The second theme of the Parlour Reading Room explores inclusivity and diversity within built environment professions. With Denise Scott Brown’s essay, “Room at the Top? Sexism and the Star System in Architecture”, Marie-Louise Richards’ essay in Field Journal: “Becoming a Feminist Architect” and other read-watch-listen materials, we ask how status affects inclusivity within the architectural professions, what the profession would look like beyond binaries and how designers can interrogate biased assumptions.

In October 2021, the collection’s accompanying conversation guide led to an insightful conversation with Australian architect Kerstin Thompson and author, Marie-Louise Richards, which explored and challenged the gendered roles of care within architecture.