Alexandria Evans,
AIA, CAW Architects

Alexandria Evans, temped for a social media company, while looking for her first designer position upon moving to California from Iowa. Her struggle finding her first job sparked her first involvement with the AIA starting with the AIASF mentorship committee. This helped her find a position with Howard Backen’s office in Sausalito. In 2018 she joined CAW Architects, Inc. and transitioned to the AIA Silicon Valley chapter and where she currently sits on COTE and  chairs the Communications committee.

Alexandria, as a child of 2 public school educators, especially loves her work in education and strives to help create positive environments for the community. She strongly believes that architects have a responsibility towards the environment and works towards decreasing the built environments contribution to the climate crisis. This belief was fostered during her B.S. in Architecture at Georgia Tech and her M.Arch at Iowa State. Other interests include adaptive re-use and historic preservation, traveling, volunteering, and making jewelry.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

My geometry teacher suggested that I think about architecture or engineering. It came at the perfect time, I was just realizing my dream of being like Nancy Drew and Emily Dickinson, or an investigative reporter/poet , would probably not be the right fit for me. I jumped onto the idea of architecture and never looked back. It probably helped that my high school was limestone with some fabulous gothic details.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

Time management is one I’m working on right now both in the office and in my personal life. As I become more involved in managing projects, deciding on priorities and estimating time needed for different tasks in the office, I have been working on balancing my free time between fun projects, household chores, exercise, and relaxation.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

Currently on my desk I have a Higher Education project and a couple of T.I. projects.  I also have recently worked on a couple of K-12 projects.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

Everyday is different. My favorite thing to do is dive into a research project. I love them all, precedent studies, product research, and even code research.

What was your strategy to complete and pass all ARE divisions?

I took longer than I anticipated to pass all of my exams. I always had an idea of when I was going to take the next one though, even if it wasn't going to be for 6 months. Also caffeine and baked goods serve as good study bribery.

You are a member of AIA Silicon Valley's COTE / Communications Committee. What did you gain from that experience?

The best part of the committee is that I have met a number of incredible people. They inspire me to keep learning more about sustainability and are great resources as I try to integrate sustainability goals into practice.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

I don’t think there is just one answer; the path that I’m most passionate about is inspiring children and the education project typology. I really believe the work my office does can make a difference in the lives of children through a well designed and inspiring school. It's also important to teach students about being architects like the ACE mentorship program or like NOMA’s Project Pipeline. Once you’ve inspired a more diverse population to study architecture, we as a field need to follow through with scholarships and more inclusive hiring practices.

What is your advice for emerging professionals pursuing licensure?

There are so many great resources available online so my first pieces of advice is to use them. Firms often have resources available for communal use as well. I think its important to pull practice questions from more than one source to ensure you don’t have any blind spots going into an exam.

Start. Log your hours and find your in office mentor as soon as you can. Sign up for your next test as soon as you finish your previous one. If you take a break, don’t beat yourself up over it, and don’t compare yourself to others. This is your own path

Find a time and place for studying, and schedule it into your week. I liked studying at college libraries and Panera the best. The first had others studying like me, and the second came with lots of coffee and the occasional bribery bagel.

How does having an architecture license set you apart from other design professionals?

Besides being proud to call myself an Architect, being licensed means having a responsibility of protecting the public’s “health, safety, and welfare.” The public that responsibility extends to is more than the client, and includes everyone who may uses, participated in constructing, or is impacted by the buildings or spaces I design.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

Treat your life like a design problem. This has been the best piece of advice I’ve been given. My “life” project is still a quite work in progress with far too many unknowns, but I’ve made a few changes that have increased the joy in my life. Scheduling exercise back into my life has helped with my overall mental health, and dancing once or twice week helps me tap into a needed carefree joy, a bit of silliness that’s a good contrast to my usual seriousness.

What architecture blogs or websites do you regularly follow?

Dezeen is my favorite, I also follow Architect Magazine and the Carbon Leadership Forum.

