Archinect - News

Where the RIBA presidential candidates stand on key issues

2022-07-19T12:13:00-04:00

On July 26th, voting closes for the election of the next RIBA president. When the winner commences their two-year term as president on September 1st, 2023, they will be confronted with a list of burning issues across the UK’s architectural profession; and will be expected to publicly lead a response.

Some issues are specific to the UK context: a turbulent national political landscape, the soaring cost of indemnity insurance, and the implementation of new or upcoming UK laws on planning, construction, and emissions, to name a few. Other issues are specific to RIBA itself: an institution which has seemingly lurched from crisis to crisis in recent times, be it on accusations of inadequate diversity, election rule changes, or just this week, questions over a “buried” internal report on bullying.

These UK-specific issues aside, many of the challenges facing the UK professi...

Join Archinect for an important panel discussion, "Creating a More Diverse Future in A&D"

2020-11-04T15:46:00-05:00

Do the architecture and design industries represent the same diversity as the population it serves? This panel takes a look at this critical issue, and will address ways to make positive changes to ensure we push towards justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in A&D.

We invite you to join us for a special discussion this upcoming Monday, November 9th, from 1-2 pm EST / 10-11 am PST, featuring a panel of industry leaders that have dedicated their work towards reshaping our industry into one that better represents the communities at large.

Distinguished panelists include Karen Compton, Principal at A3K; Kimberly Dowdell, President at NOMA; Julia Gamolina, Founder at Madame Architect; Todd Heiser, Managing Director at Gensler; & Ann Rolland, Partner at FXCollaborative. The panel will be moderated by Paul Petrunia, Archinect's Founder/Director.

To RSVP for this virtual panel, please click the "reserve" button at this link. Space is limited and registration is required to attend.

...

Archinect adds diversity identification options to firms and jobs

2020-06-29T13:35:00-04:00

As part of a wider effort to increase the prominence and visibility of architecture firms owned and operated by diverse practitioners, including the work of BIPOC firms, Archinect has implemented new options for firms to identify as diverse. Firms will now be able to indicate if their owner(s) are Black, Female, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, disabled, or veteran.

Screenshot showing new filtering options when searching for firms with diverse ownership

This new set of options makes it much easier for potential clients, job-seekers, collaborators, and fans to locate firms representing diversity. Users are now able to filter their search results when seeking firms or jobs, using the new advanced search tools.

Screenshot showing new badge indicating diverse firm ownership

A few firms are already identified, and any firm with an existing or yet-to-be-created firm profile can select the appropriate identification options in the firm profile settings.

Firms that ele...

Fundació Mies van der Rohe launches 2nd Lilly Reich Grant for Equality In Architecture

2020-06-17T12:15:00-04:00

Marking the 135th anniversary of the birth of German designer Lily Reich, Fundació Mies van der Rohe presents its 2nd edition of the Lily Reich Grant for Equality In Architecture. Reich was Mies van der Rohe's close collaborator for many years and was a key player in the conception and execution of the Barcelona Pavilion and other projects. However, her legacy has historically been forgotten, overshadowed, and even non-existent.

This grant aims to promote the study of contributions to architecture that have been forgotten or suppressed as a result of discrimination. The grant also seeks to promote equal access to the practice of architecture as a whole.

This year's grant also includes a section for senior high school student research project centered around the same theme of equality and inclusivity. "We are thrilled to present the new call of the Lilly Reich Grant for equality in architecture, and we are especially happy to include the teenage community in this fight for equality t...

Virtual Architecture Events this week include a lecture, historical tours, film screenings, and a panel on pay equality

2020-05-20T09:12:00-04:00

Featured virtual event happenings today through Friday, from Archinect's Virtual Event Guide, are hosted by UCLA, the Chicago Architecture Center, ADFF, CCA, and RISD.

Are you hosting a virtual lecture? Presentation? Tour? Interview? Happy Hour? Submit it for consideration by clicking here.

Are you an expert in an arena that's especially important right now? Let us know if you would like to work with Archinect to host an online event.

Virtual Lecture with Tei Carpenter
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PDT
Join UCLA Architecture and Urban Design for a virtual lecture with Tei Carpenter, Founder of Agency-Agency, Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP. Carpenter’s design and research work has been supported by a number of international organizations including the New York State Council on the Arts and BMW Mini.
Click here to attend and/or register

CAC Live: A Tale of Two Fairs
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 P...

