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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?

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: Graphing the Work-Life Equation

With a few short weeks until AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Patricia Hansen, Associate AIA shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

Graphing the Work-Life Equation: Different Approaches to Success

#EQxDWorkLife

From balance to flexibility to integration, there are many ways of conceptualizing the relationship between work and our personal lives. How do we develop successful, personalized strategies for making it work? Session leaders will share how they’ve set goals for balance, flexibility, or integration, and the strategies they’ve adopted as a result. Then participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their own approach to the work/life equation and discuss how it has (or has not) worked for them. Working together, participants will map these approaches to work/life, highlighting connections between individual goals, personal and professional context, and long-term success.

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

Patricia Hansen, Associate AIA — Facilitator

Patricia Hansen, Associate AIA — Facilitator

Why were you interested in being a facilitator? 

I am very supportive of the effort to create more equity in the workplace and see it as a crusade that I want to help drive. I had just joined EQxD prior to becoming a facilitator and it seemed like an excellent way to jump into the movement with both feet. Additionally, I am new to the profession and saw it as a great opportunity to network with amazing individuals who care about some of the same issues.  

 

How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session?

Our session is all about the difficulty of integrating personal and professional life. This relationship is dramatically affected by crucial pinch points throughout one’s career and is definitely a major issue for most workers. Whether it is getting married, starting a family, caring for parents, volunteering, or any other personal interest our session recognizes the importance of allowing time for these activities in order for employees to lead an engaged, happy life. Not allowing for this flexibility causes burnout and encourages individuals to leave the industry.

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?

One of the concepts that we arrived at early on in our discussions was that there is no such thing as Work/Life BALANCE. The interchange between professional and personal life is messy, unpredictable, and overlapping. It certainly is not some kind of perfectly balanced teeter-totter with work on one side and the rest of life on the other. Living a multifaceted life necessitates a constant give and take between work and everything else that is going on. In the end, it becomes much more about flexibility and integration of the different parts of life rather than a balance. This subtle distinction between work/life balance and work/life integration really surprised me initially because people so often use the terms interchangeably. The slight differences really affect one’s perception on the issue.

Check out all the #EQxDM3 Break-Out Sessions Here

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: Disrupting Implicit Bias

With a less than 2 weeks until AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Patricia G. Alarcón, RA shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

Disrupting Impicit Bias in Design and Practice

#EQxDDisruptBias

Everyone has implicit bias. We develop our biases through our environment, the people we engage with, and the culture we grow up in. These interactions shape the expectations we have for ourselves, colleagues, and even potential clients. Thus, bias can have a major impact on the design process and desired outcomes in our profession. Additionally, reflecting on our own “Bias Blind Spot” is critical to building empathy and foster a culture of open communication. We will explore implicit bias in design and practice through research and storytelling. We will examine our “Bias Blind Spots” in small groups, and share resources to increase our awareness of bias in our workplace and foster strategies for tangible change.

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

 

Patricia G. Alarcón, RA — Facilitator

Patricia G. Alarcón, RA — Facilitator

Why were you interested in being a facilitator?

I have been following the work of the AIA EQxD committee for some time. However, due to limited time for extra-curriculars outside of work and family responsibilities, I have been mostly cheering from the sidelines. Being a facilitator for the upcoming symposium gives me a chance to dive in and contribute to the cause in a very real and concrete way. I also saw it as an opportunity to deepen the discussion with women from different parts of the country, with different backgrounds and experiences than my own — a real community building/expanding opportunity.

How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session? 

Our topic is implicit bias in the workplace and it really can impact every facet of our career trajectory, from initial hiring, to retention and advancement. Bias transcends all the pinch points, and that’s something to keep in mind and work against regardless of where we are in our professional trajectory.

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?

It’s easy to find bias against you, where you feel victimized because of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Perhaps harder and more poignant is to reflect on one’s personally held biases. Holding that mirror up to ourselves is just as important a part of the conversation… that’s been one of the most interesting parts of the discussion among our group.

