NCARB Live: Women In Architecture Date: September 25, 2014 at 3 p.m. EDT Topic: Women In Architecture Moderator: Architect Magazine Executive Editor Katie Gerfen Panelists: NCARB Second Vice President Margo Jones, NCARB, AIA, LEED AP AIA Young Architects Forum Co-Chair Anna Barbour, AIA, LEED AP BD+C 2013 AIA DC Emerging Architect recipient Diane Leeson, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C Katie: Hi, my name is Katie Gerfen. I’m the Executive Editor of Architect Magazine, and I’m here at NCARB’s Washington, DC, office today to talk about a very important topic: women in architecture. I’m joined by Anna Barbour, Margo Jones, and Diane Leeson, and we’re going to have a great conversation about the state of the industry today. So ladies, I always like to start at the beginning. So do you want to tell me a little bit about what you do now and what made you decide to pursue architecture in the first place? Anna: Oh, sure. I always knew I wanted to be an architect since the fourth grade. I visited a development that was still under construction, called Seaside in Florida, [which] is now a new urban development. I was there on the street and I just kind of realized this was a special place that somebody made. And I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I pursued drafting in high school. I was one of the only women there. I went through college and I got my master’s degree from Virginia Tech and always worked in firms and interned. Now I’m an architect at Shalom Baranes Associates in Washington, DC. We do multi-family, commercial, and some government work. Katie: Great. Margo: So, Anna, you beat me by five years. I knew in ninth grade that I wanted to be an architect, and I grew up in a suburban Boston community that had a lot of architects, including women architects. So I had role models at a young age. But I also got an undergrad degree in liberal arts, and then went to graduate school in Boston. Worked for six years after getting my M.Arch. and started my own practice. That was 30 years ago. And now I have a 10-person firm that I share with a partner. And we do mostly schools, and it’s in Western Massachusetts, which is a rural area. Katie: Great. You’re involved with NCARB as well, aren’t you, Margo? Margo: Oh, yeah. That’s right. Katie: A little bit? Margo: I’ve been involved with NCARB since 2007 when I volunteered to be on the Internship Committee. And that was very interesting to me. I kept up the activity and now I’m second vice president of the Board. Katie: Fantastic. 1 Diane: I feel like I have a similar story. I felt like at a young age, I was interested in architecture because my family and I moved to a new development, so ours was one of the first houses on the block built. And all around me there [were] a bunch of stick-built single-family houses, and I was really interested in that. I think in fourth grade, my dad was saying, “You really have a strong interest in what seems to be art and math, and architecture would probably be a good career path for you. And you have an uncle in architecture.” And he kind of led me down that path. So after that, I went to school at Philadelphia University, got my Bachelor of Architecture, and when I graduated, came down to D.C. for my first job. I just feel like [by] being an architect, you can help people, and therefore that’s one of the things that I like about architecture. Currently I’m working on a health care project, so I’m helping design the hospitals for the doctors to help the patients get better. Katie: That’s great. And you’re at Perkins+Will here in D.C., right? Diane: I am, yes. Katie: Fantastic. And you’re also pursuing your license? Diane: I am pursuing my license. I’m still in the early stages, so I feel like I do have a long way to go, but there’s a lot of support out there for me. Katie: That’s great. Well, one of the first things that I think we need to talk about when talking about women in architecture is the idea of a gender gap in the industry. It’s something that’s often discussed. But with three women who are working at different points in the field, I’d love to get your perspective on is there a gender gap? And what do you think that gender gap is? How would you define it as it affects you in architecture? Anna: Well, in the firm that I’m at, there are about a 120 architects or architecture professionals. I would say that we’re about 50-50 as far as men and women. All of the senior roles are men, but there’s a lot of opportunity for development. If you’re interested in project management or design, you show the initiative, you show the passion and the concern, there’s been opportunities for upward movement. And I think that as long as you can support yourself, put yourself out there, and be confident in what you want, there is opportunity out there for you. Margo: Well, I experienced a lot of [this] gender gap as I was getting trained, and throughout work. In architecture school, it just so happened that the year I started, I was the only woman in my class. And that was hard because I picked the graduate school I went to because it had a good record for more women. Later it evened out and was a very diverse class. We all had our own talents. I learned early on that people bring their own strengths. Women certainly add a lot to the profession and have certain creative capabilities that are amazing. There aren’t that many woman-owned firms. I think in Massachusetts there are probably more than in other areas of the country, but I’ve been very fortunate to have my own firm. I think that it is a function of how much you put your nose to the grindstone and really work hard. Convey to other people, like clients, that you’re capable, competent, and you believe in yourself. And so it takes a certain amount of assertiveness and overcoming the odds, but you can make it. A lot of women are joining the ranks. And I’m glad we’re 2 talking about it, because there shouldn’t be such a gap between the amount of graduates and equity partners at large firms. It should be even, so we’ve got to do something to make it better. Katie: Absolutely. Diane: I don’t see a whole lot of female architects above me that I can look to, I guess, as roles models. But at the same time, it [has] been pointed out to me [that] there is a gender gap. And only when I think about it do I kind of notice it. But until then I haven’t really paid too much attention to that, which is kind of interesting. Katie: Yeah, definitely. The kind of things that you pointed out is the gap between the number of women in architecture school and the number of women in leadership roles. And one of the stats that’s often talked about is the 32 percent. Fifty percent of the people in architecture school are female, but only 18 to 21 [percent]—depending on the numbers that you’re looking at—are women architects. So there is that missing 32 percent gap there. What do you think are some of the things that we can do to increase the speed with which women get licensed, but also keep that momentum going up through the ranks of the industry and into the ranks of a leadership in firms? Anna: I think that making [the path to] licensure part of your education, as part of the track that, “I want to be a licensed architect so I’m going to school, and then I’m going to pursue my licensure as soon as I am done with school,” is a really good way to think about it. I’ve always thought that my license was the end of my education, and it did take me quite a while to get there, but I’m glad that I was able to achieve that. I think that your brain is fresher with taking tests, being able to recall structures, and use different things that you’re asked for in the exams. And if you can [take the exam concurrently with] IDP, then it would be a great way just to get them done, get them over with. And when it’s time to have a family, it’s time to do something else or travel, then you have the opportunity to always come back to architecture with your license, with your credibility that says, “I can practice here, or I can go wherever I want to and be able to practice.” It’s really something that is a valuable tool that you should have. Margo: Right. And the NCARB Board and staff are working hard to streamline internship and also make the ARE a little bit more efficient. I mean, I got registered in two and a half years after graduate school, and that was because you had to sit for the exam three days in a row and you just had to do it.