NoVo Foundation is pleased to announce the shortlist of candidates for The Women’s Building International Design Competition. The selection of an architect for The Women’s Building is a participatory process designed to ensure that The Women’s Building is shaped by imaginative, inspiring and practical decisions, and designed by an architect whose mission aligns with that of NoVo Foundation and the women’s movement community.

The selection of an architect rests with NoVo Foundation, advised by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is composed of leading women in architecture, arts, and design, as well as activists in the girls’ and women’s rights movement:


The goal of the competition is to select an architect whose work will distinguish and transform The Women’s Building, while simultaneously satisfying the programmatic needs of non-profit advocacy and social change organizations, the broader community, and on-going operational and maintenance requirements. The first phase of the competition attracted 43 entries from a diverse, accomplished, and inspiring range of architects and design firms.

The short-listed candidates are (in alphabetical order by firm):

Shortlist