Mary Morris,
AIA, REFP, LEED AP,
AIA Silicon Valley Secretary

Mary is a summa cum laude graduate of UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture and has more than 30 years’ experience in the planning and design of public education facilities. Volunteer activities include:

• Advancing the role of women architects and the profession of architecture via participation in the AIA Silicon Valley’s Women in Architecture Committee;

• Supporting first-generation students in their pursuit of college education as a member of the Downtown College Preparatory College Scholarship Committee;

• Advocating for social and racial justice through service on the Board of Directors for the YWCA Silicon Valley;

• Mentoring future education facilities leaders in the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) Facilities Leadership Academy; and
  

• Promoting improved educational facility designs as Immediate Past President of the Northern California / Northern Nevada chapter of Architecture for Learning Environments (A4LE).

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

I have known since I was pretty young, maybe 10 years old or so–pretty much as soon as I knew there was such a thing–that I wanted to be an architect.  As far back as I can remember, I enjoyed drawing floor plans, figuring out what buildings must look like inside based on what they look like from the outside, and expressing opinions on which buildings were beautiful and which were…not. 

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

I am an introvert by nature, and I was a very shy, very conflict-averse kid.  School did not, in those days, focus on having students prepare and deliver presentations or on how to be persuasive in a discussion.  The work was very focused on individual, pencil and paper work.  I was a nervous wreck on the rare occasions I had to deliver a presentation or argue a point in a group setting.  But now I am fine with speaking in front of people and also with facilitating group discussions.  I’ve gained the ability to listen, synthesize, and repeat back in real time–as a way of assuring people I’ve heard them–as well as to draw out from people what about what they’ve said is important to them and highlighting it for others as a means of gaining consensus in planning and design committee meetings.  It’s also a good way to get my interpretation corrected when I’ve misunderstood.  This comes in handy in “regular” life too.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

I have spent most of my architectural career working on TK - 14  educational projects. I found I enjoy this kind of work for two main reasons: 1.)  most people I’ve come across on the client side of educational projects are driven by their education mission, and I really appreciate that, and 2.)  I’m the beneficiary of a California public school education – from Kindergarten through my architecture education at UC Berkeley – and I feel like using my skills to help create better educational environments for others is a kind of giving back.  It’s so much more meaningful to me than the types of projects I worked on the first few years after graduation.

How has the pandemic changed the way you work as a team?
 

Oh, in so many ways–and many, though not all of them–for the better.  

I think meetings conducted on Zoom or other, similar programs, while not necessarily ideal for large groups or all activities, can really level the playing field for participants in groups of say, 10 - 12 people;  it’s much harder for just a few people to dominate the discussion, assuming the moderator is paying attention.  

I’ve spent a lot of my career working in remote or “satellite” offices. Though connected electronically for meetings, I was often in a room alone while there were many people in the same room in the headquarters office.  I’ve come to realize I did a lot of self-censoring because I had to shout down the people who were in the room together to be heard over their side conversations when I had something to say, so I often didn’t bother because I wasn’t always sure what I had to say was worth the shouting required to be heard.  Had I been in the room with everyone else, it would have seemed like part of a normal conversation.  But now that everyone is remote, conversation feels more balanced, and those in the headquarters office now have a much greater understanding of what it means to foster real participation.

And in one-to-one meetings with difficult content, the bit of remove that is created has, I think, often allowed discussions to be more candid. 

The use of this kind of technology has meant I spend a lot less time driving, which has been good for the environment, and, in some ways, made for better use of my time.  Though I confess I do sometimes miss the time spent alone with my own thoughts while driving to and from meetings and the amping up / decompressing time that that time alone in the car provided.

I also think it’s not great for the young members of our profession to be constantly alone.  I absorbed quite a bit of knowledge from being in the room, overhearing–and sometimes joining in and sometimes not–the discussions of people around me who had more knowledge / experience than I did.  And so I try to provide that experience for the younger staff around me now.  But I realize my preferred work environment is a bit noisy–with a hum of white noise, like in a coffee shop–and that’s not true for everyone.  Some people (like my husband) are easily distracted and find it hard to work in those circumstances. 

What is your advice for emerging professionals who are looking to transition to  leadership roles? 

“Read books on leadership, communication skills, personal effectiveness, etc.” is a classic answer.  So is “Learn about the business aspect of what you’re working on and help take responsibility for financial success”.  But I would add:

• Be curious. Take an active interest in what’s going on around you;  listen up to learn.  

• Read your firm’s contract with the project Owner to understand what your deliverables are–and what they aren’t.  Ask questions if there’s something you don’t understand.  

