategists, the leading independent architect selection firm. Dovetail provides pre-project strategy and design team development for civic, cultural, educational institutions and developers looking for world-class architecture and design excellence. Susanna draws from extensive knowledge of the latest design and building trends, providing her clients with unmatched access to both emerging and acclaimed talent in architecture. Trained as an architect at the renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, England, Susanna’s deep knowledge of the field informs her ability to advise on design, synthesize architectural concepts, and make architecture accessible to the public. Dovetail’s signature methodology and competitive selection process, tailored to each project, thoughtfully leads its clients to inspired architect shortlists and winning designs as they prepare for growth and enhanced visibility.

Julia Gamolina is dedicated to the built environment and to celebrating the extraordinary people transforming it. She is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Madame Architect, a digital magazine and media start-up focused on the women that shape our world. Trained as an architect herself and with a decade of experience across all aspects of design and business development, Julia stays engaged in professional practice as an Associate Principal at Ennead Architects and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute. In 2023, Julia was listed in the Wallpaper* USA 300, a list of the people defining America’s creative landscape. Julia also received the Special Citation from AIANY for her work with Madame Architect. Her writing has been featured in A Women’s Thing, Fast Company, Metropolis Magazine, and the Architect’s Newspaper. Julia has lectured widely, across college campuses such as Harvard, Mount Holyoke, and UCLA; at international conferences like the Women, Architecture and Sustainability Congress in Bogota and the 2023 UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen; and at events such as the New York Architecture Film Festival. She also organizes “Madame Architect Presents,” Madame Architect’s event series where she interviews architects in the spaces they designed.