Happy MLK Day! Here's to celebrating equality and diversity in architecture

2020-01-20T15:08:00-05:00

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Today marks the 34th year the federal holiday has been observed, in celebration of the great civil rights leader. Dr. King fought against racial inequality through nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, seeking progress in the U.S. on matters of civil rights. Shortly after King's assassination, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, marking a step towards the "progress" King fought for.

The fruits of Dr. King's work can be seen throughout numerous facets of our society, and undoubtedly, progress is still being made. In architecture, we've seen issues of equality addressed, something only possible due to the foundations of early civil rights leaders like King. In celebration of this special day, here is a round up of some of Archinect's coverage on issues of equality, and the amazing people working to further progress in this area.

↑ A Black Architecture Education Experience

Demar M...

AIA approves new rules specifically addressing sexual harassment and sustainability

2018-09-12T17:54:00-04:00

The AIA Board of Directors have recently approved new changes to the AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to explicitly address sexual harassment, equity in the profession, and sustainability.

AIA 2018 President Carl Elefante, FAIA stated, “The architecture profession is at a threshold moment. The Board’s adoption of these changes provides us with another step toward ending sexual harassment in the workplace, advancing equity in our profession, and promulgating sustainable practices. I applaud the members who raised their voices to offer these improvements to the code, and the AIA delegates, Board of Directors, and National Ethics Council who acted on their concerns.”

You can find the full list of new and updated rules on the AIA's website here.

Fear of Commitment; A Look Back at the 2018 AIA National Convention

2018-07-13T19:01:00-04:00

On this week's show, Archinect Sessions episode 124, Ken and Donna look back at this year's AIA National Convention in NYC.

Listen to episode 125 of Archinect Sessions, “Fear of Commitment”.

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Download: this episode

NCARB releases current data on diversity in architecture

2018-06-21T15:25:00-04:00

The NCARB has recently released new data outlining the current state of diversity within the architecture field. The results show that while diversity among licensure candidates is improving, the rate at which non-white individuals are discontinuing their pursuit of licensure remains high. Findings also show that gender equity remained largely unchanged over the past year, with women still underrepresented in the field.

Racial and ethnic diversity along career stages. Image: NCARB 2018 diversity report.

“NCARB has spent the past several years updating and aligning our programs to remove unnecessary burdens while maintaining the rigor needed to protect the public,” said NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong. “A key area for us to address is identifying how pinch points along the path to licensure may vary for candidates from different backgrounds.”

Take a look at the NCARB's full report here.

Spatializing Blackness: Milton Curry on black aesthetics and urbanism

2017-12-11T15:05:00-05:00

Architecture, like contemporary art in the 1990s and legal theory a decade before, faces a critical moment in theory and practice. What do black citizens of major U.S. cities and global cities have to look forward to in the coming century in terms of urban conditions and their agency in determining how these conditions change and transform? What does an approach to cities that takes into account black agency, social codes and aesthetics have to offer to city-making as such?

CNN Style highlights USC architecture dean and CriticalProductive editor, Milton S. F. Curry, and his recent role as lead organizer behind Spatializing Blackness, a three-part panel discussion on "contemporary thinking and creative work related to black aesthetics, urbanism and the lived experiences of black bodies" at Design Miami 2017.

Listen to the Rethinking the City Through Blackness/ discussion from December 6, featuring David Adjaye, Amanda Williams, and Germane Barnes, below (click here for the full list of the 2017 Design Talks program).

Archinect also recently interviewed Curry — one month into his new deanship — as part of our ongoing Deans List series.

How social equality is linked to health, as manifested in the built environment

2017-08-29T14:13:00-04:00

Residents of the outer suburbs tend to travel much longer distances between home, work and the services they need daily. Getting around necessarily defaults to the car, which has serious long-term implications for health. Driving is particularly associated with extended sitting in a confined space and, as a result, not getting enough exercise each day. When poorer communities are located in areas of lesser amenity due to lower housing costs, this exacerbates their health problems.

The close correlation between socioeconomic status and health has long been out of question. The built environment and the environmental context serve as direct social determinants of health.