• Learn about–and keep up with the changes to–review agency requirements.

• Strive to understand your clients’ business issues;  learn about their goals, their constraints, and the politics that affect their work so you can provide designs that better meet all of their needs.  

• Participate in activities beyond those required for “your job”;  join internal committees and book clubs;  read your firm’s marketing proposals;  seek the advice and expertise of your specifications and interiors departments;  view your accounting, IT, and HR departments as valuable members of your team rather than servants.  

• Volunteer for outside organizations that serve your community in some way that you really care about for additional opportunities to learn leadership skills, increase the size and reach of your network, and provide recognition for you and / or your firm.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

The profession has come a long way during the course of my career.  I was the only girl in my high school drafting classes.  Early in my career I was often the only woman in the room.  That is rarely the case now.  But there is still a long way to go to achieving full equity and diversity.  

There are a lot of ways to attack this challenge, starting with filling the career pipeline earlier by sharing the career possibilities with young school children–of all socio-economic status and backgrounds.  But that’s just a start.  Providing scholarships to high school graduates and college students interested in the profession.  There were a lot of women in my university architecture program.  Where did they all go?  Recognizing people need some degree of flexibility in their work schedules to accommodate family life, personal chronotypes, and working styles might have kept more of them around.

And the architecture profession requires architects to provide a broad spectrum of activities.  So there is a need for a broad variety of skill sets.  Firms need to learn to truly value all of them–not just the “rainmakers”–and persuade people there is more than one path for advancement.  I think that would go a long way to broadening participation–and retention.

How does having an AIA network set you apart from other design professionals?

Having a network is incredibly valuable.  No one person can know or do it all.  Having people you can call on when you need information–or some other kind of personal support, like being able to vent with someone who understands the issue you’re facing and can help you work your way to a solution–opens up the world.  Different perspectives lead to a wider array of possibilities.

What would you say your mission is? What’s the impact you’d like to have on the world, and on the profession?

I understand what a gift my public education has been and how important it has been to my ability to achieve the career, the friends, and the life I enjoy today.  So I see working in the public education field as a way of giving back, of using my education and my talents to help others have access to the same kinds of opportunities my education afforded me.  I hope to persuade the architects I work with that a career in the education field can be a true calling and not “just” a job.

What are your other interests beyond architecture? And how do you manage time to pursue those interests in a demanding profession like ours?

I sew.  I garden.  I cook.  I read.  I hike and camp.  I run.  I cross country ski.  And I volunteer for entities that have social and racial justice as part of their core mission, including the YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley, Downtown College Prep, and, of course, the AIA.  I don’t get to participate in any of those things as fully as I would like to, but I’m better now at compartmentalizing than I used to be.  I try, to the extent possible, to maintain reasonable office hours.  Having family commitments helps with that though my husband will tell you I still need to get better at this.  I do still find it difficult to “turn off” thinking about work even when I’m not in the office.  It occupies a significant portion of my waking hours (including many in the middle of the night).  But all that thinking time makes me more efficient when I am actually officially “at work”.

You have been practicing for about 35+ years. What is that one important lesson that you learned and would you like to share with young professionals?

Waiting for the promotion fairy to wave their magic wand over you doesn’t work.  But doing things because you want to earn more money or earn accolades is ultimately not particularly satisfying.  Not that money and accolades are unimportant, but finding your intrinsic motivation makes for a happier life.  I don’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t be ambitious.  But be ambitious for reasons that are beyond the material.  Be ambitious when it comes to things where you can make a real difference in your life–or someone else’s.  And then speak up for yourself.  The promotions and accolades should be the result, not the goal.

If you missed the March Chapter Meeting, we want to take a moment to share some of the highlights from this exciting and incredibly interesting dive into alternative career paths in the architectural field.

Led by the Women in Architecture Committee (WIA) with Mani Farhadi, Assoc. AIA as moderator, this panel of women spoke about their diverse and winding career paths that didn’t always follow the traditional route.  We heard from Liz Gibbons, AIA, LEED AP and long-time chapter member and her path to politics.  Kow Kao born and raised in Taiwan, discussed her non-traditional route transitioning concept drawing to realization to fabrication and installation.  Haley Soderlund Macko began as an Architectural Engineering major and found herself on the construction end of the projects as Principal overseeing GCI Construction’s most complex and technical projects, while one of our chapter’s past Board Directors and respected committee leaders, Leticia Soohoo, AIA, LEED AP has experience in a broad base of industry roles from firm architect to complex MEP projects to owner’s rep working in high tech corporate campus environments.

