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There has been much discussion raised about "Why are women leaving Architecture? and more broadly, Why is the profession losing key talent?"  Both women and men practitioners are disillusioned by the myth of work/life balance: Women are grappling with "have it all" expectations of juggling family time with the demands of full-time work.  Men are struggling to support their families solely on an architect's salary and fall back on asking spouses to maintain their jobs. The lack of affordable childcare and high cost of living only magnifies the challenges.  How did we end up in this modern family dilemma? What can we do to improve the situation?

A Tribute to Sandra I. Vivanco, AIA, SEED

It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Sandra I. Vivanco - our dear friend and accomplished architect, dedicated professor and leading champion for equity, diversity and inclusion in academia as well as the built environment.

Sandra was an integral and frequent collaborator with AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design Committee.  We will miss Sandra’s tenacity, passion, and endearing warmth. We are motivated to honor the values she lived by, in particular, giving voice to and creating opportunities for the communities of color, students, and collaborators in the broader architecture, engineering and construction space.

In the coming days and weeks, we will be collaborating with a larger community of friends and equity champions that Sandra inspired to synchronize a tribute befitting the energy and passion she invested into everything she touched. 

The EQxD Core Team

If you have memories that you would like to share in tribute, please send to: lia.sfcommittee@gmail.com

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Sandra I. Vivanco was the founding principal of A+D, Architecture + Design in San Francisco. Based on the premise that inclusiveness and design excellence can and should co-exist, the work of A+D is globally recognized and operates at multiple scales. As one of a handful of Latina-owned architecture firms in the country, A+D explored cultural identity representation as design inspiration for new and invigorated public spaces. Vivanco practiced architecture in Japan, Portugal, Peru, Italy, Mexico and Brazil. Most notably, she worked for Portuguese Pritzker prize winner Alvaro Siza in 1990.

Widely recognized as a rigorous modern architect with a deep commitment to public work, Vivanco was also well known as a LatinX cultural expert with profound knowledge of modern art and architecture in Latin America. She was the Architect of Record for The Mexican Museum in San Francisco, due to open in 2020. Vivanco was selected Architect of Community as one of 10 Architects to Watch featured in California Home & Design magazine in 2010. In 2017, she received the Education Award in the AIA San Francisco Community Alliance Awards program.

As a California College of the Arts Professor of Architecture and Diversity Studies and Co-Director of the CCA BuildLab; Vivanco skillfully synthesized theory and practice in her work. Sometimes design proposals start in the classroom and are deployed as design-build projects. Other times a professional commission might find a different life in an academic studio. Two successful examples include the permanent built interventions by her students at Plaza Adelante - a community service and art center for LatinX immigrants - and an urban design studio proposing a temporary global event on 38 acres of waterfront remediated land owned by PG&E. Vivanco was a San Francisco Mission neighborhood resident and activist, an avid dancer, loving wife/partner, and proud mother of two public school graduates.