Archinect - Features

'Starting a Successful Woman-Owned Business in a Heavily Male-Dominated Industry Is No Joke': A Conversation with Open Studio Collective

2024-10-11T12:14:00-04:00

In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Allison Bryan, Founding Principal of multi-disciplinary design practice Open Studio Collective, based in Bozeman, Montana, and Ojai, California.

Trained in both graphic design and architecture, Bryan talks about the importance of establishing an open-minded approach to business, what it means to build success as a female business owner in a male-dominated field, and the qualities her studio looks for in new hires.

Climate, Justice, and Collaboration in Academia: A Conversation with Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Director Kate Wingert-Playdon

2024-09-23T12:25:00-04:00

At Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Kate Wingert-Playdon is building an academic culture grounded in collaboration. As Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture, Wingert-Playdon is engaged in a mission of encouraging cross-disciplinary interaction between architecture, planning, landscape, and beyond, in addition to encouraging and cultivating the views of communities beyond the profession.

For Wingert-Playdon, this emphasis on collaboration takes on a heightened sense of urgency when preparing students to tackle challenges of the present and future, from climate change to social justice to the demographics of the profession.

In September 2024, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with Wingert-Playdon as part of our Deans List series, to gain an insight into Tyler's approach to education, the student experience, and building a holistic curriculum. The conversation, lightly edited for clarity, is published below.

The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of Unconscious Bias, Tokenism, and System Justification

2024-08-20T15:18:00-04:00

This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system justification reinforce a status quo that marginalizes women and people of color. These complex and long-lived dynamics are unpacked through personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and contemporary research. By examining repeating organizational behaviors, we can better discuss the barriers that women and people of color face within the industry. I hope that the anecdotes act as a lens to another perspective to those without these experiences and give voice to those with similar.

Notes on Progress: Sixteen Women Discuss What It Means To Be Female in Architecture School

2024-05-02T12:59:00-04:00

The tides are changing for women in architecture schools in surprising ways. Female deans currently lead Harvard, Yale, Princeton, NJIT, Cornell, Syracuse, NYIT, CCNY, Cooper Union, and Boston Architectural College, among others. Despite the difficulties some of them have faced, no doubt, their impact has been felt in architectural education across the U.S. and around the world.

Jamie Chan asks, what has changed for women in the last few years? And what still needs to change?

A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow

2023-12-26T09:00:00-05:00

Archinect's Deans List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and chairs) to learn more about their pedagogical stances, academic perspectives, and what they envision for the school during their tenure.

SCI-Arc is an institution known for its historic and influential presence within Southern California's architecture and pedagogy. This legacy of progressive pedagogy continues with the appointment of Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow as SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs. During the Fall 2023 term, in an exclusive interview, I spoke Balliet and Gow, to discuss their new role and the observations they see for this incoming wave of undergraduate students.

ORA’s Oonagh Ryan and James Guillou Talk About Balancing Diversity With Specialization

2022-11-21T14:18:00-05:00

In this installment of our Studio Snapshot series, we had the pleasure of chatting with ORA, a Los Angeles-based boutique studio that has been steadily putting out exquisite designs since 2014 while picking up recognitions, among them the Emerging Practice Award as an AIA Los Angeles Presidential Honoree.

Founding Principal Oonagh Ryan, together with Associate Principal James Guillou, talks about the benefits of varied perspectives, balancing diversity with specialization as a small firm, and the joys of achieving good design by creatively turning constraints into unique opportunities.

The Fluidity of an Architecture Education: A Conversation with Tulane School of Architecture's New Director Emilie Taylor Welty

2022-11-08T08:48:00-05:00

"School is this great place where you can turn research into action, and that testing ground fosters creative, collaborative professionals who can implement positive change in the world," Emilie Taylor Welty shared during our recent Zoom call.

An architect, educator, and multi-disciplinarian specializing in public-interest design, materials, and detailing, her approach to practice and academia is rooted in collaboration and fabrication. As Tulane School of Architecture's new Director of Architecture, her extensive background in social design practices and equity building positions Taylor Welty as another exciting key figure in Tulane's academic leadership.