This was a lively conversation and led to much discussion as architects are realizing that the path to architecture has evolved and it’s flush with diverse opportunities if you are open to exploring alternate paths.

Thank you to our chapter meeting host GCI Construction for your support of the program! Thank you to our gracious hosts at Inside Source as they opened their brand-new showroom to us.  It’s a vibrant and beautiful space and allowed for a great panel discussion, lively networking and a fantastic evening overall!

We hope to see you at the April Spring Mixer on April 19^th at Gensler

AIASVC Programs Committee

For Persians (Iranians), New Year begins on the 1st Day of Spring, a tradition dating over 2,500 years ago. This cultural festival marks the calendar year, based on a seasonal change, with families gathering to celebrate Nowruz together.  In Farsi, 'Now' means 'New' and 'Ruz' means 'Day’, thus it’s a 'New Day'.  Occurring at Spring Equinox, the precise moment when the sun crosses the equator is calculated, equalizing day and night: Mon. March 20^th, 2023 at 2:24:27 pm (pst). In the Iranian calendar, it is year 1402!

On the last Tue night of the year, Iranians gather to jump over a fire, in a tradition to symbolize a healthy year ahead. The ceremony is ‘Chahar-Shanbeh Soori.’ For the New Year, families sit around a table covered with a tapestry ‘Sofreh.’ Placed upon it are at least 7 symbolic items. In Farsi, these begin with 'S', thus the table is called 'Haft Seen' or 'Seven S'. These objects range from: red apples (seeb) for health, coins (sekkeh) for prosperity, hyacinth (sombol) a flower that blooms only in spring, vinegar (serkeh) to represent transformation, garlic (seer) to chase away evil, the spice sumac (somagh) for zest, wheat paste (samanou) showing patience, dried Bohemian olives (senjed) for love, and sprouted greens (sabzeh) as a sign of nature’s rebirth and renewal.

Other items: a mirror to reflect life, candles to shine light, goldfish in a bowl as a living form, pastries for sweetness, painted eggs for fertility, and bread for a plentiful year. Depending on your faith, you place a holy book (Quran, Torah, Bible, Avesta) or a book of poetry. Whether Zoroastrian, Assyrian, Armenian, Muslim, Jewish, Bahai, Agnostic or Atheist, this celebration is for Persians of all religions and ethnicity. Aside from Iran, it is celebrated in Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Georgia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

At the exact time of the Equinox, the family holds hands and embraces.  Typically, the Persian media conducts a countdown with a drum and trumpet. The special meal served is called 'Sabzi-Polo Mahi’, white long-grain rice with dill and fish. A side dish called 'Kookoo' (quiche) is made with green herbs and eggs. For two weeks in Iran, schools and firms are closed as families visit each other. In America, the visits occur on weekends. First, we visit the elder relatives and then we see other relatives and friends. They in turn come to visit you. These visits are called ‘Deed-va-Bazdeed’. In preparation, homes undergo a thorough spring cleaning and everyone buys a new outfit. Tea, pastries and fruit are served to guests. In lieu of gifts, youth receive money from adults, as fresh, clean bills are handed out. Everyone greets each other saying ‘Nowruz Pirooz’ (may you have a victorious New Day).

On the 13th day of the New Year (end of March/early April), families partake in group picnics, known as ‘Sizdeh Bedar’. Since 13 is unlucky, homes are aired out so bad spirits leave.  In parks around the world, Iranians gather to celebrate the picnic, with music, dancing and food.  They toss their ‘sabzeh’ (wheat sprouts) into running water, thus returning the plant to nature. A thick bean and noodle soup called ‘Aush’ is served, whose tangled noodles undo any chaos. Kababs, mixed nuts, tea and fruit are enjoyed, while playing chess, cards or backgammon. The fresh air rejuvenates everyone as they begin the year with renewed energy and optimism. Thinking of the brave fighters in Iran rebelling against tyranny and oppression, we hope for not only a prosperous and healthy Spring, but the victory of good over evil and the triumph of light over darkness.