Check out all the #EQxDM3 Break-Out Sessions Here

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: Being a Change Agent

With a few short weeks until AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Neelanjana Sen, AIA shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

Being a Change Agent — Tools, Techniques and Scalability

#EQxDChangeAgent

How do the industry’s most influential change agents move from identifying a problem to making a lasting impact? Workshop participants will be invited to learn from the experiences of thought leaders who have shifted the status quo in their firms, academia, and the national architectural community. These leaders will guide participants through tools and techniques while offering them an opportunity to put those skills into practice in a hands-on workshop. Attendees will understand how to: frame a problem, engage others to find solutions and leverage ideas to implement change.

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

Why were you interested in being a facilitator?

Neelanjana Sen, AIA

Neelanjana Sen, AIA

I was interested for two main reasons. I am navigating my career and finding ways of implementing change along the way — filling in gaps I see in the workplace and the profession in general. Also, having an opportunity to be immersed in the ideation process was something I was looking forward to. This immersion helps new ideas flow, and you benefit from in-depth learning about how others around you have navigated their careers and gone beyond to impact their professions in a positive way.

The second reason for me being a facilitator is to interact with a fantastic set of professionals. I came out of the last symposium energized, and the next instinctive thing for me to do was to be more involved!

How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session?

The session I am facilitating is about being a change agent. Thought leaders in this session have contributed tremendously in shifting the status quo in various equity pinch points. The survey results emphasize the need to continue this work at a more grassroots level. Imagine each attendee of this session being equipped to bring change in the dysfunctions they know or have identified in the session…. that can ultimately change the pinch points we see in the survey results.

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team.

For me, it was interesting to realize that whether you are implementing change in your early career or trying to peek beyond the glass ceiling, we need the ability to scale the problem and take it from its nascent phase to full completion. Once we identify specific tools and techniques for this scalability, this mindset can be implemented in any circumstance we come across in our career and life.

Check out all the #EQxDM3 Break-Out Sessions Here

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: Culture with Intent

With a couple weeks until AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Nancy Alexander shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

Culture with Intent: Recognizing and Shaping your Office Culture

#EQxDCulture

It is said that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”.  Office culture matters – in producing quality work, in defining and expressing a brand, in employee retention. Knowingly or not, we live, breathe, and feel our office’s culture every day. Each office has its own values, traditions, ways of communicating and leading. Understanding your culture helps you gauge fit and manage performance. Through panelists’ examples, guided exercises and break-out groups, you will identify the hallmarks of your office culture, evaluate it through the lens of your personal values, address any incongruity, and develop strategies to effect change if needed.

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

Nancy Alexander — Facilitator

Nancy Alexander — Facilitator

Why were you interested in being a facilitator?

Facilitation is all about drawing out the group wisdom, finding the common threads, and seeing a co-created product emerge. It’s one of the most fun things I get to do! And as possibly the only non-architect in the crew, despite decades of learning about architecture, architects, and practice, I combine an outsider’s perspective with huge appreciation for what you all do and the impact your work has on the world.  

How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session?

I was surprised that the survey so vividly captured elements of firm culture that matter, in particular: alignment between firm values and personal values; the work relationships that develop as a result of that alignment; and individual control, autonomy, and involvement in decision-making. Understanding these points, I think, affirmed the direction our team was intuitively going in, and it is giving us something of a framework and starting point for the facilitated workshop.

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?

This is not a new a-ha, but a renewed one: you architects work a lot! Also you are super-smart and very skilled at processing the big picture and the details simultaneously. It’s always a privilege to work with architects (and dare I say, especially women architects). This team, like many teams of women architects that I’ve observed, is driven by the client (i.e. the audience) and the project goals and not egos.

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: ADVOCACY: Define | Discover | Do

With a couple weeks until AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Ellen Fuson, AIA, LEED Green Associate shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

ADVOCACY: Define | Discover | Do

#EQxDAdvocacy

Advocacy can occur at a number of scales, from advocating for ourselves, to fostering environments where everyone can speak up, to working collectively nationally or profession-wide.  In this break-out, session leaders will present case studies that illustrate these different scales of advocacy.  . Through participatory exercises attendees will discover ways to test and implement advocacy at each of these scales. The session will conclude with a conversation about insights gained through the case studies and exercises, leaving participants better equipped to actively advocate in small ways and large.