Celebrating Women in Practice: Archinect Highlights Architects and Female-led Firms to Follow

2022-03-09T07:47:00-05:00

Discourse surrounding women in architecture and its adjacent disciplines continues to grow and expand. With March honoring Women's History Month and this week's International Women's Day, let us be reminded that a woman's worth, intellect, and contributions shouldn't be reserved for a single day or month of awareness and celebration. Instead, let's continue to propel equity and intersectionality within practice, close the gender pay gap, hire women for their skills as practitioners not to check DEI boxes, listen to women as equals, and refrain from tokenization.

A continuous goal at Archinect has been to use our platform as a means to amplify and connect with various groups and voices, especially women in practice. In celebration of all female practitioners, today and every day below is a group of architects and firm leaders to follow via their firm profiles on Archinect and on social media.

'Everyone Talks About Silver Linings, It's Hard to Talk About Opportunities': A Conversation with Elizabeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle

2022-02-01T12:01:00-05:00

"In times of crisis and seismic moments come great opportunities for how you reshape who you are and how your employees view you. You begin to reshape your values, and for me, becoming a Managing Partner was an important time." These are the words of Elizbeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB). When we connected via Zoom on a Tuesday morning in January, our conversation developed into a wonderful chat about unconventional paths to architecture, her love for art history and adaptive reuse, and the importance of taking off your headphones.

Now that we're in the year 2022, practitioners continue to make efforts towards re-envisioning what a firm leader looks like. While women have resiliently changed and challenged the field of architecture for decades, Beyer Blinder Belle's Elizabeth Leber is no exception. “Any business leader needs to have empathy and the ability to identify with our clients and our staff,” expressed Elizabeth, “It’s important to remember that each...

Shepley Bulfinch Talks About the Post-Covid Office, Diversity, Firm Leadership, and Serving Both Employee and Client

2021-11-17T13:23:00-05:00

It's nearing the two-year mark since the pandemic forced businesses to stop, reassess, and plan viable steps for their employees and clients. The team at Archinect has kept close tabs on the industry and how the architecture community has been impacted as well as responded to drastic changes happening across the industry. As 2021 slowly comes to a close, we have spent time reaching out to firms to learn more about how offices are approaching adjusted workflows, staying connected to their teams, and how firms are staying transparent with their goals entering 2022.

For the latest post-pandemic installment of Archinect’s Studio Snapshots, we connected with Shepley Bulfinch's President and CEO Angela Watson, FAIA. Since the firm's establishment in 1874, it has survived "the Great Depression, multiple wars, civil unrest, and massive technological changes," as Watson shared. This level of business acumen and survival is met with progress in the firm's team, portfolio, and, most importan...

Perceptions of Safety: Weronika Zdziarska Questions Urban Design and Its Impact on Gender-Based Violence Experienced by Women in Cities

2021-09-27T11:43:00-04:00

How safe can one feel in a city? To be more specific, how safe do women feel in the city? While discourse around public space and the perceptions of women's safety in urban and rural areas have been an ongoing topic, one student utilized her appointment as the 2021 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship recipient to expand on these issues. Weronika Zdziarska's research proposal, "Don't Stay Out Alone: Addressing women's perception of safety and freedom in cities by design," focuses on urban safety and how better design strategies benefit the well-being of women as well as others. She adds, "special attention is devoted to design solutions that successfully evoke the sensation of safety and freedom."

Zdziarska explains the reason for her research stemmed from conditioning women around the world are all too familiar with when it comes to public spaces and cities. During our interview, she shared that her intention was to explore a topic important to her. She dives into her own exp...

Overlooked; A Reflection on Progress and Equality of Women in Architecture

2020-11-19T09:00:00-05:00

Recently I was asked to name female pioneers in architecture of the 20th century and how the industry has changed to become more inclusive. It was a quandary – I knew they were looking for an inspiring story with an upward trajectory. Architecture and design can appear as an idealized realm to the outside world.

A Conversation with Katie Swenson On Rebuilding Trust Through the Design of Safe and Healthy Spaces

2020-04-08T09:00:00-04:00

The question of the architect's role within the community has continued to grow and change in recent years thanks, in part, to the work of dedicated individuals like Katie Swenson. Her involvement and leadership within organizations like Enterprise Community Partners and MASS Design Group have enabled her to help redirect architecture’s creative and generative energies towards fulfilling social and community goals through projects that include the creation of affordable housing and healthful spaces.

Archinect was able to chat with Swenson and learn about her journey from comparative literature to architecture, housing, and community development. In addition, Swenson discusses what it means to be a community architect in the COVID-19 era and how two fellowship opportunities changed the course of her professional career.