Jeremy Nguyen,
Assoc. AIA,
Gensler

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

Looking back on my experiences and interests growing up, as a child my curiosity had gravitated towards things activities related to structures, sustainability, and construction. I would do science fair projects about seismic retrofitting or fuel cell technology as an alternative energy power source for homes. For my Eagle project I designed (3) 30’ x 60’ entrance covers for my childhood school, leading a team of volunteers to build it.

In high school, I had read in article on Yahoo on five professions that don’t make the most money but are the most fulfilled, with architecture being one of them. I had found art, science, and math fascinating and thought architecture might be interesting. I was also interested in traveling, and I knew Cal Poly SLO had a study abroad program. Then as began studying about architecture and design, I fell in love in with its intricacies, wonder, endless possibilities, and learning the countless skills and knowledge we use in our field. Studying to be an architect overlapped with my curiosity in the world and the people around me.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

I’m grateful to be in a profession that had me develop the skills to create things physically and digitally. It’s enabled me to create things for myself and others, building my own bedframe, designed landscapes for family members and a YouTube streaming room for friend, and 3d print custom chess pieces as a gift. My journey also helped develop my artistic and communicative ability, whether it be visually, graphically, or orally - the key in the ability to powerfully express ones thoughts and ideas.

My architectural journey has also taught me many soft skills. How to employ effective teamwork, collaboration, understanding of team dynamics, and exploring how problems can be approached and broken down. It has left me with a curiosity for the world and the people I encounter - a never ending canvas of exploration.

What is your take on technological advancements in architecture i.e. the role of AI and computation?

Technology unlocks the doors to increased levels of design possibilities and exploration. It is key however to make the distinction that technological advancements such as AI and computational processes are tools that do not replace the design process but rather could amplify it. To me, the progression of the built environment has followed the advent of technological advancements and understanding its capacity to invert and extend the way art, science, and buildings are perceived is exciting. I believe the consideration of the digital environment (i.e. the Metaverse) and the blurring of physical and digital elements such as as in mixed media spaces (think interactive spatial environments created by TeamLabs) and augmented reality (as a means to enhance physical representation), is the new frontier that challenges the way we consider the built environment.

I pursued a Master’s degree at UCLA to learn the skillsets to incorporate technological methodologies into my design process and within infrastructural consideration utilizing virtual reality, digital fabrication, robotics, animation, project, and 3D modeling making in my projects, touching upon the fringes of AI and computational design.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

At Gensler, I currently work on projects ranging from office buildings for developers in the technology workplace sector, master plans for office campus, build-to-suit office buildings, and an international hotel/residential tower. These projects range from all phases of construction and touches upon various roles that revolves upon the consideration of the workplace of the future for companies such as Adobe and Google.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

It’s hard to pinpoint as I find many things interesting. I’d say one thing that leaves me very impressed is the wide breadth of knowledge and expertise every designer I meet. It amazes me the unique capacity that each person brings and seeing how it all comes together through the coordination of teams of specialized professionals. Complex problems are solved and beautiful projects are created.

Where are you on your licensure journey? What was your strategy to complete and pass the ARE divisions?

I am currently studying for Project Management Exam having passed the Practice Management exam. The most impactful study source I have utilized is Amberbook, however I have reviewed using a pool of difference sources such as Kaplan, Ballast, and Brightwood for their textbooks, questions, and study guides.

What is your advice for emerging professionals pursuing licensure?

Be open-minded and find others in the process to form camaraderie! The path to licensure can be long and intense and I recommend people to remember to have fun with it. It’s the last big test most of us will ever do, but it’s also the most important in preparing us to be qualified architects. Similarly, I feel that it’s important for people to not be disappointed in failure, and rather keep the mindset of positivity and never-give-up. It’s more important to keep trying, and in failing a test you will understand what gaps you need to cover in your preparation, and can sign up to re-take the test in 60 days. Lastly, I would suggest to begin studying for it earlier on in your career as your life and responsibilities may only increase with time.

You are leading the AIA Silicon Valley's Emerging Professionals Committee. What did you gain from that experience?

