Women in Architecture
Committee

At the end of April, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee organized on a tour of City Tech, a new facility for the New York College of Technology in Brooklyn, NY. The tour was led by committee member, Mindy No, Associate Principal at Perkins Eastman. The building is a 365,000 GSF academic complex in Downtown Brooklyn that significantly alters the face of City Tech, creating a new campus gateway along Jay Street and enhancing the surrounding urban context. The new academic building is an integral component of the emerging Brooklyn Tech Triangle, contributing to the revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn. The building design complements the local context, creates a new identity for the college, and is environmentally responsible, achieving LEED Gold certification using sustainable strategies such as high-performance glazing, energy efficiency, water use reduction, maximum daylighting, and material selections.

Here’s a preview of a few photographs from the afternoon. Look out for upcoming tours in our Upcoming Events section on our website to attend!

The AIA Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS) is one of the only gatherings where women architects and designers are surrounded by other women in a professional setting. That creates a candid, comfortable environment where women can contribute unique perspectives and facilitate conversations about challenges within the industry: Gaining respect on a construction site, negotiating, managing remote teams, getting promoted, and many others.

The first WLS began as a grassroots effort to bring together women principals of architecture firms, women in leadership positions, and women architects moving into leadership roles across the country for a‌n intense two-day summit focusing on leadership and design. Today, the summit spans a diverse spread of career stages and seeks to support all women in the profession.

This event sells out fast, and we encourage you to attend! More information can be found here.

On April 13, a group of girls ages 11-14 gathered to learn about architecture and design through model building exercises and presentations given by Sara Lopergolo (Selldorf Architects), Janet Fink (Fink & Platt Architects), Jenna Wandishin (Matiz Architecture and Design), and Kerry Nolan (Beyer Blinder Belle). The afternoon was developed and led by the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee and the Center for Architecture’s K-12 Education department. Based on some of the design ideas that had been presented, the girls were encouraged to build their own designs using a range of methods and art supplies. They took their introduction to context, design constraints and considerations to heart and came forth producing amazing work that they presented at the end of the session. It’s safe to say that there are a few that we will see years from now on the other side, presenting at the Center for Architecture!

After the committee meeting on April 17, groups of four WIA members engaged in a lively dinner conversation about issues regarding professional practice, workplace culture, leadership and design, and professional development with various proposed topics. The casual setting encouraged conversations around these guidelines but feedback suggested that it was on a personal and subjective level, making the conversation much more fulfilling and interesting.

Our members were kind enough to share photographs from their fun evening out with us!

UPCOMING WIA 2019 EVENTS AND PROGRAMS | APRIL & SUMMER 2019

Saturday, 27 April 2019 | Project Tour: City Tech, Brooklyn

• Tour by Mindy No (Perkins Eastman)
• 30 people max

15 May 2019 | Women’s Initiative Groups Forum

• Firms to share experiences, resources, advice, and ideas in how to best champion their own in-house programs
• Location: Buro Happold | 100 Broadway (Pine Street)
• Google Spreadsheet
• Schedule of Events
  1. Ice Breaker
  2. Pecha Kucha Firm Introduction
  3. Break-Out Discussions
  4. Summary with Q & A
• Participating Firms
  1. Beyer Blinder Belle
  2. Buro Happold
  3. Dattner
  4. FX Collaborative
  5. Grimshaw
  6. Langan
  7. Lendlease
  8. Perkins Eastman
  9. CannonDesign
  10. RAMSA
  11. SOM

17 May 2019 | Leadership Breakfast: Claire Weisz, FAIA

• Founding Partner at WXY

22 May 2019 | Build Yourself Workshop: Setting Ambitious & Creative Career Goals

• Presenter: Mia Scharphie

5 June 2019 | Architectural Practice Panel: Architecture Forensics

• Presenter & Moderator: Kendra Logan

19 June 2019 | Monthly Committee Meeting Discussion: Rejoining the Workforce After Taking Time Off in Starting a Family

• Solicit WIA members to share their experience and advice

17 July 2019 | Firm Tours

• Susan T. Rodriguez Architecture Design, Weiss Manfredi, CannonDesign

23 July 2019 | Architectural Practice Panel: Firm Handbook and Best Practices for Office Policies

• Co-Sponsoring with the Professional Practice Committee
• Solicit small, medium & large size firms for sample Employee Handbooks

20 July 2019 | Networking Sail

AROUND TOWN & RELATED EVENTS

1. • AIA New York State | 2019 Tri-State Design Conference: Breaking Ground 17-19 October 2019

Call for Proposals

TOPICS & GOOD READS

1. • 9 Things That Design Leaders Can Do To Support Women by Mia Scharphie

1. • From A to Zaha: 26 Women Who Changed Architecture by Pat Finn

1. • A 3-Point Manifesto for Advancing Women in Architecture by Julia Gamolina

WIA DINNER ROUNDTABLE

• Groups of four (4) WIA members engage in a lively conversation over dinner in one of the selected restaurants around the Center for Architecture about issues regarding Professional Practice, Workplace Culture, Leadership & Design, and Professional Development with various proposed topics.