Eva Franch i Gilabert

Eva Franch i Gilabert (born in 1978) is a Catalan architect, curator and educator who was the first female director of London's Architectural Association School of Architecture from July 2018 until she was fired in July 2020.

Career

Eva Franch i Gilabert grew up in Deltebre, a town 100 miles (161 kilometres) southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, working in her mother's hair salon before leaving to study architecture in Barcelona and Delft.[1] It is said a potential career as a figure skater had been cut short by injury at the age of 17,[2] after which Franch studied architecture, winning a fellowship at Princeton University in 2006, and continuing her career in the United States.[2]

Franch has taught at the Cooper Union School of Architecture, Columbia University GSAPP, the IUAV University of Venice, SUNY Buffalo, and Rice University School of Architecture.[3] In 2004, she established her own architectural practice, Office of Architectural Affairs.[4]

From 2010 to 2018 Franch was chief curator and executive director of the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York.[5][3] In 2014 she was selected by the US State Department[6] to represent the United States at the XIV Venice Biennale with the project OfficeUS, an experimental think tank for architecture practice.[3][5]

She was appointed - from a three-strong shortlist[7] - as permanent director of the Architectural Association in London in 2018[4] (succeeding interim director Samantha Hardingham).[2]

Following votes of no confidence in her leadership,[8][9] Franch was fired in July 2020 for "failure to develop and implement a strategy and maintain the confidence of the AA School Community which were specific failures of performance against clear objectives outlined in the original contract of employment."[10] Her dismissal came despite support from academics who wrote an open letter talking of "systemic biases" against women and of sexism, and accusing the AA of using "the pandemic for anti-democratic purposes".[9] Architectural magazine Dezeen reported tutor and alumni views that the failure to investigate allegations of bullying and sexism had damaged both the AA school and the architecture profession, leaving "a cloud over the school".[11] However, a retaliatory open letter from two AA tutors (Ricardo Ruivo and Will Orr) called the accusation of sexism "grossly uninformed", while other letters accused the AA of mixing the vote on leadership with "systemic issues" relating to its lack of diversity.[12] Franch herself remained silent, her PR consultant saying she could not comment for legal reasons.[12]

References
  1. Bernstein, Fred A. (27 March 2018). "Interview with Eva Franch i Gilabert". Architectural Record. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. Moore, Rowan (24 June 2018). "Architectural Association awaits its 'Spanish tornado'". Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. "Eva Franch i Gilabert". World Architecture Festival. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. Goldberg, Mackenzie (5 March 2018). "Eva Franch i Gilabert has been announced as the new Director of the Architectural Association". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "Eva Franch i Gilabert". Storefront for Art and Architecture. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. Capps, Kriston (4 September 2013). "State Department Names Curators for U.S. Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale". Architect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. Testado, Justine (15 February 2018). "Three candidates shortlisted in AA School of Architecture's search for its new director". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. Hopkirk, Elizabeth (2 July 2020). "AA director loses two votes of no confidence". Building Design. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  9. Block, India (3 July 2020). "AA director Eva Franch i Gilabert suffers vote of no confidence". Dezeen. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. Pacheco, Antonio (13 July 2020). "Architectural Association has fired Eva Franch i Gilabert". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  11. Ravenscroft, Tom (15 July 2020). "Abrupt dismissal of AA director Eva Franch i Gilabert leaves "a cloud over the school"". Dezeen. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  12. Strick, Katie (4 August 2020). "Architect wars: How Eva Franch i Gilabert's firing sparked a mutiny". ES Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
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