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

Ellen Fuson, AIA, LEED Green Associate — Facilitator

Ellen Fuson, AIA, LEED Green Associate — Facilitator

Why were you interested in being a facilitator?

I am interested in being a facilitator because I am passionate about promoting productive, positive, and disruptive dialog about equity in architecture.  As a previous attendee of the symposium, I am aware of how provocative the day can be: filled with innovative thinkers in a format that encourages interaction. This year’s theme — Metrics, Meaning, and Matrices — is right up my ally. I’m very inspired by EQxD’s methodology that data is power.  Because of this approach, EQxD has made visible some of the complex hurdles that are present over the course of a career.  In order to implement change, using metrics empowers us to track progress and find new meaning in transforming the culture of our profession. 

How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session?

Often times, equity starts with advocacy. Advocacy is meaningful on an individual level — negotiating for yourself for a promotion and advocating for additional services on a project are just a couple of examples.  But advocacy goes way beyond the personal and it can also be structural. When recontextualized, it has a role in establishing firm-wide policies that promote equitable practices, thus affecting real change in architecture, and the way we do business.  Being a designer today in the Bay Area is very exciting: thought leaders from a variety of industries and backgrounds are bringing innovative ideas and energy to the area. I look forward to what the future may hold. 

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?

Yes! Working with the thought leaders has helped me to think beyond my personal experience with advocacy, and reframe advocacy in terms of the big picture. How can firms play a role in creating a culture that promotes systems of advocacy? How can advocacy be a tool on an industry level to promote equity? The thought leaders come from a variety of backgrounds, which help to challenge traditional modes of exploration. Whenever we speak, I learn something new or see advocacy from a different angle. 

 

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

#EQxDM3 Behind the Scenes: Firm Strategies for Implementing Change

It's October! With less than a month away from AIASF's 4th Symposium - Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Nicolette Mastrangelo, AIA shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Career Dynamics session.

Equity in Practice: Firm Strategies for Implementing Change.

#EQxDFirmStrategies

Recognizing that the individuals who make up a firm are its most valuable asset, many of today’s top firms, large and small, have made strides towards building more equitable workplaces in order to sustain lasting and competitive businesses. Four professionals in the industry will discuss specific strategies related to flexibility, performance review and promotion, recruitment and retention, and mentorship/sponsorship and advocacy. They will examine successes and lessons learned, and how these strategies can be implemented in order to positively influence equity in the profession of architecture. 

Thought Leaders and Facilitator:

Why were you interested in being a facilitator?

Nicolette Mastrangelo, AIA - Facilitator 

Nicolette Mastrangelo, AIA - Facilitator 

As a young architect, I am passionate about issues of equity in the industry. My peers and I confront a sort of systemic change beginning to happen day in and day out at our firms and in our work. We are not only involved in the discussion but actively seeking out ways to participate in and shape innovative practices. The opportunity to collaborate with industry thought leaders on the subject immediately appealed to me. These women have some amazing stories to share and lessons learned. I’m hoping to share some of my own unique thoughts on how the association — in addition to employers and employees — can help shape the future of best practices and policies in the equitable architecture office.

 

How have the Career Pinch Points and/or Dynamics informed your session? 

The equity pinch points and dynamics act as a road map for what firms can do and are doing. When firms recognize the individual needs of employees at different stages in their careers, leadership can respond and address a variety of situations. A one-size-fits-all solution is not an equitable approach. Firm leaders need to drop the mantra, “If we did it for you, we’d have to do it for everyone.” Pluralism is the future of equitable architectural practice and the key to understanding the demographics within your firm (age, gender, leadership, etc.).  

 

Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?

There is an untapped outlet for advocacy at the association level. In addition to the bottom-up and top-down approaches being explored in architecture offices, the association could have significant advantages in influencing the entire AEC industry by making equity in practice less about changing individuals minds and more about changing systems. 

 

AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!

Architecture in the City: Resilience UX

by Lilian Asperin, AIA

Snap
In January of 2014, my father passed away unexpectedly. It was the first time in my career that my professional and personal trajectories massively collided. Congruent with that timeline was the birth of Equity by Design and my involvement in this transformative group dedicated to equitable practice, advancing architecture, and sustaining talent.