Due to lower housing costs, poorer communities are often restricted to residing in areas of lesser amenity that exacerbate the obstacles to mental and physical well-being—lack of quality services and infrastructure, scarcity of green space and long work commutes challenge health. Additionally, poor building design and construction, and the excessive noise that it causes, can significantly contribute to stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and sometimes even neighbor conflict and violence. What might appear as light threats, such as sleep deprivation which is linked to obesity, serve as risk factors for many chronic diseases.

While high-density living is increasingly trumpeted as “healthy,” health and well-being of poor communities in high-rise housing heavily depends on the specifics—geographic...

NYC becomes first city to provide free tampons and pads in public schools, prisons, and shelters

2016-06-23T14:19:00-04:00

Today, the New York City Council unanimously passed a set of bills requiring free menstrual-hygiene products in public schools, prisons, and shelters, making it the first city in the nation to pass so-called "menstrual equity" legislation. The city will budget for tampons and pads just like it does for toilet paper and hand soap.

"Tampons and pads are not currently covered by public-assistance programs and some school-aged girls stay home or use products longer than they should when they get their periods. Women in prisons face rationing and degrading treatment from corrections officers."

For more public health-related news, check out these links:

Why International Women's Day matters (for architects)

2016-03-08T15:45:00-05:00

You’ve probably heard that today is International Women’s Day. But what exactly is it? And why is it important?

For many in the global West, the significance of March 8th is probably a lot less familiar than, say, Mother’s Day. In fact, the holidays originated around the same time, during the early 20th century, at the nascence of struggles for equal rights and suffrage. But unlike Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day has always been explicitly political: a day to both celebrate women and to fight for emancipation.

A first iteration of Women’s Day was organized by the Socialist Party of America in 1909, but its international observance began properly in 1911 with large protests throughout Europe, albeit on different days in the different cities. In 1914, International Women’s Day was held for the first time on March 8. Sylvia Plankhurst, the great British suffragette, was arrested in front of Charing Cross on her way to deliver a speech at Trafalgar Square.

Then, on March 8, 1917, R...

Results from The Architectural Review's 2016 Women in Architecture Survey are... not heartening

2016-03-01T13:21:00-05:00

One in five women worldwide say they would not encourage a woman to start a career in architecture [...] dissatisfaction among women is lower in practices where a significant proportion of management are women, and in practices with regular career development reviews and/or mentoring schemes, with mentoring the better of the two. [...] Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of women worldwide say they have experienced sexual discrimination, harassment or victimisation during their career

Sigh. For more data on women in architecture, check out Archinect's Salary Poll.

Other related news:

Crowded skies: Sunlight as the new amenity for the super rich

2015-05-14T18:37:00-04:00

[...] shadows even turn light into another medium of inequality. Light becomes a resource that can be bought by the wealthy, eclipsed for the poor. [...] multimillion-dollar apartments in the sky will darken parts of the park a mile away. Enjoyment of the park in the park – a notably free activity in a high-cost city – will be dimmed a little to give billionaires views of it from above.

Editor's Picks #309

2013-04-02T11:00:00-04:00

Archinect was excited to announce a competition we're co-hosting with Designer Pages and the LA Film Festival. This competition seeks proposals for the interior design/layout of the VIP Director's Lounge for this year's LA Film Festival. The winner will have their design executed, with a cash prize and an "Industry Badge" pass to the LA Film Festival in June. The winner's designs will also be on display in the director's lounge throughout the festival.

News
The Architect’s Journal reported that Denise Scott Brown has called for her role in Robert Venturi’s 1991 win to be acknowledged retrospectively as a salute to "the notion of joint creativity" and retrospectively acknowledge her role in Robert Venturi’s 1991 Pritzker Prize during an AJ Women in Architecture luncheon in late March. Since, nearly 2,000 advocates have passionately rallied in Brown’s support by signing an online petition created by Harvard’s GSD Woman in Design Group. Among the signatures include architects Zaha...

Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review Majority Abstains from Chick-fil-A Vote

2012-08-10T11:40:00-04:00

The project received approval from the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) last year, but this week, with the plan returning for final sign-off on some late-hour landscaping tweaks, the board majority, for what appeared to be political reasons stemming from the gay-marriage flap, opted to abstain from voting on Monday.

Helene Schneider, the mayor of SB, and a proponent of marriage rights, says Chick-fil-A’s Architectural Approval Shouldn’t Hinge on Owner’s Politics.