Archinect - News

New study predicts that Black communities will be disproportionately impacted by climate change-induced flooding by 2050

2022-02-02T15:11:00-05:00

Black communities will be disproportionately saddled with billions of dollars of losses because of climate change as flooding risks grow in the coming decades, according to research published Monday.

According to U.S. and U.K.-based researchers in a new study within the journal Nature Climate Change, not only will the annual cost of flooding across the U.S. reach $40 billion by 2050, but predominantly Black communities will be the most impacted. The findings were obtained by modeling flood risk through 2050 and mapping this over recent census data focused on race and poverty.

With clear linkages between levels of climate risk and race in the U.S., the study found that by 2050, the top 20 percent of proportionally Black census tracts will have twice the flood risk as the 20 percent of areas with the lowest proportion of Black residents.

Reflecting on the architecture industry's contribution toward diversity, inclusion, and social justice in 2021

2021-12-23T13:05:00-05:00

Following a very turbulent 2020, the current year was filled with highs and lows as well. From the pandemic to socio-economical unrest, the architecture industry continued to navigate a year filled with learning and unlearning.

The rise of social justice and equity initiatives pushed on in 2021. As architecture firms, schools, and organizations proceeded to grapple with their involvement in and relationship to systemic racism and inequity, groups and individuals took it upon themselves to continue with their work towards detangling architecture from its history of oppression and injustice.

Architecture media became more than a medium for praising new projects and applauding the so-called "starchitects" of our time. It has become a medium to discuss social and cultural topics relating to race, diversity, and inclusion. As a platform, Archinect continues to report on the issues that impact our community and expand on social and cultural discourse relating to architecture. With the nu...

Chicago announces largest investment in affordable housing in city's history

2021-12-09T14:21:00-05:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Marisa Novara announced on December 6th more than $1 billion in affordable housing through the Chicago Recovery Plan, as part of Lightfoot’s 2022 budget. This is the largest investment in affordable housing in Chicago’s history.

Aiming to create and preserve 2,428 affordable housing units spread across 24 developments, the DOH is more than doubling the 11 developments awarded and 1,083 units built over the $398 million granted over the 2019 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) round.

The 24 LIHTC developments were selected through a racial equity lens. As detailed in the City of Chicago’s press release, the DOH conducted the country’s first Racial Equity Impact Assessment of the LIHTC program through a process that examines data by race, centering on the experiences of impacted populations. As a result, the city has ensured that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) developers will benefit ...

Former students complain of racism and sexism at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture

2021-06-02T11:47:00-04:00

21 former students of UCL (University College London) have voiced complaints over alleged sexism and racism at the Bartlett School of Architecture. The complaints, first reported by The Guardian, stretch back over a decade. The ex-students' complaints include inappropriate comments on race and appearance, which they describe as “systemic” within the school.

The stories of the 21 ex-students were compiled into a dossier by former student Eleni Kyriacou and shared with the Guardian, who subsequently spoke to several recent graduates. Stories told by the graduates include one who said staff were “damaging primarily female students.” The graduate, of south Asian descent, claims that a staff member told a fellow student he could not tell that the graduate was “brown” as “she acted and spoke like a white person.”

Previously on Archinect: NOMA leadership echoes the need to 'fight all systems of bias, oppression, and prejudice' following the guilty verdict in the Chauvin trial

Another st...

The Importance of Asking Why: The ACSA's research series, 'Where Are My People?', addresses race and its inequitable relationship with architecture

2021-03-16T19:51:00-04:00

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has dedicated its efforts towards architectural education and research by "empowering faculty and schools to educate increasingly diverse students, expand disciplinary impacts, and create knowledge for the advancement of architecture."

2020 sparked a resurgence in the importance of addressing the social and political injustices within architectural academia and professional practice. Last year, ACSA Director of Research and Information, Dr. Kendall A. Nicholson, Assoc. AIA, NOMA posed a pertinent question that has turned into an impactful research series. By examining architecture's history and its ties to race both in the past and the present, we can begin to understand steps towards sustained reform and social equity for architects who identify as Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander, and Native Indigenous.