Being part of Equity by Design was meaningful during this time of personal grieving and upheaval because I was experiencing a particularly difficult pinch point. I was curious about how to go about considering a new set of pairings, which would shed light into what truly means the world to me.  To that extent, I took the summer off - to unsubscribe. During this interlude dedicated to purposefulness, the “process leader” in me wanted to ask for many details and sequences, but I learned to resist the need to know what, when and how much and instead focus on why, where and who with. 

When I re-engaged with work and Equity by Design, I found myself delving into the survey we had conducted and finding the data to support what I’d previously only been able to feel, and what I’d assumed I was feeling in a vacuum. The survey helped me contextualize and articulate my experience as the kind of pinch point during which our profession often loses some of its talent, and it helped me join a conversation about how to turn that trend around.

Equity in Architecture Survey
We have designed two surveys, the most recent of which has resulted in over 8,000 responses nationally. The results of the first survey, published in 2014, were sobering, while the trends have been evident in many of our experiences:

  • Gender-based pay and promotion inequities
  • There is a dearth of mentoring
  • Many professionals experience burn out
  • Respondents report a compromised home life

According to the 2014 survey, the respondents measure success as the following: working with the “A” team (those who are talented, aspirational, and seeking bold outcomes), engaging in projects of significance (impactful work that aligns with values) and leveraging flexibility for optimal creativity and productivity (work and life are integrated, with respect for personal space and time).

Life of an Architect
When we analyzed the data, respondents shed light on specific career pinch points:

  • Studio: academia
  • Paying Dues: on-ramping
  • Licensure: earning credentials
  • Caregiving: balancing families
  • Glass Ceiling: furthering advancement

Data is messy.
Here we are, as architects, with really important information that transforms anecdotes to facts. Yet, there comes a point when some of the data can be numbing rather than empowering. Is there a way to visualize it? Is there a way to experience it? This inspired our process for designing the fourth Symposium and an interactive piece as part of AIASF’s Architecture in the City Program.

Make stuff.
Architects love to make stuff, primarily because we are introverts. But also because we like to tinker and patterns start to emerge when we work with our hands. Tools give us voice. And, through our iterative process, we create combinations of things that go beyond words. We see adjacencies, disparities, and so on.

Prototype #1.
We have the opportunity to explore the topic of resilience. First, elasticity. Growth is experienced through stretching (setting aspirational goals) or when we are stretched (the first time planned or that circumstance perhaps not planned).

Prototype #2.
We then layered a vertical spectrum (levels of satisfaction) and a horizontal spectrum (duration in terms of years). What are the influences? Do gender and years of experience play a role? When are there drop offs from the field?

Prototype #3.
And again, ask: What are we mapping? Against what baseline? Is there something about that intensity that can be informative? In the context of Equity by Design, what new conversations have emerged? As in, what about leadership is recognized? Is leadership measured by power and control or perhaps, more importantly, by meaning and influence?

Prototype #4.
A typical detail in Architecture is the slotted connection. Our details account for an imperfect fit but allow for the convergence of movement, flexibility, yet connection.  We wondered if the installation could help us bring a hyper focus to the exactness of what actually happened during the points of inflection in your career. When you soared, what exactly contributed to that positivity? What can firms do to continually lift up their talent? 

Zahner!
We experience great joy in building relationships that are partnerships. Zahner, a collaborator on previous projects, was tickled by our mock-ups of studies on the topic of resilience.  So they offered to help us with scale and craft, but also in helping us clarify and strengthen our design intent.  We trusted them. And when the crate arrived, they indeed had amplified our concept 10 fold.

Pecha Kucha.
In times of stimulus overload in our world, the challenge of telling a story in 20 images, 20 seconds each is both welcomed and terrifying. It’s a whole other design exercise when compounded by the vulnerability of your story. So, there goes pen to paper and the sketches tell this journey. I would be remiss to not express my gratitude for those who have helped me in my journey of resilience. You know who you are and I thank you.