"I went in with the question,” Swenson tells Archinect, “‘how can love and kindness be tools for community development?’ I came out appreciating the broader implicati...

"We are three recessions away from becoming extinct as a profession" – Evelyn Lee on Business Continuity During a Time of Crisis

2020-04-07T09:15:00-04:00

In our ongoing investigation of remote work, WFH, and alternative business models during this pandemic, we’ve focused heavily on techniques, approaches, and strategies firm leaders can employ with their staff. We’ve heard from professionals first-hand, learning from their personal experiences during this shift. These personal revelations have helped us connect as a community, seeing the challenge we’re all facing as a whole. But, this challenging season also presents us many opportunities. How can we move from merely trying to survive during this period to proactively positioning ourselves to be even stronger when it subsides?

In this piece we connected with Evelyn Lee, an architect, design strategist, and Senior Experience Designer at Slack. She is also the 2020-2021 Treasurer of the American Institute of Architects and the founder of Practice of Architecture, an organization devoted to recreating the way architects practice. We discuss the importance of focusing on business contin...

A Conversation with Julia Gamolina, Founder of Madame Architect

2020-03-08T09:04:00-04:00

When Archinect first met Julia Gamolina, we looked at her unique journey and how she navigated the complexities of professional practice early in her career. Julia graduated with a degree in architecture from Cornell University and kickstarted her path as an enthusiastic young designer. But soon, she realized the traditional path in architecture failed to capture her robust passions and interests. Ever since she was a young girl, Julia has had a wide range of interests and inclinations and, for her, architecture has served as the vehicle to fulfill those inherent characteristics.

Today, Julia continues to nourish one of the most potent platforms advocating for and celebrating women in architecture, Madame Architect, which she founded back in 2018. She has climbed the professional ladder, now sitting as Director of Strategy at the ever-growing Trahan Architects. I recently reconnected with Julia to discuss her career, expertise in communications, thoughts on women in architecture, an...

A Conversation with Audrey Sato on Fostering Hard and Soft Skills in Architecture

2020-01-07T12:27:00-05:00

For architect Audrey Sato, studying architecture may not have seemed like an obvious choice at first, but she eventually realized that her passion for sustainability and a desire to build in parallel with nature made her a natural fit for the job. Sato grew up in Hawaii, and after graduating with a double concentration in Visual Arts and Architecture Studies from Brown University, interned at architecture firms to start off her career.

The experience inspired her to pursue a Master's of Architecture degree at California Polytechnic State University Pomona. After her studies, Sato chose to start an independent practice, Sato Architects, not out of necessity, but because it was "a natural and practical thing" for her to pursue. If you ask Sato now, her plan at the time was to get going and find a way to "do it right later," a vision that, over nearly a decade of practice, Sato admits, "just kept working." Today, aside from running her own firm, Sato is a LEED-Accredited Professional ...

Thesis Review: Natou Fall Problematizes Superficiality in Architecture Through The Lens of Self-Expression and Self-Construction

2019-12-23T09:00:00-05:00

Thesis Review is a collection of conversations, statements, and inquiries into the current state of thesis in academia. Thesis projects provide a better understanding of the academic arena while painting a picture for the future of practice. Each feature will present a contemporary thesis project through the voice of those that constructed it.

This week, we chat with Natou Fall from Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and her thesis titled, "Shaping Face." Fall shares with us her path pursuing an architectural education. She gets candid with Archinect by explaining what it takes to push a project forward and shed light on how to rethink architecture's relationship to the cosmetics industry.

According to Fall she believes that in today’s society "cosmetics serve a purpose beyond spectacle and seduction. With the help of social media, Instagram in particular, we can see and understand that they are aligned with notions of individuality, self expression, and play ...

The Emerging Female Architects of East Africa

2019-10-16T13:09:00-04:00

The East Africa region—which includes the countries of Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda—is currently in the middle of a construction boom that is transforming the region’s built environment. According to Deloitte’s 2018 African Construction Report, the total number of building projects in East Africa rocketed up by 96-percent between 2017 and 2018, with a substantial increase of 167-percent in the total value of projects. The report also notes that China is directly funding 25.9-percent of the construction projects in the region, far outweighing investment from the various East African governments, which valued at 12.9-percent. How will this new wave of fast-paced development reshape the landscape of East African countries in the decades to come?