Where Are My People? is a research series that investigates how architecture inte...

AIA takes an official stance on the design of prisons and justice facilities

2020-12-14T12:12:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors last week adopted new rules in its Code of Ethics regarding the design of justice facilities.

"We are committed to promoting the design of a more equitable and just built world that dismantles racial injustice and upholds human rights," said AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA in the statement. "Specifically, AIA members are required to uphold the health, safety and welfare of the public. Spaces for execution, torture and prolonged solitary confinement contradict those values. This decision emphasizes AIA’s commitment to making a difference on this issue and upholding human rights for our society."

According to the AIA, the new rules to its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct prohibit members from "knowingly designing spaces intended for execution and torture, including indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more per day without meaningful human contact, for more than 15 consecut...

Charles L. Davis II discusses an "antiracist framework for architectural history"

2020-11-03T18:14:00-05:00

2020 has stirred up architectural discourse as practitioners, academics, and students address racial and social inequality within the industry. With the turbulent Summer months sparking the nation to mobilize and bring social and racial justice to the forefront, academic institutions have used their Fall lecture series as a way to bring these discussions to light within their campus community.

Earlier this October, Harvard GSD invited Charles L. Davis II, assistant professor of architectural history and criticism at the University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning. As a designer, architectural historian, and cultural critic, his work focuses on racial identity and race thinking related to architectural history and contemporary culture. In his lecture, "Cannon Fodder: Debating the Racial Politics of Canonicity in Modern Architectural History," Davis presented a series of physical and textual case studies that re-examine architecture's understanding of "western canon to ...

Design Museum Everywhere launches new virtual exhibit addressing equity in design

2020-10-14T11:54:00-04:00

The Design Museum has launched a new virtual exhibition, We Design: People. Practice. Progress. to highlight the lack of racial and gender diversity in the design field. We Design tells stories about designers of different ages, genders, backgrounds, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities through stories, oral histories, videos, and photos.

Featured designers. From left to right: Ade Hassan, Clint Ramos, Debra Latour, Elyse Ayoung, Fady Saad, Gabrielle Bullock, Janine Kwoh, Jeff Staple, Liz Ogbu, Nestor Castaneda, Phil Freelon, Phil Kongtcheu, Rica Elysse, Sabrina Dorsainvil, Taniya Nayak. Image courtesy of Design Museum Everywhere.

Examples of each subject's work will also be showcased accompanying insights to their unique personal lives and career paths. Moreover, data visualizations and cast studies will be used to creatively communicate the racial inequities in the design industry. Some stats include: 86% of graphic designers are White. 69% of interior designers ...

Archinect Sessions #159: On Racial Inequality in AEC, with Karen Compton

2020-09-28T16:15:00-04:00

On today’s episode of Archinect Sessions Donna and I are joined by Karen Compton, a Los Angeles-based business consultant, business owner and podcast host.

As the Principal at A3K Consulting, Karen oversees a team of professionals to help clients in the AEC industry grow and improve their businesses applying strategy, business planning, education, training and recruitment. Her vodcast, Breaking the Silence of Design, started just 2 months ago, with co-host Gabrielle Bullock, Director of Global Diversity at Perkins & Will Architects, as a platform to address the uncomfortable conversations around race and inequality in the AEC industry.

Listen to episode 159 of Archinect Sessions, “On Racial Inequality in AEC, with Karen Compton”.

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Tuskegee University receives $100k gift to support aspiring African American architects

2020-08-14T13:25:00-04:00

Tuskegee University's Department of Architecture has received a gift of $100,000 from the Cooper Carry Charitable Foundation, Inc. to increase access to the architecture profession for African American students. The foundation is the charitable arm of the Cooper Carry architectural firm.