INSPIRE% [06]: Wandile Mthiyane - Founder of Ubuntu Design Group

This week's INSPIRE% post features equity champion Wandile Mthiyane, Co-Founder and President of Ubuntu Design Group, Fellow of The Resolution Project, and AIAS Chapter President at Andrews University.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?  

Photo courtesy of Ubuntu Design Group

Photo courtesy of Ubuntu Design Group

My name is Wandile Mthiyane. I am a Master of Architecture student and the founder of Ubuntu Design Group. I grew up in a shantytown in Durban, South Africa, and I believe in using architecture as a vehicle to restore communities’ dignity. I am currently working on partnering with shantytown communities to build sustainable, efficient and affordable housing and infrastructure. I am passionate about a design approach that empowers people by capitalizing upon the creative energy and spirit that they possess, as well as through collaboration with the architects and engineers for their community.

“ I’m studying architecture so that I can go back and harness the local creativity of my community origins. My vision is to build sustainable homes, which preserve the cultural values of the communities that I serve.”

2. Why did you choose to study Architecture? 

Photo courtesy of Ubuntu Design Group

Photo courtesy of Ubuntu Design Group

Growing up in a dilapidated shantytown in Durban, South Africa, everyone built their own houses, hence everyone I knew was an “architect”. My community worked together to build each other’s homes out of any materials they had, from a microwave to plywood. This effort instilled in me a culture of making things. We never had the opportunity to play house in a real house, so we built our tiny shacks to play house in. Despite the fun of learning how to build, I always aspired to someday have a high level of technical skill and resources. I’m studying architecture so that I can go back and harness the local creativity of my community origins. My vision is to build sustainable homes, which preserve the cultural values of the communities that I serve.

 

3. What inspires you on a daily basis?

I am inspired by the exuberant creativity expressed by the people living in shantytowns. The town’s people efficiently use their scarce resources to create dwellings for them and their loved ones. I am inspired by the optimism, love, joy and hope shown by people who live in inhumane conditions of informal settlements. This is shown in the small things like keeping their mud shack spotlessly clean and painting a flower on their doors. I am inspired by the potential impact architecture has on solving social problems while creating culturally sensitive and sustainable neighborhoods. For example, in the township of Umbumbulu there are many small, narrow passageways, and no street lighting. By working with the local residents to best redesign the streets to open up space, along with redesigning homes to include windows so more eyes are on the neighborhood, and installing street lighting we can instantly reduce crime and rape. Kids in Umbumbulu often miss school due to a light rainstorm. This can be solved by simply improving the design of their schools to protect against rain getting into the rooms and damaging the student’s books and learning materials.  Making these simple changes, which can drastically alter the lives and experience of people living in the township of Umbumbulu, is very inspirational to me.

he town’s people efficiently use their scarce resources to create dwellings for them and their loved ones

he town’s people efficiently use their scarce resources to create dwellings for them and their loved ones

 

4. What are 3 of your most influential projects and why?

Ubuntu Design Group Half House Project (In progress).

This is the first project where I was the principal agent and it helped me realize that architecture is not just a commodity for the wealthy; it can be a vehicle to harness local creativity to preserve culture while creating a sustainable community. This also gave me the opportunity to provide solutions, which includes the integration of the local people in the design process of their houses and community. I strongly believe that there are no better people to design a place than the people who will be occupying it. This approach is not only beneficial to a community, but unique to it as well.

Fezi Jezi Orphanage in Haiti (In progress)

In this project I had the privilege to help design an orphanage for teenagers. This helped me realize how much impact a building can have in the development of a person's character. This project is reaffirming for me the truth of Churchill’s famous quote: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”

Orphanage storehouse in Bolivia

I also had the privilege to help design and build an orphanage storehouse in Bolivia. I was moved by the impact this little project had on the children living at the orphanage. This made me realize that even little design solutions could potentially change several people’s lives for the better. For example, the certainty of a sustainable and safe home can bring a much-needed sense of security to the children. Furthermore the gesture portrayed by this project shows that they - are not without anyone who cares for them, but that their wellbeing and growth under normal living conditions like other kids is equally as important. I think this brings a big lift to their lives.