Since last November I have been living and working in southern Tanzania on a construction research project that looks into the effect of housing on family health. During...

The Gender Pay Gap in Architecture

2019-10-10T08:00:00-04:00

On both sides of the Atlantic there is a significant pay gap between men and women in architecture. In April 2019, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) issued new guidelines as it emerged that the pay gap in architecture is 15-percent in the UK. According to statistics from 2017, the pay gap is similar in the US, where it is 14-percent, with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) releasing similar guidelines in 2018.

What are the reasons for this, and why is it such a controversial subject?

In Focus: Helin Bereket Discusses Architecture's Emotions Through Photographs

2019-07-28T13:27:00-04:00

In Focus is Archinect's recurring series dedicated to profiling the photographers who help capture architecture and who make the work of architects look that much better. In this series, we ask: What is their relationship to architecture? How do they work? What are their goals when capturing buildings?

For this installment, Archinect chats with Berlin-based architectural photographer Helin Bereket. After receiving her bachelor's degree in architecture from Yildiz Technical University, Bereket realized that she could unify her passion for composition, form, and color through architectural photography. Now recognized for her keen eye toward visual content curation, Bereket uses the skills she learned in architecture school to blend the distinction between architecture and art. Showcasing photographs that are both beautifully isolating and visually provocative, Bereket's oeuvre is fueled by her spontaneity and ability to capture genuinely immersive images.

Glavovic Studio on Using Architecture as a Catalyst for Environmental Stewardship and Social Impact

2019-07-15T12:45:00-04:00

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, architect Margi Nothard uses her global heritage and upbringing as a keystone to leading her Florida-based practice Glavovic Studio. A practice whose values stem from community-based engagement, socially conscious designs and environmental stewardship, Nothard has helped transform South Florida. Through her work in urban planning projects, affordable housing, public art projects, and commercial projects, the studio has made a lasting impact in Florida. Leading her firm for twenty years, Nothard's enthusiasm for social change through good design has allowed her and her team to works like the Young Circle Arts Park and the Kennedy Homes.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Nothard shares her experiences of running a firm and what has changed over time. According to Nothard, "I was told after graduating to go somewhere where I could make a difference." After starting her practice 1999, Glavovic Studio has established itself as one of Fort Laude...

Deans List: UW's Renée Cheng on How Comprehensive Design Can Engender Inclusivity

2019-07-11T12:01:00-04:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the dean — giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment.

For this installment, Archinect spoke with current University of Washington College of Built Environments dean Renée Cheng. A licensed architect with years of experience working at firms like Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and her personal practice, Cheng-Olson Design, Cheng has specialized in researching the application of new technologies within the design and construction process while also helping to pioneer innovative project delivery approaches. In our interview, Cheng shares how these approaches can be applied to the wide-ranging curriculum of an integrated design program.

Deans List: Pratt's Dr. Harriet Harriss on Academia's Role in Preparing Architects of the Future

2019-06-24T12:07:00-04:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the dean – giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment.

For this installment, Archinect spoke with incoming dean Dr. Harriet Harriss. Deemed a trailblazer for her leadership and design innovation in architecture and academia, Harriss shares her vision for Pratt Institute's School of Architecture, and for academia's role in students' life, and the architectural community overall.

A Conversation With Jennifer Bonner: Architecture's Playful Provocateur of Practice and Pedagogy

2019-06-21T12:14:00-04:00

Understanding architectural practice and pedagogy is one thing; learning how to merge them together and challenge its idiosyncrasies is another. A name often associated with playful obscurity, Jennifer Bonner is a powerful force in the academic and practicing world of architecture. The Huntsville, Alabama native often thanks the city of Las Vegas for her interest in pursuing architecture, but owes much of her highly specific design aesthetic to her experience challenging design systems. Pulling influence and application from ordinary things outside of architecture, Bonner learned to embrace the every day in order to understand any object or task can be represented in architecture.

Pushing herself, her students, and the profession, Bonner continually finds ways to take risks and find new opportunities for discourse and disruption through playfulness and architectural representation. This week Archinect chats with Jennifer Bonner for an in-depth interview discussing the power of alter...

