On May 10, 2023, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee was delighted to host a panel, Women in Design and Development: The Value of an Integrated Approach. Continuing our series highlighting women in the allied professions, we featured six incredible women who started their careers in architecture and made the transition to real estate. The panelists included Nicole Dosso, FAIA, Vice President Design & Construction, Vornado Realty Trust; Ali Militano, Director of Construction, Alloy Development; Sara Ngan, AIA, Vice President of Design & Development, Alpine Residential; Jenny Wu, AIA, Managing Director of Development, Jonathan Rose Companies; and Susi Yu, Former Principal and Head of Development, MAG Partners. Katrina Yin, AIA, Design Manager, JDS Development Group moderated an engaging conversation about the challenges and opportunities of working at the intersection of architecture and real-estate development.

 To kick off the discussion, each panelist shared about their background and how they became interested in real estate and development. Their stories ranged from a desire to see architecture, development and construction working closely together; a desire to understand the business side of what is driving projects, after seeing great projects dry up during a recession; a passion for building and being close to the construction through fruition; and a passion for working on deals and seeing the vision for a site. We gained insights into the key drivers in a typical development cycle, how architects can be better prepared to align their design schedule with the overall development schedule, how developers choose their architects, and how architects can better prepare through different economic cycles, especially challenging ones like what we are currently experiencing. The final segment of the panel focused on “What’s next?”. The panelists discussed how architects can best contribute to the design development process for affordable housing units; the rise of technology, ESG, efficient construction, mixed income housing, working in secondary markets and the importance of maintaining good design within different price points. We concluded with a lightening round of advice by each panelist for improving the client-architect relationship.

After the panel, we had a very lively audience Q&A that touched on topics such as gender equity, career development, how to advocate for greater equity and diversity in the profession, and the importance of creative problem solving and collaboration. We are grateful to all our speakers for their time, valuable insights and takeaways. A special thanks to all who attended and packed the house with standing room only! See you at our next event!