Women in Architecture

On May 16, 2024, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee (WIA) organized four engaging office tours of small, medium, large, and extra-large firms contributing to the design of our built environment and championing equity in their practices. The four tours ran simultaneously, with each firm highlighting their women leadership, discussing workplace culture, sharing professional development strategies, and showcasing projects presented by their female talents.

At Yellow House Architects, Elizabeth Graziolo, Principal; Karin Yang, Project Manager and Cathy Nyarkoh, Senior Associate shared the firm’s history and culture, gave the WIA community a tour of their beautiful Manhattan office, and presented impressive projects, including luxury multifamily developments in Manhattan and the Southwood House in Florida. Their women leadership and attention to design and detailing are spectacular.

Kim Yao, Principal, Megan Christian, Project Designer , and Kristabel Chung, Designer from Architecture Research Office graciously hosted the WIA community. ARO celebrated their 30th anniversary by moving their 40+ person firm to One Willoughby Square, in Downtown Brooklyn last summer. They showcased their collaborative project structure, diverse team, and innovative design for Harvard Medical School’s Wren Commons atrium. The project used modeling software to minimize raw material usage while providing solar shading and aesthetic appeal. The office tour highlighted materials and notable projects.

WIA Co-chair Wells Megalli from Selldorf Architects welcomed her tour group to their Union Square office, where the group saw the firm’s “pod” layouts, the materials library, and many architectural models and full-size mockups. Wells introduced the group to a short history of important Selldorf work spanning museums, academic buildings, gallery spaces, a recycling facility, and a school project in Africa.

Vivian Schapsis, Certified Project Manager at Arcadis began with an overview of the firm and their office in the Woolworth Building. Emphasizing staff health and safety, the presentation included projects like the adaptive reuse of Brooklyn Paramount Theater, sustainability initiatives, and the FiDi Seaport Climate Resilience Plan. The open office space, designed with industrial and hospitality elements, supports both local and remote staff.

Following the tours, a Q&A session and networking concluded each event. The AIANY WIA Committee extends heartfelt thanks to each firm for hosting our community, sharing their firms’ histories, cultures, and supporting the advancement of women in architecture.

On Wednesday, May 29, the AIANY Women in Architecture committee hosted The Intersection of Fashion and Architecture: Celebrating Yeohlee Teng at FXCollaborative in Brooklyn. Acclaimed women architects of New York City showcased exemplary garments from Yeohlee’s collection and participated in a Q&A panel to discuss the intertwining nature of the architectural and fashion concepts and the analogous approach to these two essential crafts. The architects on the panel included Susan Chin, FAIA, Principal, DesignConnects; Hana Kassem, FAIA, Principal, KPF; Sylvia Smith, FAIA, Partner Emerita, FXCollaborative; Billie Tsien, AIA, Founder and Partner, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects; Claire Weisz, FAIA, Principal-in-Charge, WXY; and Mary Margaret Jones, FASLA, FAAR, RLA, President & CEO, Hargreaves Jones. The conversation was moderated by Heidi Schmitt, AIA, project architect from Gensler

The event commenced with the architects showcasing selected outfits designed by Yeohlee Teng, and then the Q&A panel began. Some of the topics introduced by Heidi Schmitt included emotions related to Yeohlee’s designs, structure of the garments compared to framework of architecture, choice of fabrics and curiosity for materials, and dedication to sustainability stemming from Yeohlee’s personal background. Panelists described Yeohlee’s clothing as timeless, asymmetrical, functional, and flowing, like a membrane that allows movement and mediates between the person and the world. Yeohlee mentioned that in her professional pursuits, she is guided by the desire to make people feel “comfortable and confident” as well as “happy”, and for the clothing to last a long time. Yeohlee Teng shared that she grew up on an island where resources were limited and has always had the mindset of eliminating waste. As a remark on the importance of sustainability, Claire Weisz added that “Waste is a design problem, because if things are designed right, there is no waste.”

Overall, the runway show and the conversation left the audience feeling exhilarated and inspired to learn more about Yeohlee’s work and implement her philosophy in their own creative pursuits.

We would like to thank FXCollaborative for hosting the event in their gallery and Thornton Tomasetti and Women@TT for their kind sponsorship in making our event a success. A special thanks to all the volunteers who helped with check-in, set-up, and clean-up, and to all the attendees who sold out the event!