A Conversation with Pamela Tan, the Architectural Designer Challenging Malaysia's Design Perspective

2019-05-28T12:59:00-04:00

Studying architecture is a challenging yet rewarding transdisciplinary nature, according to Malaysian architectural designer Pamela Tan. Through her work, she explores architecture as a celebration of diversity and narrative. After receiving her architectural education from Taylor's University and the University of Greenwich, Tan set out to explore various ways the discipline of architecture can intertwine within other disciplines such as art, philosophy, social science, literature, and poetry. Blending the speculative with ethereality, movement, and patterns, Tan has used her multi-dimensional approach to design in ways that highlight community and alternative perspectives.

Challenging Malaysia's perspectives on the importance of art, architecture, and design culture, Tan has pursued these interests by merging these fields in order to recreate opportunities for architectural narratives in Southeast Asia. This week Archinect chats with Tan for an in-depth interview discussing influ...

In Focus: Ema Peter, a Master of Visual Narrative Through Light and Shadow

2019-05-17T13:10:00-04:00

In Focus is Archinect's recurring series dedicated to profiling the photographers who help capture architecture and who make the work of architects look that much better. In this series, we ask: What is their relationship to architecture? How do they work? What kind of equipment do they use? What obstacles have they encountered when working on these projects?

For this installment, Archinect chats with Bulgarian-born, Vancouver-based interior and architectural photographer, Ema Peter. A well-seasoned architectural photographer, Peter's detailed approach to capturing buildings has deemed her a household name in the architecture community. She has worked with the industry's most celebrated architects who praise her intuitive approach to photography. By blending her passions of photojournalism and architecture, Peter creates stunning visual narratives through light and shadow. Being a woman in the industry, she has learned to push through as an artist by challenging the mundane and tak...

A Conversation With Julia Koerner, Architecture’s Queen of 3D Fabrication

2019-05-06T12:00:00-04:00

From the runway to the big screen, and now the red carpet, Austrian architect Julia Koerner has set herself apart as a designer due to her relentless quest for 3D fabrication mastery. Quickly becoming a household name, Koerner splits her time running her practice JK Design GmbH and her role as a faculty member at UCLA's Architecture and Urban Design department. Her architecture background is nothing short of impressive, attending the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Architectural Association in London. During her studies, she was surrounded and influenced by the minds of Zaha Hadid, Wolf Prix, and Greg Lynn.

Koerner's prowess in digital computation transformed her into one of the industry's leading 3D fabrication designers. Archinect spent some time with Koerner for an in-depth interview discussing her start as a designer, working in fashion, teaching, and what it was like working on the Oscar-winning film, Black Panther.

The New Wave of Female Powerhouses are Pushing the Boundaries of Professional Practice

2019-03-08T09:45:00-05:00

The gradually increasing presence of a diverse range of practitioners across the architectural profession has provided a stronger platform for women to showcase their work, leadership, and innovation. In remembering the past, pioneering female architects such as Denise Scott Brown and Norma Merrick Sklarek have paved the way for women like Kazuyo Sejima, Dame Zaha Hadid, and Jeanne Gang to push the boundaries of representation in the field. Further, architecture's new class of female architects are learning from their predecessors and making moves for what architecture will become in 2019. With discussions of the #MeToo movement, equitable labor practices, and diversity weighing heavily on the field, the profession still has a long way to go.

Architects. Educators. Sisters. The Boston-Based Duo French 2D Discusses How Blending Practice and Academia Through Exploration Creates Community and Change

2019-01-23T11:18:00-05:00

Through the power of self-funded, self-initiated projects, Anda and Jenny French use their passions in graphic design, academia, and architectural discourse to produce thought-provoking work. As a smaller design firm, the Boston-based duo, French 2D, champion the importance of autonomy and prototyping. As educators, both approach practice and academia by creating opportunities for people to be candid and critical, valuing conversations based on questions of "What is it?" and "Why is it?"

For this week's Studio Snapshot, the sisters talk with Archinect about the importance of preserving a sense of autonomy in their practice, stressing that their approach leans more towards that of an art collective than a traditional architectural firm. Further, Anda and Jenny go on to discuss how the future of architecture is changing as it relates to their involvement in academia and as women in the field.

Happy International Women's Day! Here's a Look at Some Notable Architectural Accomplishments From the Past Year

2018-03-08T15:43:00-05:00

In fighting a long, uphill battle for a more inclusive profession, one way that women in architecture are making their well-deserved presence known is through the beautiful, inspiring buildings they create for cities around the world. In celebrating International Women's Day, Archinect rounded up a selection of stunning projects built within the last year and designed by woman-led architecture firms.