Women in Architecture
Committee

On International Women’s Day, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee hosted a panel discussion coordinated in tandem with RebelArchitette, Bergamo, Italy, on March 7, 2019 and a panel discussion co-hosted by Architecta and VOW Architects, Helsinki, Finland. The event was hosted at Perkins Eastman in their New York office. The discussion was engaging and encouraged an array of questions, with the audience also sharing their experiences with mentoring through their careers. The importance of mentorship and taking initiative to mentor within firms and beyond were highlighted. The evening culminated in a casual networking happy hour at the venue, making it seem like a direct manifestation of the panel discussion.

We thank our panelists for a great discussion and Perkins Eastman for hosting this event. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and committee meetings!

On March 6, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee and the AIANY Marketing and Communications Committee presented an architectural practice panel to share useful advice and strategies in marketing, PR, business development, and communications. The presentations emphasized on strategies to manage successful practices. Molly Heintz, Editor-in-Chief, Oculus, moderated the diverse panel that included Carol Doscher, President & CEO, Graceworks, Tami Hausman, PhD, Founder and President, Hausman Communications, Daria Pahhota, Chief Communications Officer, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Yeng Wu, Director of Business Development, Ennead Architects.

Here are a few photographs from the event!

At our WIA Committee Meeting in February, it was a pleasure to have Bina Bhattacharyya, Associate Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), present on Residential Community Planning with an introduction by Rosalind Tsang, RAMSA Associate and WIA Advisory Board Member. Bina provided an overview of the firm’s Master Planning projects in Asia, with a focus on the design of two projects, Heart of Lake in Xiamen and AVIC-Uptown in Jinjiang. Bina also offered great insight into the firm’s design approach which addressed the complex challenges of designing communities that can be both dense and urban yet livable in scale. Rosalind’s introduction provided a window into RAMSA’s work culture, academic tradition, design process, and range of project typologies. It was also delightful to have Manuelle Gautrand, Principal, Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, visiting from Paris, who shared about her firm in Paris, their work culture and practice. The discussion that followed was interesting, with a comparison drawn between architectural practice in both cities—New York and Paris—and a more focused Q&A session in response to the Residential Community Planning presentation.

Here are a few photos from the event. We look forward to having you at the next one!

UPCOMING WIA 2019 EVENTS AND PROGRAMS | MARCH & APRIL

Wednesday, March 6, 2019 | Architecture Practice Panel: Success Starts with Strategy: Tips for Fierce Marketing & Communications

• Panelists: Carol Doscher (Graceworks), Tami Hausman (Hausman), Daria Pahotta (BIG), Yeng Wu (Ennead)
• Moderator: Molly Heintz (Oculus)
• Co-Sponsor: AIANY Marketing and Communications Committee

Thursday, March 7, 2019 | Architecture Practice Panel: International Women’s Day Panel: Mentorship in Design

• Panel Description: There are many forms of mentorship, however all successful people will say that mentorship has been critical to their progression. What is mentorship? Mentors and mentees at various stages in their careers in architecture will share their experiences of mentorship, both on the advising and receiving end. Join us for a lively discussion with architects, and find out how to land your next mentor or mentee.
• Location: Perkins Eastman
• Panelists: Louise Braverman, Kerry Nolan (Beyer Blinder Belle), Vivian Lee (RMP), Sara Lopergolo (Selldorf Architects), Mindy No (Perkins Eastman), Julia Gamolina (Madame Architect), Samantha Josaphat (Studio 397)
• Moderator: Caroline James (Co-Founder of Voices of Women VOW Architects)
• Panel in tandem with:
  • Panel Discussion hosted by RebelArchitette, Bergamo ITALY, March 7, 2019
  • Panel Discussion co-hosted by Architecta and VOW Architects, Helsinki FINLAND

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 | March Committee Meeting

• Open for discussion topic

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 | Women’s History Month Presentation: Women-Built NYC – Three Decades of Public Design

• Presented by Keri Butler, Deputy Director of NYC Public Design Commission and Rebecca Macklis
• Cynthia Kracauer, Executive Director of BWAF to present Built by Women 2018 Manhattan Map
• Jacqueline Ebanks, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission on Gender Equity
• Co-Sponsor: AIANY Marketing & Communications Committee

Saturday, April 13, 2019 | Girls Build!

