Together we rise

It’s opportune that the commencement of Designers Build coincides with the third anniversary of the Women’s March. Many of the same issues that precipitated and have become the focus of international protests are ones that drive the need for these construction workshops. As the Women’s March highlights the need for a societal transformation around women’s rights, the mission of Designers Build is borne out of the professions’ own crisis around lack of opportunity and injustice.

As past Equity in Architecture surveys show, a disproportionate amount of women documented that the Construction Methods & Materials and Building Systems curriculum offered while in college was insufficient to prepare them for a career in architecture. Anecdotal evidence points to the fact that it’s not surprising when women are given marginal field time spent in construction administration as compared to their male peers, even though this is pivotal in gaining enough hours to become licensed. The bias that women aren’t as familiar with construction is real and one that can have detrimental effects on her career. The effects range from prolonging time towards licensure, limiting and directing roles into administration or project management versus design and impeding progress towards leadership roles.

Although it would be wonderful if the skills taught in these construction workshops and courses proved useful in your day to day work. The intent is to provide opportunity for not only skill building but problem solving, tool competency, resource familiarity and community building.

Illustration courtesy of Sam Vanallemeersch at kolkhoz.com

Origin story

Equity.

This research project is the result of an ongoing resolution towards promoting equity in the profession of architecture. Back in 2013, while an active member of the AIA’s Forum for Women in Architecture & Related Design (ForWARD) Committee, our planning group was introduced to the work that AIA San Fransisco was doing with regards to highlighting the lack of parity in the profession. AIA SF had named their project The Missing 32% based on the statistic that women represent less than 50% of the students graduating from accredited architecture programs and the number of women who are AIA members, licensed architects and senior leadership varied between 15% to 18% of the total - leaving unaccounted 32%. Starting the dialogue and asking questions related to the profession’s pipeline issue was the first step, followed by clarifying the baseline by implementing several surveys and finally creating a task force at the AIA National level. Initially The Missing 32% was focused on women in the profession and over time the attention has broadened to encompass all under-represented groups. Similar to our local AIA committee which has since shifted from ForWARD to the Committee on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

Before data from that first survey was released, the common stories being shared amongst my work friends about being passed over for a promotion or low pay & long hours or waiting to become a parent knowing that it was career suicide, were just stories. Unrelated series of events that had people feeling isolated in their career and their place of work. In 2015 when the results of the survey data were out for public consumption, the tides turned. All at once we realized there were thousands of people all over the nation feeling the same way and it was a game changer.

Doesn’t the saying go … “The first step in solving the problem is knowing what the problem is? “ or something like that. Well there’s a terrific number of problems contributing to the lack of underrepresented people, including women, staying in the field. And as the work of The Missing 32%, now known as EquitybyDesign (EQxD), and the National AIA EDI Committee has matured and grown so have the strategies for promoting equity and being more inclusive. My intention with this research was to focus on one area highlighted as an issue, lack of opportunity.

There is a much higher chance that a man who graduates from architecture school has had a background in construction or been exposed to the building trades. Although statistics show women comprise approximately 10% of the construction workforce nationally. At a more granular level, on building sites themselves, it is estimated that 99% of workers are men. This lack of constructability know-how plays itself out throughout a woman’s career. Statistically speaking in mid to large firms, the majority of women find themselves in the role of project manager rather than lead designer. There are many components that influence this, but the fundamental lack of construction knowledge is generally noted as a probable factor.

Creating opportunities to advance construction knowledge, empower women and to forge a community allied around collaboration is the mission of Designers Build_pdx. The intent of this site is to document the process: the people met, the stories told, the information learned along the way. I’m grateful for your help and the support of the Van Evera Bailey Fellowship towards progressing equity and inclusion in the profession of architecture.

Read more about the work of EquitybyDesign (EQxD) and the AIA National Equity & The Future of Architecture Committee .

Illustration courtesy of Lisa Congdon @ lisacongdon.com