According to a press release, $80,000 of the gift will be used to establish new need-based scholarships for undergraduate students. $20,000 of the gift is designated for a student technology scholarship that will allow students to receive technology assistance by providing laptops and/or architecture design software – as Tuskegee has transitioned to remote instruction.

"We knew Tuskegee University would be the place to develop a new and meaningful partnership – and we believe it’s important to be part of actively developing diverse voices in design and architecture," said Cooper Carry President and CEO Kevin Cantley. "We have great respect for Tuskegee University and have hired several recent Tuskeg...

RISD announces plans to focus on social equity and inclusion in art and design education

2020-07-23T14:56:00-04:00

As universities and colleges across the country have seen renewed calls for racial equity and social justice within their curricula, faculty, and programs, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has announced a series of initiatives as part of effort to focus the school's pedagogy on anti-racist topics.

A recent letter from RISD President Rosanne Somerson highlights a slate of changes that are coming to the school, including efforts to develop curricula that focuses on anti-racist agendas, engage with non-Eurocentric topics, expand faculty development around equity issues, and expand hiring of faculty members with "expertise in issues of race and decoloniality in the arts and design."

The school will also develop a new Office of Discrimination Reporting and Title IX, expand its existing Center for Social Equity and Inclusion, and expand mental health programs for BIPOC students.

The letter continues, "Evolving our college, museum and community is not just about eliminating racism; ...

Gabrielle Bullock named AIA’s 2020 Whitney M. Young Award recipient

2019-12-12T15:43:00-05:00

NOMAArchitect and equity and inclusion advocate Gabrielle Bullock has been named as the recipient of the 2020 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The award, which has been given out since 1972, according to the AIA website, “distinguishes an architect or architectural organization that embodies social responsibility and actively addresses a relevant issue, such as affordable housing, inclusiveness, or universal access.”

An AIA announcement highlighting Bullock’s selection reads: “A consummate innovator in areas of equity and inclusion, Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, has forged a new path for the future of the profession. Her voice as a leader has reverberated throughout her firm and the design community, leading to palpable changes and the realization that a more just and equitable profession is within reach.”

Director of Global Diversity at Perkins+Will: Work-Life Balance Isn't Just a Health Issue – It's About Talent Retention

Bullock is currently ...

Lynching memorial heralded as greatest 21st Century American architectural achievement

2018-08-30T15:19:00-04:00

These conjoined entities are the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the latter more commonly identified as a memorial to the victims of lynching. They are both extraordinary, though it is the second that behooves a pilgrimage. To my mind, it is the single greatest work of American architecture of the 21st century, and the most successful memorial design since the 1982 debut of Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened to the public this past April, is the first memorial dedicated to the victims of lynching and racial prejudice in the US. The design, a collaborative effort between MASS Design Group and the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), was recently acclaimed by architecture critic Mark Lamster as "the single greatest work of American architecture of the 21st century."

National Memorial for Peace and Justice by MASS Design Group, located in Montgomery, AL. Image: Equal Justice Initiative.

An investigation by the EJI documented over 4,400 lynchings between 1877 and 1950. Lamster upholds the memorial's design for its ability to convey the devastating reality of this number in a physically powerful experience.

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.

HUD announces delay of AFFH, an Obama-era rule combating housing segregation

2018-01-08T14:24:00-05:00

Last week, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register announcing its intentions to suspend enforcement of the rule until 2020, the New York Times reports. The notice “tells cities already at work on the detailed plans required by the rule that they no longer need to submit them, and the department says it will stop reviewing plans that have already been filed,” according to the paper.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the Obama administration, issued legislation intended to bolster the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, a decades-old law designed to combat segregation across the country. The new, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, required cities and towns that receive federal funding to examine their local housing patterns for racial bias and to design a plan to address any measurable bias.

However, HUD announced last week, issuing a notice, that it is will be suspending enforcement of the AFFH, now giving cities until 2020 to submit their evaluations. The notice also states that the department will stop reviewing plans that have already been filed by cities.

