Archinect - News

Former acting Architect of the Capitol sues for employment discrimination

2024-12-06T16:05:00-05:00

Chere Rexroat, the ex-acting Architect of the Capitol who replaced Brett Blanton after a scandal involving personal misuse of the office and title, has filed suit against the agency alleging that she was unfairly passed over for a permanent Deputy Architect role during the new candidate search process this year.

According to Bloomberg Law's reporting, "The suit brings claims of retaliation, intimidation, sex discrimination, and sex plus age discrimination under the Congressional Accountability Act. In addition to seeking retroactive selection as deputy [architect], the complaint asks for backpay, damages, attorneys' fees, and costs."

The outlet also reported that Rexroat is involved currently as a defendant in a separate piece of of employment litigation pertaining to her time in office. Rexroat was replaced by the former Director of Engineering at Arlington National Cemetery, Thomas Austin, in June of this year.

‘Staggering’ discrimination and sexual misconduct levels in the UK architecture profession, ARB study finds

2024-11-20T19:01:00-05:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published research finding widespread discrimination and sexual misconduct within the UK architecture profession. The study, resulting from a survey of almost 900 individuals, reveals that architecture professionals experience higher rates of discrimination and sexual misconduct compared to other sectors such as academia and healthcare.

According to the research, over a third of all professionals working in architecture have experienced insults, stereotypes, or jokes relating to protected characteristics. One in four female professionals has experienced unwelcome sexual advances, while a third of professionals would not feel confident raising concerns if they experienced or observed misconduct.

On the specific topic of misconduct in the profession, 41% of respondents have experienced bullying while 33% have experienced discrimination. 10% have experienced sexual misconduct. In addition, 38% have experienced insults, stereotypes, or ...

University of Oregon opens fellowship for design and spatial justice

2024-04-03T12:19:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Curator of the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for Visiting Faculty Fellowships in Design for Spatial Justice at the University of Oregon, an Archinect Partner School.

The roles, based in Eugene and Portland, call for individuals to teach six courses per year on the topics of environmental, social, and spatial justice in design. “We particularly encourage applications from candidates who are interested in teaching questions in spatial justice at the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, indigenousness, sexuality, and economic inequality and who are interested in teaching innovation design/research methods with a focus on architectural design studio,” the university says about the fellowship opportunities.

Docomomo US stands against 'anti-diversity' policies, reinforces values for upcoming Florida symposium

2024-01-16T12:23:00-05:00

Docomomo US has issued a statement clarifying its stance on issues that have been raised in advance of its 2024 National Symposium in Coral Gables, Florida.

The group’s decision to host its annual event in the Miami area had come under scrutiny over the state’s pursuit of “anti-diversity” measures in the past year. The symposium will now continue with a renewed focus on sharing stories that can relate to the experiences of those communities targeted by lawmakers, organizers say. Their statement joins a prior call from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) outlining the detrimental impacts such "anti-woke" policies could have in the architectural education realm in places such as Arkansas, Iowa, South Dakota, and Virginia.

Other new laws and policies in Florida that have been labeled as equally antagonistic to the work of architectural historians and heritage preservation efforts were also decried by Docomomo. Beyond the local slate of major battles that inclu...

Architectural Workers United charges Snøhetta with anti-union tactics

2023-08-29T19:58:00-04:00

Earlier this summer, Snøhetta was accused of unfair labor practices amid allegations of outside tampering during an unsuccessful union push at the firm.

On the afternoon of August 29, a charge on behalf of the Architectural Workers United (AWU) was filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Snøhetta of unlawfully discriminating against employees over their support for the failed unionization campaign.

“We trust that the National Labor Relations Board, upon hearing the evidence, will rule accordingly and in favor of the workers,” said David Sullivan (Machinists Union, IAM Eastern Territory General Vice) in a press release. “Today’s filing sends a message to the architecture industry that they are no different from any other industry and that if employers use illegal tactics to obstruct their employees from organizing, they will be held accountable.”

Related on Archinect: Snøhetta's U.S. office votes to not unionize

The AUW announced the news on Tuesday via Instagr...

Trans and non-binary architects discuss their challenges within the industry

2023-06-16T15:55:00-04:00

So, yes, architecture has a diversity problem, but the tide is beginning to change. Thanks to out-and-proud architects like [Julia] Oderda, emerging trans designers now have possibility models to look to when navigating situations like coming out or transitioning on the job. Some firms are also taking steps to make their workplace more welcoming to trans people, often in collaboration with trans people who already work there.

Architect Julia Oderda, who came out as a transgender woman professionally in 2018, also provided some insights into her struggle in an interview with the NCARB recently, saying, “A lot of what I did to help pave the way for me — and hopefully for others behind me — but also just to address my own anxieties about the process was a lot of overpreparation.”

The narrative that the existence of trans and non-binary people in an office setting is always contentious ought to be challenged, but their lack of visibility and support from colleagues is troubling, spurring the VCBO Architecture principal towards even more action. “That's one of the reasons I've been as open and vocal as I have been,” she says. “I think we need more people who can be found online to help the next generation.”