In April, the AIANY WIA Committee was pleased to host women leaders of the Alafia team from Dattner Architects, as part of the April Committee Meeting pillar series on ‘Design & Leadership’. Jen Switala, AIA, Senior Associate; Deniz Secilmis, Senior Architect; and Kavyashri Cherala, AIA, Project Architect presented the award-winning Alafia, fireside chat style. Cherala posed questions to Switala and Secilmis, ranging from the design intent behind the wellness-oriented resilient development on a 25+acre decommissioned public site to the challenges and successes of the project under construction. The team spoke about the project features designed to address the chronic social, economic, and health disparities in the historically underserved area of East New York in Brooklyn, and spoke to the complex program of 575 affordable/ supportive residential units, a clinic operated by One Brooklyn Health, offices for Services for the Underserved, parking, and neighborhood retail spaces; and a maintenance hub, with on-site trash handling and composting in support of the entire new development. The presentation highlighted the Passive House features of the building and other sustainable features, including utilizing geothermal pumps, rooftop solar, and a wastewater heat-recovery system.

The audience enthusiastically participated in a Q&A, and we thank our speakers and everyone who attended the event for their support and engagement. You can find the agenda from the April committee meeting here.

In celebration of International Women’s Day and it’s 2024 theme, #InspireInclusion, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee combined its March Committee Meeting with an inspiring evening of networking, sisterhood, and honoring women’s history in the profession. The event keynote speaker, Dr. Sharon Egretta Sutton, FAIA, a prolific architect, educator, visual artist, musician and author, shared her personal history of advocacy and social justice deeply woven in the history of women’s liberation and feminist movements in NYC and around the country.

Dr. Sutton’s presentation was centered on the theme of sisterhood, illustrating how women worked together in the 1970s to illuminate each other’s achievements and contributions to the field of architecture. Historic publications and exhibitions were shared, including a manifesto published by the Alliance of Women in Architecture calling for the general elimination of gender roles in the workplace. Fellow trailblazing women in architecture were acknowledged in Dr. Sutton’s presentation, including Norma Sklarek, Denise Scott Brown and Zaha Hadid. Her presentation highlighted the strides that were made to increase the representation and recognition of women in architecture, but also the strides that remain to endorse more women in leadership roles in the profession. Dr. Sutton concluded with a call to action for women in the profession to work together as a sisterhood to continue pushing change forward.

Following her impactful presentation, we got to hear more from Dr. Sutton about the influence of her upbringing, the story behind the love of her signature color, purple, as well as what is inspiring her about the profession today in a “fireside chat”, facilitated by WIA Advisory Board Member, Angelique Pierre. An engaging audience Q&A followed.

The evening ended with networking over delicious food and drinks, and a ‘Call To Action’ to re-examine the original Alliance of Women in Architecture manifesto and to provide a 2024 refresh to address the issues facing women in the profession today.

A special thanks to Dr. Sutton for her time and inspiring energy, as well as to our gracious hosts at the AKDO NYC showroom for their seamless coordination and generosity. Thank you to all who attended and see you at the next event! The March WIA Committee meeting agenda can be found here.

In celebration of Black History Month, the AIANY WIA February committee meeting featured Katherine Williams, AIA, architect, writer, educator, curator and community organizer. After committee meeting announcements, Katherine shared her personal journey and exploration into the data of African-American and women architects when she was completing her licensure exams. Seeking to increase the number of architects who looked like herself led to her path of advocacy and work focused on visibility, networking, and support for those who are underrepresented in the profession.

Katherine’s presentation was filled with valuable statistics, not only about the past and current state of representation for black women in architecture, but, equally as important, the statistical measure of parity. Defining parity in quantifiable terms provides a measurable goal for the profession to work collectively toward. Katherine left us with a call to action to ask questions about the statistics in our firms. The statistics help us see where we are and chart the path to where we want to be. Simply put, we cannot fix what we cannot see.

The discussion that followed was candid and profound, highlighting how we each have a role to play in advocating for ourselves and others toward the goal of parity. Prospective employees were empowered to leverage their talent to share their interest in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with their prospective employers. Firm leaders were reminded to track the measure of representation in their firms and to reference these measures often, using them as a guide. Please reference Katherine’s presentation here to see the statistics. Please see link here for the February committee meeting agenda.

A huge thank you to Katherine for her inspiring presentation and to all of you who attended!