Women in Architecture

On March 11, the AIANY WIA and Diversity and Inclusion Committees co-hosted an engaging Architectural Practice Panel: Navigating the MWBE Process — at the Center for Architecture. The panelists — Dynishal Gross, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Small Business; Patricia Harris, Esq. LEED AP, CEO and Founder, LicenseSure LLC; Abner Larrieux, President, A.L. Consulting and Wayne Benjamin, RA, AIA, Chief of Job Order Contracting, DASNY offered invaluable insight, as well as practical guidelines and resources for navigating the MWBE process. Nancy Goshow, AIA, Partner, Goshow Architects, an MWBE firm, skillfully moderated the panel which allowed for a candid, compelling and informative discussion, creating access to the audience on a topic that can be overwhelming and intimidating. We share a common goal to support MWBE-certified firms from qualification to procurement. MWBE firms expand opportunities for women and minorities and are making a difference in diversifying professionals hired for projects in New York City. On behalf of the Diversity and Inclusion and Women in Architecture committees, we appreciate everyone’s contributions to this effort.

The AIANY chapter is continuing to work on issues faced by MWBE firms. We hope this will be the start of a larger conversation.

On March 4, we hosted a Book Talk, a conversation with the editors of and a few contributors to the new publication Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures (Applied Research & Design, 2019). This book is exemplary in its mission to combine, in one resource, reflections on the renewal of feminist thought in architecture, challenges to practice made possible by activism, and portrayals of inspiring practitioners who have paved the way for future women architects.

Our panelists discussed the premise of the publication and its ultimate goal to increase the visibility and voice of women who challenge the definition and practice of architecture. Franca Trubiano, Associate Professor, Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania; Ramona Adlakha, Intern Architect, Diamond Schmitt Architects; Ramune Bartuskaite, Project Coordinator, JKRP Architects; Chief Creative Director, Rise First- all editors of the book, were joined by Annelise Pitts, AIA, Associate, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Margaret Cavenagh, AIA, Principal, Studio Gang and Nicole Dosso, FAIA, Vice President – Design & Construction, Vornado, contributors to the book. They shared snippets from the book that gave audience members an insight into the making and content of the book.

Julie Moskovitz, AIA, LEED AP, CPH/CPHT, Principal, Fete Nature Architecture moderated the panel wonderfully, and the audience’s engaging questions brought up some valid points, which added to the discussion. The conversation was one of many we will continue to have by celebrating and recognizing the work of so many exceptional women architects.

On February 26, the AIANY WIA Committee hosted an engaging panel—Allies for Women in Architecture—at the Center for Architecture. The panelists—Eric Goshow, FAIA, Partner, Goshow Architects; Bill Harris, AIA, Managing Principal, Perkins and Will; Tim Milam, AIA, Managing Director/Partner, FXCollaborative; RJ Panda, Project Director, Lehrer Cumming; Lonny Rossman, AIA, Managing Principal, API Partners; and Susi Yu, Managing Director & Head of Development, L&L MAG, offered excellent insight on allyship for gender equity. The conversation was candid, compelling, and relevant to our current workplace environment. Kim Yao, AIA, Principal, Architecture Research Office, and 2020 AIA New York President, did an incredible job moderating the panel which allowed for a fluid, productive discussion.  The panel identified strategies on how to create parity and demonstrate a business case for it. The discussion ended with questions and comments from the audience that were insightful and important. It was emphasized that a lot more work needs to be done toward this cause.

We are extremely grateful for the contribution and support of our panelists, and hope this promotes conversations and initiatives at firms to achieve an equitable workplace for all.

In case you missed it, you can view a compilation of references and key takeaways here.

At our February Monthly Committee Meeting, we were honored to have Mimi Raygorodetsky, Environmental Practice Leader at Langan Engineering and Founding member of Women@Langan, share her presentation ‘Gender Equity: Why It Matters-Industry Best Practices for Recruiting, Retaining and Advancing Our Women’ with our members in attendance. Interestingly, Mimi also holds a Diploma in Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust and was our sommelier for the evening, and curated fine wines to taste.

We were delighted to have an engaged audience, and are thankful to Mimi for her presentation which enabled an interactive, productive discussion with some excellent takeaways.

The Monthly Committee Meeting Agenda can be accessed here.

On Friday, February 2nd, Winka Dubbeldam, founder and principal of Archi-Tectonics, presented a wide range of project typologies at our Leadership Breakfast event. Winka described her architectural designs through various scales: the progression from digital media &  virtual reality, to small clusters of people in mindfulness meditation pods, a medium-sized residential house with a kinetic Brise Soliel, and finally, the urban scale with her winning design-competition entry for the Asian Games.  Her fluency in design exhibits an understanding of how socities function as a individual parts of a whole. No matter the size, Winka’s designs enhance individual cognizance of inhabited space.

The breakfast concluded with a lively Q&A moderated by Rosalind Tsang.  AIANY WIA is grateful to Winka Dubbeldam for sharing her work with our members on an early Friday morning.