Architect, organizer, and facilitator A.L. Hu, who teaches at the Columbia GSAPP as an adjunct assistant professor and is the design initiatives manager at Ascendant Neighborhood Development, shared their...

UK architect banned after making antisemitic comments towards colleagues

2022-11-10T14:16:00-05:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has found a British architect guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after the architect made “a series of offensive and antisemitic comments and gestures.” The architect, Justin Rooney, was also found guilty of making “a series of inappropriate and offensive and antisemitic public posts on his Instagram profile.”

Rooney stood accused of the charges while employed at London-based GRID Architects in 2021, where he was recruited as a temporary architect through an agency. A complaint was submitted by GRID to ARB’s Professional Conduct Committee in December 2021 in relation to Rooney’s comments.

The committee accepted evidence from two witnesses who claimed Rooney said he had “joined a practice of f*cking Jews” and that he had been placed within the office “with f*cking Jewish freaks.” Colleagues also accused Rooney of telling on...

Almost one-third of architecture employees have faced or witnessed discrimination, says NCARB/NOMA survey

2022-10-18T10:59:00-04:00

An NCARB/NOMA investigation has found that people of color, especially African Americans, are more likely to report issues with their architecture firm’s culture. The Firm Culture & Career Development Report is the latest analysis articulating the results of the joint NCARB/NOMA Baseline on Belonging survey investigating biases and impediments in the profession. The survey received over 5000 complete responses following its release in early 2020.

Archinect Feature: Architecture Gave Me a Black Eye: A Note to Architectural Educators

The latest report, which focused almost exclusively on candidates currently on the path to licensure, found that 24% of African American respondents had considered leaving the profession due to their firm’s culture, 14% more than their white peers. Compared to white respondents, African American respondents were also 12% less likely to say they felt as though they belonged at their firm, and 10% less likely to feel valued.

In particular, African American w...

Segregation by Design: Using visual data and spatial analysis to highlight the racist legacy of urban renewal

2022-08-29T15:12:00-04:00

What started as a self-funded project from New York-based architect Adam Paul Susaneck is gaining attention over its unique ability to paint a picture of the effects of racial segregation in the 180 American cities included in the controversial Federal Highway Act of 1956.

Inspired by Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law, Susaneck launched his Segregation by Design project in early 2021 to "reveal the extent to which the American city was methodically hollowed out based on race."

Susaneck is in league with others who have been calling on the Biden Administration to dismantle the legacy of race-based discrimination laden in America’s aging highway network and says the trifold goal of the project is to: 1. Create an "Atlas of Urban Renewal" in book form; 2. Create digital materials for local groups opposing ongoing freeway expansion; and 3. Continue to grow the followership of Segregation by Design’s social media channels (which to date number some 132,000).

Related on Archinect: St....

More accusations of bullying at The Bartlett plague UCL ahead of leadership transition

2022-08-09T13:37:00-04:00

Weeks before its next Director steps into office, another faculty at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture has fallen into scandal after The Guardian recently leaked new accusations of bullying and harassment from within the School of Sustainable Construction.

A group of nine school faculty members was reportedly the signatories of the damning letter, which includes accusations of nepotism in addition to further complaints about the same kinds of harassment, age-based discrimination, racism, bullying of older staffers, and other tactics that have embroiled The Bartlett since last summer.

“We have seen our own academic careers and lives and those of our colleagues destroyed through bullying, harassment and other predatory practices and know that any effort to raise the issues of misconduct or fraudulent behaviour would lead to retaliation endangering our own careers and lives,” a portion of their statement reads.

Earlier on Archinect: UCL issues an apology and published report on the...

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...

Canada is one step closer to National LGBTQ2+ Monument after revealing commission finalists

2021-11-16T11:26:00-05:00

Seventy years after one of the darkest chapters in Canadian LGBTQ history began, the Government of Canada has taken steps toward reconciliation and remembrance with a slate of just-announced new proposals for what will one day become the LGBTQ2+ National Monument in Ottawa.

By locating it in the nation's seat of power, the monument will serve as a symbolic educational resource for Canadians young and old to learn about the struggles endured by their fellow citizens at the hands of their own government.

Image courtesy of Team SOM

“The systemic injustices that occurred during the LGBT Purge should never be forgotten. While we cannot right the wrongs of the past, this monument will serve as an educational tool and a reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past,” LGBT Purge Fund director Michelle Douglas, whose successful 1990 lawsuit helped end discrimination in the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement. “The five shortlisted designs show the pain endured during this d...

UC Berkeley gives three-year suspension to professor of architecture for pattern of sexual harassment

2018-08-20T14:06:00-04:00

UC Berkeley Professor Nezar AlSayyad has been suspended for three years without pay for engaging in a pattern of sexual harassment and abuse of faculty power, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. AlSayyad, a tenured architecture professor and Middle East scholar, sexually harassed his former student, Eva Hagberg Fisher, from 2012 to 2014.

After an independent investigation determined he was guilty of inappropriate and manipulative behavior, AlSayyad was removed from teaching courses but continued to receive a $211,000-a-year salary. He was also allowed to remain serving on academic committees and continued to advise students. Hagberg Fisher agreed not to sue the school, instead agreeing to an $80,000 settlement.