• In collaboration with AIANY Youth Program
• Seeking volunteers

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 | April Committee Meeting

• Dinner Roundtable

Saturday, April 30, 2019 | Project Tour: City Tech, Brooklyn

• Tour by Mindy No (Perkins Eastman)

UPCOMING WIA 2019 EVENTS AND PROGRAMS | SUMMER CALENDAR

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 | Build Yourself Workshop with Mia Scharphie

• Keynote-style talks and interactive workshops inspire audiences to take action on their career growth, role in their companies, or leadership approach. http://buildyourselfworkshop.com/
• Setting Ambitious & Creative Career Goals: Learn how women can achieve more ambitious goals for themselves by working smarter, not harder, and build lasting value for themselves through the investments of their time with practical strategies.

May 2019 | Women’s Initiative Groups Forum

• Each firm to share thoughts and resources in their women’s group and how we can collaborate together
• RAMSA, Handel Architects, Perkins Eastman, Beyer Blinder Belle, FXCollaborative, HOK, Urbahn, etc.

May 2019 | Leadership Breakfast

• Speaker to be confirmed

June 2019 | Architectural Practice Panel: Architecture Forensics with Kendra Logan

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

July 2019 | Firm Tours

• Susan T. Rodriguez Architecture Design
• Weiss Mandredi

July 2019 | Architectural Practice Panel: Firm Handbook and Office Policies (TBC)

• Co-Sponsoring with the Professional Practice Committee

August 2019 | Networking Sail

AROUND TOWN & RELATED EVENTS

• Person Place Thing with Randy Cohen Featuring Elizabeth Diller | Thursday, February 21, 2019  (6-8 pm) @ the Center for Architecture ($15)
• Deeds Not Words: Conversations with Robert P. Madison  | Diversity & Inclusion Committee | Tuesday, February 26, 2019  (6–8 pm) @ the Center for Architecture
• BWAF 5th Annual Leadership Awards Gala | Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation | Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | Prince George Ballroom
• Coast to Coast: The Gender of Preservation | AIANY Architecture Dialogue Committee (Abby Suckle) with AIANY Historic Building Committee and AIANY WIA | Monday, April 8, 2019

PAST EVENTS

• Solidarity Space | Architecture Lobby’s Solidarity Bloc and ArchiteXX | Saturday, February 2, 2019

“Let’s Talk About Sexual Harassment”

Workplace harassment issues

TOPICS & GOOD READS

• Equity by Design | OCULUS Winter 2018 Issue | By Deborah Wilk
• Architecture of Gender | OCULUS Winter 2018 Issue | By Jennifer Krichels
• Design Presentation | Residential Community Planning by RAMSA | Bina Bhattacharyya | Associate Partner, RAMSA with introduction by Rosalind Tsang | Associate, RAMSA
• Special Guest: Manuelle Gautrand | Principal, Manuelle Guatrand Architecture

It was an honor for the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee to host Frances Halsband, FAIA, Founding Partner, Kliment Halsband Architects for a conversation over breakfast on the 8th of February.

Having been recognized with over 150 awards for design excellence and being the recipient of the AIA Firm Award and the AIA New York Medal of Honor, she shared with a full house her journey over the years, her ideas on design leadership and leveraging opportunity through describing some key projects and moments in her career.

She was the first woman president of the AIA New York Chapter and The Architectural League of New York. She was the first woman president of the AIA New York Chapter and The Architectural League of New York. Halsband served as Dean of the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute, and has been visiting professor of design at Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of California Berkeley, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, Ball State and North Carolina State University. She is a former Commissioner of the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission and has served as an architectural advisor to Brown, Harvard, Smith College, the U.S. Department of State, and the Federal Reserve Bank. Last year she circulated a petition and brought to the AIA Conference the Resolution prohibiting abuse and harassment within the professional community.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!