Architect and midwife.
And as such dedicated to designing birth environments.
CVArchitect and midwife. And as such dedicated to designing birth environments.
CV
In collaboration with Anna Heringer, Martin Rauch and Sabrina Summer, Anka realized the prototype of a new birthing room made of clay in 2020.
Today, Anka Dür is an independent midwife and architect, founder of The First Room and co-founder of IG Geburtskultur a–z. She leads her own architecture firm, Anka Dür GmbH, and researches with the Global Birth Environment Design Network (GBEDN). In 2024, she contributed to the Swiss pilot project Geburt 3000, designing its birth pavilion concept. Her previous work includes curating the exhibition birth culture at the Women’s Museum Hittisau, teaching at TU Wien, and appearing in the documentary In Your Hands (2023). She is currently involved in international building projects such as Casa Tortuga in Guatemala.
Anka Dür wants to set new standards in the design of birth environments. She believes: Once we understand the needs of women giving birth, based on that we will design other spaces for birth.
Architecture has an impact (on our health). And socio-structural factors play a significant role in the design of birth environments. Women's bodies have been subject to the patriarchal gaze for centuries. We should be born in spaces that provide well-being and safety. Self-determination and autonomy at birth are human rights.