 

5. What is the greatest challenge/difficulty that you had to overcome in your professional career?

My greatest challenge has been working against my original mindset that architecture is a space for luxury designs and buildings. I personally see it now as a major opportunity for social design to enrich those who are not fortunate enough to afford extravagant, or even middle class structures made by other architects. One of my biggest problems has been facing the western mindset of knowing what’s best for the communities in the developing world. I always have a hard time explaining to potential investors and donors that we don’t have a design but the design come out from our interaction with the community. The scale of the number of houses we build is important, yes, but not at the expense of people’s culture, shared values, and community. It is so common in today's world to provide figures and statistics that are gathered through research, and hold them up as if they were absolute truth. The reality is that initial statistics, budgets, and designs may make sense to business owners and investors, but are often void of any real local and cultural knowledge of how it would impact, or be received by the community. Often, this does not translate to being an effective solution on the ground, giving a false sense of security or a “sure thing” to investors and causing multiple problems down the line. As I find myself saying repeatedly, “just because there are figures, doesn’t mean there are facts.”

We are currently working with World Merit at Merit 360 in New York, which brings together the brightest young minds and leaders from around the world to discuss and brainstorm ways to effect global change in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Ubuntu Design Group recently presented the work that we are doing to the United Nations as a model to effectively develop communities around the world.

Ubuntu presenting the SDG 11 Project at the United Nations - Photo courtesy of Alexander Lori

Ubuntu presenting the SDG 11 Project at the United Nations - Photo courtesy of Alexander Lori

 

6. What do you believe has been one of your greatest accomplishments to date? Why?  

I know you asked for one, but I’ll actually mention two. The first is the Ubuntu Half-House social venture pitch, which won first place in the Resolution Projects at One Young World. Secondly, and connected to the first accomplishment, is the fact that the Ubuntu Half-House project has been shortlisted as one of the top 6 finalists for the SXSW Place By Design International Competition.

 

7. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 24 year-old self?

I’m actually 22 years old, but if I had to go back 4 years and tell my undergraduate freshman-self a word of advice, I would say “architecture is not just about designing tall shiny buildings for multi-millionaires or huge corporations. Architecture is actually a vehicle I can use to make this world safer, and improve the living conditions for all people, no matter the budget. Great architecture becomes great when it is built for all people, by all people.”

 

 

8. What is the best advice that you ever received and how does that apply today?

The best advice I’ve received, which is a principle that I live by, is to love God and live a life to serve. This is embedded in the very core mission of Ubuntu Design Group, as “Ubuntu” means “I am because you are.”

 

9. How do you see the practice of Architecture changing in the next 10-20 years? What would your role be in the future? 

As a report from the U.S. Census Bureau projects, by 2050 the minority population will become the majority (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/08/13/census.minorities/). There have also been indications of change in the trend of male domination in architecture. From 2003-2015 there was only one female president for AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students). For the first time in the history of this organization, there have been two female presidents back to back, and the majority of the quadrant leaders are now also female. This goes to show the increase in the gender diversity within the field of architecture leadership, which is a good indicator for the industry. There still hasn’t been a lot of Ethnic diversity in the presidential positions in AIAS, but there have been a growing number of black vice presidents, along with the increase in different ethnicities taking on undergraduate degrees in architecture, there is hope for growth in the future. Therefore, I think architecture has a strong potential to represent the populations that we are meant to serve in the coming years, especially with the predicted demographic transition from historically minority towards the majority. With the rise in the black middle class and in women who are studying architecture, this will provide opportunities for architecture to reach unexplored possibilities and address changing cultural demands.

“In order for the profession to truly reflect equity, we need to address implicit bias that’s almost always reflected in pay grade, promotion, health support, type of work allocated and the general welfare of all employees.”

Some may see these stats and progress and argue that since the profession is moving in the right direction there’s no need for advocates; change is unpredictable and is already happening on its own. While they might have a point that there’s definitely positive progress in relation to diversity and inclusion in the field of architecture, they are missing the fundamental point that, the only reason the industry is changing is because of advocates who are questioning the status quo. In order for the profession to truly reflect equity, we need to address implicit bias that’s almost always reflected in pay grade, promotion, health support, type of work allocated and the general welfare of all employees.

