{"id":31130,"date":"2025-06-02T11:21:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T09:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/?post_type=exhibition&p=31130"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:21:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:21:57","slug":"the-womens-building-forum","status":"publish","type":"exhibition","link":"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/en\/exhibitions\/the-womens-building-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Women\u2019s Building Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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In 1980, a group of women working in architecture and construction come together to form the Women’s Building Forum (Kvinnors Byggforum). They want to reshape housing, put everyday needs in focus, and challenge a male-dominated industry by centring women’s experiences.<\/p>\n

Uninvited, they take part in the Boplats 80<\/em> exhibition in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm. With a full-scale model of the shared spaces in a multi-family building, they present alternatives to the era’s often anonymous housing environments. The installation is a colourful and comfortable protest. The hallway and entrance are elevated as social spaces where neighbours might meet, and every design choice – from tiles to plants – carries a larger message: architecture affects everyone.<\/p>\n

The installation attracts great attention, but also scepticism from the organisers: the Swedish Association of Architects. The action becomes the starting point of a long-term commitment to reimagine future housing and broaden who gets to shape the built environment.<\/p>\n

In 2025–2026, a full-scale reconstruction of Kvinnors Byggforum’s contribution to Boplats 80<\/em> will be on display in the ArkDes collection exhibition. Step into a pastel-coloured story of resistance, community, and the power to change.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

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\n Photo: \u00c5sa Liffner. 2025. CC BY.<\/i>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n
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\n Bo80, Stockholm. 1980. The Women\u2019s Building Forum (Kvinnors Byggforum). ArkDes collection.<\/i>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Who are the Women’s Building Forum?<\/p>\n

The Women’s Building Forum (Kvinnors Byggforum) was founded in 1980 as a network of women in architecture, construction, and planning. They sought to challenge a male-dominated industry and highlight how housing could be designed around everyday needs. Through actions, exhibitions, and public debate, they challenged prevailing norms of how we live and build. In 2021, the group changed its name to Alstra Byggforum.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

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Women\u2019s Building Forum in the ArkDes Collection<\/h2>\n \n

ArkDes\u2019s collection exhibition showcases Swedish architecture and design from the past 150 years. In a dedicated room, we delve deeper into a specific collection that has helped shape the built environment in Sweden. In autumn 2025, a full-scale reconstruction of Kvinnors Byggforum\u2019s contribution to Boplats 80<\/em> will be on display<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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\n The Women\u2019s Building Forum (Kvinnors Byggforum). ArkDes collection.<\/i>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n Boplats 80. ArkDes collection.<\/i>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"template":"","exhibition_category":[46,69],"class_list":["post-31130","exhibition","type-exhibition","status-publish","hentry","exhibition_category-architecture","exhibition_category-collection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Women\u2019s Building Forum - ArkDes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/en\/exhibitions\/the-womens-building-forum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Women\u2019s Building Forum - ArkDes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/en\/exhibitions\/the-womens-building-forum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ArkDes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T10:21:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/arkdes.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kvinnors-Byggforum-manifest-scaled-e1746447630206.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2377\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arkdes.se\\\/en\\\/exhibitions\\\/the-womens-building-forum\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arkdes.se\\\/en\\\/exhibitions\\\/the-womens-building-forum\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Women\u2019s Building Forum - 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