While the decision does not necessarily repeal the Obama-era legislation, fair housing experts believe the suspension effectively guts the ruling and significantly waters down the government's assessment tools for fair housing by delaying enforcement. Communiti...

Tiffany Brown wants to bring more black women into the architecture field with her project “400 Forward”

2017-12-13T17:42:00-05:00

“I try to be the face that I was looking for growing up,” Brown said. “So if I go into a room or an auditorium and just one person is interested in architecture, then I’ve accomplished my mission.” The name comes from a milestone this past August, when the 400th African-American woman became licensed as an architect. There are 110,000 licensed architects in the country.

Raised in Detroit, architectural designer Tiffany Brown won a 2017 Knight Arts Challenge grant for her project “400 Forward”, which aims to bring in more black girls and women into the field of architecture and urban planning. According to Brown, only 0.3 percent of U.S. architects are black women.

Michael Ford on why teaching Hip Hop Architecture is crucial

2017-04-27T14:56:00-04:00

Ford thinks that hip-hop culture, from rapping to break-dancing, is the ultimate critique of midcentury modern vertical slums, and one that could be translated positively into new buildings and city plans [...] By promoting what he calls "Hip Hop Architecture," Ford is advocating an attitude and an approach more than a style.

After architect Michael Ford was inspired to enter the profession by Professor Dan Pitera, “a self-described ‘political and social activist masquerading as an architect’”, he is working on bringing Hip Hop Architecture nationwide to schoolkids everywhere.

“Through his writing, teaching and national speaking, Ford aims to dissolve barriers that have discouraged black children from becoming architects, city planners and urban designers.”

Editor's Picks #422

2015-07-06T13:40:00-04:00

Nicholas Korody interviewed Andrés Jacque (of the Office for Political Innovation ) about COSMO, the winning entry of this year’s MoMA PS1 Young Architect’s Program competition. Therein he argued "I believe that the architect’s role nowadays can also be providing alternatives, and enriching through diversity the collective catalogue of desirable possibilities."

Thayer-D commented "I don't think this qualifies as architecture, but it's very interesting" to which Kozumelle responded "I have seen this in person and it is not architecture in the strictest sense but still a wonderful, fantastic idea. Jaque's ideas are always politically charged and veer into other territories and he does it well."

Plus, for Screen/Print #34 Amelia Taylor-Hochberg featured the latest edition of KTISMA , from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

News
The Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition selected Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki Architectes as the grand-prize winners.

midlander likes...

Surprise! Architecture is still among the whitest professions in America

2015-06-30T15:12:00-04:00

Eight out of every 10 lawyers are white. Social scientists and architects are probably in need of some diversity too.

The Atlantic has put together an informative interactive chart detailing the racial compositions of some of America's least diverse professions. As expected, architecture still ranks high up with 77.7% Whites — a much discussed phenomenon here on Archinect.

We want to hear from you: Have you been seeing an increase in diversity in architectural practice and education?

AIA moves one step forward in approval of Equity in Architecture resolution

2015-06-04T17:38:00-04:00

A total of 4,117 AIA delegates largely voted in favor for the widely talked about Resolution 15-1, titled "Equity in Architecture", during the Election at the 2015 AIA National Convention in Atlanta last month. Sponsored by AIA San Francisco and the AIA California Council as a response to architecture's long tradition of gender and racial disparity, the resolution calls for the Institute to take definitive measures to strengthen the presence of underrepresented demographics especially in membership, firm leadership and ownership in the profession. The Resolution was drafted by Rosa Sheng, AIASF Assistant Treasurer and Equity by Design Committee Chair; Julia Donoho, co-founder of the Julia Morgan Foundation; and AIA National Vice President Frank Pitts.

In its intent, the resolution asks for the AIA to develop an ongoing program that will assess data, track progress, set a plan of action, and report on results. "[T]here needs to be a reflective look at valuing our human capital within ...