For those who knew Kristen Richards, her presence within the architecture industry was a primary example of an individual who championed architecture. As a renowned writer, editor, photographer, and architecture advocate, she's responsible for creating ArchNewsNow (ANN) as its Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief. While she's attributed part of ANN's success to the collaborative efforts of her husband, software engineer George Yates, ANN has served as a website dedicated to delivering "the most comprehensive coverage of international news, projects, and events in the world of architecture and design." This morning Richards' husband shared with Fred A. Bernstein of the Architectural Record that the cause of her passing was due to cancer.

From February 2002, when the platform first launched, Richards dedicated her time reading and collecting architecture news, projects, and resources from various AEC platforms to curate a "daily dispatch" described by Bernstein. After learning of her passing, the architecture community expressed its sadness and gratitude towards Richards and her legacy. 

Paul Petrunia, founder and publisher of Archinect, remembered her as "an architecture journalist's journalist. She dedicated herself to the hard work of reading and vetting scores of articles each day, sharing her selections with an eager, yet modest, audience of architects, fans, and fellow journalists. She started ANN in 2002 just a few years after I launched Archinect in 1997. At that time we were the only online-only architecture resources, and I have tremendously valued her ongoing pursuit of separating the wheat from the chaff. Her contribution to architectural discourse was larger than most realize." 

A memorable quote from renowned architecture critic Blair Kaim shared by the Architectural Record earlier today reminds us of Richards' influence and commitment to architecture media. "It is perhaps an exaggeration to say that Kristen Richards has changed the way that the architectural world communicates, but not much of one." 

The countless hours she dedicated to making architecture media accessible to all were present in and out of the digital realm. Friends and colleagues took to social media to share their memories of Richards. She's touched the lives of many, specifically those within design writing and criticism. Chicago-based writer and editor Anjulie Rao, journalist and author Amanda Kolson Hurley, and Paul Goldberger shared their heartfelt thoughts on Twitter earlier today.

Kristen Richards did so much to share work written by new voices in architecture. I know I am indebted to her for so many of the commissions I’ve received, and I know many who were boosted by ArchNewsNow. Just a champion of others, through and through
— Stop calling buildings/spaces “gems” its cliché (@AnjulieRao) July 2, 2021

At the heart of Richards' work was sharing and communicating architecture to the public. ANN was designed to be a free service that allowed subscribers to stay informed and inspired through Richards' curated newsletters. Within the Architectural Record's tribute to Richards, they described her work as "almost entirely pro bono work [...] a labor of love." Her contributions as a writer and editor extended beyond ANN in publications like Interiors magazine and Oculus, the AIA New York chapter's quarterly journal. She's also served on several design juries and helped edit several books like Cocktails and Conversations: Dialogues on Architectural Design by Abby Suckle and William Singer.

In her lifetime Richards has received several honors and accolades. She became an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 2008 and an honorary member of the AIA in 2011. As the AEC community continues to grieve and lament her illustrious career Richards' impact will continue to live on.