My role in this world is to be an advocate for this transformation and to lead by example. I’d like for architecture to be a medium bringing back dignity to the community by allowing people the opportunity to have an input in the design of their houses and communities, no matter which part of the world they live in, or what social class they come from.

 

10. We have heard that while the general public respects Architects, they have little knowledge about what we do. Do you have any thoughts about how we can bridge the gap?

Courtesy of Wandile Mthiyane

Courtesy of Wandile Mthiyane

I think this gap is a result of poor public participation in the design process, which is a fault on the architecture side; therefore, one way for bridging this gap is to involve the general public in the design process. After all, there is no better person to decide how to live in a place than the actual person who will be living there.

I have incorporated this principle throughout the mission of Ubuntu Design Group. Our main motto is “listening to build.” This is a very important principle in our needs research and assessments, which involves going on location and talking to the individuals we are designing and building a home for. We discuss their needs, such as our first family who is living with a disability and requires that the house be wheelchair friendly, and build these points into our design process. We also study the local landscape, culture, and existing architecture while constantly asking questions and observing community interactions. This ensures the community feels seen, heard, and included in the end product. I believe this process will help strengthen people’s understanding of what we as architects do, and our relationship with the individuals of the communities we’re working in.

INSPIRE% interviews are part of a series conceived and curated by EQxDesign.com. This interview post has been co-edited by Rosa Sheng, Yousif Yousif, and Stephen Allcock.

Connect with us:

Ubuntu are excited to invite you to make a difference. We need your help to build homes that preserve the culture, identity, and individuality of the communities with whom we will partner. In the spirit of ubuntu, “I am because you are,” we are calling all who are inspired by this new collaborative method to help us raise the funds for our pilot sustainable house for the Mtshalis family, along with other residents of informal settlements in Durban, South Africa in the near future.

For more information about the work of Ubuntu, the concept behind Ubuntu House Projects, and the ways in which you can be involved, please visit

www.ubuntudesigngroup.com

Meet the #EQxDM3 Thought Leaders and Keynote Speaker!

AIASF Equity by Design is excited to present our diverse group of Thought Leaders who will be contributing their expertise and experience to the Equity conversation on October 28 + 29th . We had an incredible list of talented professionals submit for the program and it was a difficult decision to come up with the final list. Regardless, we encourage everyone to join us for our 4th Symposium -  Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices. Find out more about each of them and the sessions they will be participating for October 28 + 29, 2016.

 

Featured Keynote Speaker

In her tenure as the founder of the 3% Conference, Kat Gordon is well versed and experiences at how to be an agent of change in Advertising, where only 3% of creative directors were women. Launched on September 27, 2012 in San Francisco, the 3% Conference has exploded into a 2-day, 800-person event in New York City, multi-city road shows throughout the year, a vibrant online community on multiple social platforms, a student scholarship fund, a creative award, and a business blog to support the crusade.

Kat Gordon's presentation is timely as a launchpad for our next chapter. By recalling her personal journey as an agent for change, Kat will share the key aspects of change leadership - transforming key discussions into strategic actions to affect the lasting outcomes that we desire for Equity in Architecture movement.

Featured
Kat Gordon
Kat Gordon

Founder of The 3% Conference, Advertising Creative Director

Kat Gordon has been called the “triple threat” of an entrepreneur, ad woman + marketing to women expert and was named one of "30 Most Creative Women in Advertising" by BusinessInsider in 2016 and one of “Forty Over 40” women disrupting the world in 2014. She is the visionary behind The 3% Conference. Started as a passion project to spotlight a huge business opportunity in advertising -- the lack of female creative leadership and its impact on connecting with an overwhelmingly female marketplace -- the 3% Conference has grown exponentially since its 2012 launch and has hosted events in 15 cities globally. Kat's team also offers consulting and certification to help agencies up their accountability around gender equality

Introducing our #EQxDM3 Though Leaders

Joining our Keynote Speaker, Equity by Design Core Team, and AIASF Leadership, is a group of talented leaders, academics, and practitioners in the Equity movement both locally, nationally and abroad. We welcome you to join them in what promises to be an interactive and motivating day. Click here to find out more our Thought Leaders and their sessions on October 28 and 29th.