Estelle Gagliardi
Estelle Gagliardi (1996 – ) is a swiss architect, art historian, artist and writer. Now working as an editor for Women Writing Architecture.
Motherhood
Motherhood can be defined as the state or experience of being a mother, characterised by the biological, social, and emotional roles associated with raising, nurturing, and guiding offspring. This role involves care-giving, providing physical and emotional support, and ensuring the development and well-being of children within a familial or societal framework. It is both a biological function—rooted in reproduction—and a cultural role, shaped by societal norms and expectations. It also happens to be that, in non-western contexts, motherhood is not only centred on the individual relationship between a mother and her biological child. Instead, it is often understood as a communal or collective responsibility. For instance, the concept of Othermothering challenges the Western idea of the nuclear family and the notion of the biological mother as the sole primary caregiver. The relevance of motherhood to architecture lies in its impact on the design, but mainly, the use of space. In communal contexts, where motherhood is shared among extended networks, spaces are often designed to support collective care-giving — courtyards, communal kitchen and multi-generational housing. In societies emphasizing the nuclear family, domestic spaces often prioritize privacy and individualisation, reflecting on the centrality of the biological mother in care-giving.