In November 2016, after the investigation's findings were first reported, protests erupted at the school with Graduate students angered by UC Berkeley's handling of the situation and their lack of transparency. Hagberg Fisher wrote a viral op-ed (and must-read) for the the...

Fair Housing Act ruling now vulnerable with Justice Kennedy’s retirement

2018-06-28T15:49:00-04:00

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the most important decision on fair housing in a generation. He’ll almost certainly get to see it overturned in his lifetime. When Kennedy announced his long-rumored retirement on Wednesday, he shined a spotlight on the tenuous political balance of the U.S. Supreme Court. Famously a swing vote, Kennedy sided with the court’s four liberal justices on defining decisions on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, the death penalty, and other hot-button social issues.

The "disparate impact" ruling of the Fair Housing Act is now being reconsidered by HUD. This could lead to the department repealing altogether, despite the fact that the Supreme Court already affirmed its constitutionality. Justice Kennedy's legacy of further integrating society is vulnerable to be overruled under Trump.

New case of proposed "Poor Door" in Honolulu

2017-12-04T14:01:00-05:00

A real estate developer in Hawaii is under scrutiny for its plans to build a residential high-rise that has two separate entrances: one for high-income residents and another for low-income earners. [...] will include 78 affordable rental units for people earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, as required by Honolulu’s affordable housing strategy. The other 351 units will be market-priced condominiums. If things go as ProsPac plans, the units will be separated with two entrances.

Various examples of so-called "poor doors" in New York City, London, and Vancouver made the headlines in previous years, sparking heated debate across a number of Archinect comment sections.

After allegations of racial discrimination and #AirbnbWhileBlack fallout, Airbnb looks inward

2016-06-03T13:11:00-04:00

[Airbnb] says it will spend the next several months reviewing how hosts and guests interact on the site and what it could do to ensure users are treated more fairly. [...] "The bottom line is that the design of platforms dictates the decisions that people make on them. Even if there’s implicit bias, [Airbnb has] an enormous amount of ability to change the extent of discrimination on the platform."

For more on the controversial P2P renting service:

Nation's first combined housing complex for LGBT youth and seniors coming to Hollywood

2016-03-30T16:45:00-04:00

A first-in-the-nation complex to be built in Hollywood would house about 200 LGBT seniors and young adults on the same campus. Lorrie Jean, CEO of the the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which is building the $100 million complex, calls the two generation groups "the two most vulnerable parts of our community."

New York's "poor doors" are no more

2015-06-29T20:01:00-04:00

The separate entrances for the rich and poor came about due to a loophole in the Inclusionary Housing program enacted in 2009 that allowed developers to get subsidies if they provided affordable housing either on or off-site.

Last year, a luxury NYC high-rise had its request for separate entrances – one for its affordable housing-unit tenants, another for its market-rate tenants – approved, fanning the fires of discriminatory design debates here on Archinect. Now, the loophole in a NY-rent stabilization law that made such "poor doors" possible has been closed, thanks to a new provision from NYC mayor Bill de Blasio.

Another instance of "poor door" discriminatory housing in Canada: Another case of "poor door" for proposed Vancouver high-rise

'Poor doors': not the worst thing about social housing

2014-07-31T13:41:00-04:00

"Of course these so-called 'poor doors' are shocking, but they are a symptom, not the problem," says Michael Edwards, senior lecturer at the Bartlett school of planning at UCL. "We've simply stopped building proper social housing, and until that's addressed then fiddling around with front-door arrangements is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."

Previously: Tale of Two Cities: NYC approves ‘poor door’ for luxury high-rise

Tale of Two Cities: NYC approves ‘poor door’ for luxury high-rise

2014-07-22T14:08:00-04:00

New York City is moving forward with a proposal that calls for a new high-rise apartment complex to feature separate doors for wealthy tenants and those living in the building’s affordable housing unit. While wealthy residents will be able to enter the building from its designated front entrance, affordable housing tenants will be required to go in through a back alley. A mandatory affordable housing plan is not license to segregate lower-income tenants from those who are well-off.

Maybe the higher-ups will employ the low-income folk as maids and janitors? Built-in servants quarters, subsidized by the city.

Lost in the Gallery-Industrial Complex

2014-01-19T16:45:00-05:00

Not long ago, these questions — of policy but also political and ethical questions — seemed to be out there on institutional tables, demanding discussion. Technically, they may be there still, but museums seem to be most interested in talking about real estate, assiduously courting oligarchs for collections, and anxiously scouting for the next “Rain Room.” Political questions, about which cultures get represented in museums and who gets to make the decisions, and how, are buried.

And on the subject of integration, why, in one of the most ethnically diverse cities, does the art world continue to be a bastion of whiteness? Why are African-American curators and administrators, and especially directors, all but absent from our big museums? Why are there still so few black — and Latino, and Asian-American — critics and editors?

Political art brings me back to where I started, with artists, and one final, baffled complaint, this one about art schools, which seem, in their present fo...