Its shown me what I am capable of in terms of starting a group and trusting my gut and also in balancing these commitments with my work responsibilities. There wasn’t much precedence or guidance I could pull from, and in addition to being virtual, it felt like discouraging at times. However, I’ve seen and heard from the members how they enjoyed coming out and the events that were put together, and that was rewarding. It helped me recognize that we may only get busier and its crucial to learn how to manage that time and believing you are capable of it.

Why is it important to get involved with AIA for emerging professionals?

It provides people an opportunity to develop their skillsets outside of our work environment. Skills that include communication, leading a group, involving others, being a mentor, being mentored, are a few of the things that one could benefit. For me, its also realizing in any professional setting, being successful in positions of leadership requires a lot of juggling and considerations. It’s hard to develop those skills without firsthand experiences and opportunities that push your conceived limitations. I’ve found it fruitful to be exposed to other practicing professionals who have inspired me in their passions and

What are your key takeaways by serving as one of the youngest board members?

That being one of the youngest with little AIA experience is a double-edged sword where familiarity and comfort is low however provides the opportunity for unique point of views and contributions. It has also shown me that to be effective, you do not need to have experience, just having the desire and right intentions. The other board members offer a wealth of extraordinary examples coming from all sorts of life and architectural experiences that have expanded my view of the profession. It has been amazing to see how each one approaches their commitment to AIA and the SVC community, each person adding an element that contributes to and furthers the goals of the board. It’s also left me with the recognition of the importance of participation within AIA and the board is a calling that I hope more people can be inspired by and experience for themselves.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

I believe this starts from inspiring the next generation of designers from diverse / minority backgrounds with the belief and desire to become architects. This means providing ample and equal opportunity for those in less affluent communities, in addition to support and mentorship. Through my involvement in ACE the past 4 years I’ve been blown away by experiencing firsthand how much having an impassioned mentor can instill confidence and excitement in students about the architectural profession.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

My message would be to think about how as architects can our skillset and influence extend beyond our immediate work environments. It feels that personal obligations and performing work responsibilities become the main focuses in people’s lives and aspects of a greater community has been lost. People are less willing to expend themselves beyond their immediate spheres. If we can touch, inspire, move the community and each other, and leave the world with more than what we took only then do we do justice to all the hardwork and sacrifices each of us had made to get to where we are now.

What architecture blogs or websites do you regularly follow?

Dezeen, Designboom, and Archdaily are a few of the websites that keep me aware of innovative and interesting projects, developments, and ideas going on around the world.

I also find Neri Osman, Pentagram, and BIG architects website to be captivating in the way they approach design as a collective entity that is not limited to ‘buildings’. Their works range from material exploration, graphic design, to creative design solutions, all portrayed in a highly curated, intentional, and creative websites that challenge how projects and information can be interfaced.

Leah Alissa Bayer,
AIA, NOMA,
Architects FORA

Leah Alissa Bayer, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, is President of Architects FORA, a 100% women-owned, 100% virtual mid-sized architecture firm specializing in affordable housing. Skilled in creative business management and storytelling, Leah designs systems and teams at FORA that are transparent, equitable, and healthy, which then carries into the work that FORA creates. Prior to FORA, Leah founded a virtual firm with an award-winning business plan, EVIA Studio, which specialized in high-quality sustainable housing along the Pacific Coast.

An alumni of Cal Poly, SLO, Leah first studied engineering then graduated with a B.Arch and Fine Arts Minor. Passionate about equity, progressive business practices, and improving the future of the profession, Leah regularly advocates to improve the profession. Serving in leadership focused on EDI and Practice for nearly a decade, she currently serves on the following: AIA Strategic Council, AIA Finance & Audit Committee, AIA Silicon Valley (Past President) and AIA California Boards, AIA CA Practice Committee, and NCARB’s Futures Collaborative.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

I was always encouraged to explore art and science, and I think because I had so many interests as a child I hadn’t seriously considered that I’d be one single thing “when I grew up”. While I was obsessed with building forts as a kid, architecture wasn’t on my radar until high school, when my physics teacher recommended I read The Fountainhead and a careers test put architect at the top of my list. So I thought sure, I’ll try it, and applied to B.Arch programs.

