They met when they were 19 years old at the School of Architecture in the south of Spain. Albertina is from Sevilla and Maite from Córdoba. They were close friends and worked together on many occasions. They recently met again at MOB to develop a new project together.
Both are professional women, with an impressive trajectory and with so much experience. They chose a career where the male gender predominates. Fortunately, that did not stop them from doing what they like and now they are able to do it remotely, and independently.
A career in architecture is hard and long. Many hours are spent studying and designing, but above all, you need the support and help of colleagues. This is how twenty years ago, without realizing it, Maite and Albertina decided to rent an industrial warehouse with the same logic of what is now known as “a coworking space.” Visionaries? The truth is that at that time, they shared all the expenses with their other classmates. Something very similar happens today at MOB, where they also have met other architects.
Both agree that “working as a team always contributes [to personal growth], especially since you do not have to take care of everything. You are always learning from other people as well. If you do not have a complete profile, the other person compliments you”.
Architecture is a very complex profession, so it’s difficult for a single person to carry it
Maite takes a moment to reflect on “women and architecture.” “I have been working on site for many years, and I never had a difficult time being a woman. I always felt respected and I think this type of barrier no longer exists. At least that was my experience. However, I have coworkers who, at a certain moment, did notice it. You must learn to show that you have a voice, and a vote. In the end we are “the surgeons, we have the scalpel and we are going to do things”.
Albertina’s experience is different: “I have worked in other countries and depending on the country the dynamic for women in the workplace is very noticeable. I do not think the whole thing is resolved. I hope that little by little, with time this question will be dissolved. “
The truth is that “these architecture surgeons” still enjoy their work and recognize that their profession there is “a lot at stake, a lot of money behind, a lot of responsibility and that one can’t make decisions arbitrarily.” Now they have a new challenge ahead: a 5000 square meter building to refurbish in the Barcelona extension. Luckily, as they did twenty years ago in the “industrial warehouse,” they face this adventure within the MOB community that, of course, will be there to support them. ?
