Lighthouse is a housing project which aims to address the patterns of patriarchal dominance that persist in conventional dwellings by exploring an experimental approach to co-housing. Focusing on the issue of domestic violence, the research investigates the potential of architecture to facilitate healing processes and challenge existing housing norms. The lack of affordable housing, the crisis of care, and the disconnect between domestic and productive spheres leaves few suitable housing options for those who do not conform to traditional family structures. While some households can mitigate the challenges posed by current housing patterns, those in crisis, such as those who have experienced domestic violence, are particularly vulnerable to these limitations. To counteract gendered, social, and economic inequality, a paradigm shift in housing production is necessary if we are to move towards a caring city. By exploring alternative co-housing models, this project aims to contribute to this transformation and inspire a more inclusive and equitable built environment.

For centuries, women have been underrepresented in society and this has affected the built environment, where prevailing gender ideologies are translated into architecture. In the light of changing social patterns and developments in feminist debate, it’s important to understand and contextualize architecture in relation to gender. This paper aims to rediscover housing by two Icelandic architects, Högna Sigurðardóttir and Sigvaldi Thordarson, through the scope of feminist theory. Both architects were influenced by modernist principles, yet they had very different approaches to housing design. The goal is to explore how gender roles are represented within their residential buildings, and which factors may have influenced their design choices. Architecture is not merely a spatial science but includes social, political, economic, and cultural aspects. This understanding of architecture as a reflection of its environment leads us to examine the Icelandic context through the lens of feminist theory, in an attempt to expose the means of the architects.