Honestly, I struggled fitting in for a long time. It took exploring diverse professions outside of architectural studies for me to really understand my place in the industry.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

So many! Practicing residential architecture early in my career helped break me away from the ego-driven version of practice we experience in design school. The weight and honor I felt when I realized I was responsible for a family’s life experiences in their home was really touching and transformative.

The longer I’ve practiced architecture, the more I’ve honed balancing my expertise with someone else’s wants and needs. You learn so much about communication and collaboration in this profession and it’s definitely helped me with all relationships in my life.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

My firm, Architects FORA, specializes in housing, particularly affordable housing. But my day-to-day role as president is focused on building and supporting my team and our resources. By working in other roles and industries before architecture, I learned how much I love business, strategy, and people. I’m fortunate to have met and partnered with two extraordinary women who lead our architecture projects, while I’ve stepped back to lead the practice overall - how we operate, who we are, where we’re headed.

With a background in both architecture and structural engineering, how did this multidisciplinary background help you define your niche as a professional?

I rarely draw upon my engineering background directly, but I do still love math and data and apply that to the work I do all the time. More importantly, I recognized that we each have our own unique perspectives to carry forward, and by making space for our team members to lean into that, it could have a profound impact on our work. So something really special we do at FORA is give each of our employees 8 hours a week to spend on their own specialty focus and find ways to marry that with our work.

For example, our designer Teddie has a background in kinesiology, so she’s decided to study the human experience in architecture, how a body affects and is affected by space. We do a lot of work for the unhoused, so enabling her to study and apply the principles of trauma informed design, for instance, is transformative to our work.

By empowering each person to pursue a passion, we’ve cultivated an incredibly diverse team of subject matter experts who love what they do, educate and lead one another, and provide tremendous value to the communities we serve.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

Design architectural practices so they support more diverse lives.

When asked this question, many architects talk about the pipeline, getting into schools and encouraging more diverse students to pursue architecture. But the data tells us we have a bigger issue in practice; we need to look at ourselves as professionals and make changes within our firms.

We know when we’re losing diverse staff and we know why. We have the resources and knowledge to do things differently. We also know diverse teams are the most successful. It’s time to change.

• Pay people better, and equally.
• Allow flexible schedules and part-time work options for caretakers.
• Enable work from anywhere options so people can reduce expenses and take care of their other responsibilities in life.
• Provide support and resources for education and licensure.
• Develop equitable leadership and promotion criteria so the same types of people aren’t being chosen over and over again for the best projects and the best roles.
• Choose to work with diverse clients and consultants who value and respect JEDI policies.

We can solve this problem today.

What ways do you think women leadership can be better supported by AIA other than WIA?

In the time I’ve been volunteering with AIA I’ve seen a big shift. At local, state, and national levels we’re breaking records for the number of women and people of color in leadership positions. That’s really encouraging, and I hope leads to implementing better resources and promotional opportunities for a broader range of people.

How does having AIA networking set you apart from other design professionals?

The AIA has had a huge impact on my career trajectory.

• I’ve learned how to lift up and empower others to lead by being lifted and empowered by others.
• I’ve been exposed to a wide range of professionals, roles in architecture, and types of firms that I’d never have experienced on my own to help me understand how the bigger picture of our industry works, or doesn’t work, and how I can help.
• Very early in my career I was fortunate to learn valuable skills through my volunteering with the AIA that have propelled me above and beyond when it comes to firm leadership skills, such as: fiscal responsibility, board governance, creating and overseeing committees, long range strategic planning, hosting large national events, on and on.
• And the network of professional contacts, mentors, and friends I’ve made has gifted me with an incredible community of support, knowledge, and understanding.

I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the incredible people that make up the AIA.

You have been practicing for about 10 years. What are your thoughts for professionals looking to start their own architectural firm?

Go for it! It’s wonderful, terrifying, exciting, anxiety-inducing, freeing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But really, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone and you need to know why you want to start your own business before you do. It’ll tell you whether or not being a firm owner is the right role for you, and also if your business has a reason to exist at all (ie, why do you exist, why should clients hire you?).

If you’re not interested in operations, finances, strategy, business development, managing people, innovation in practice… then starting a firm probably isn’t for you. If you want more control over what and how you work or design, I’d say be patient or try another firm.

If entrepreneurship IS for you, I suggest

• connecting with other like-minded people (find a mastermind),
• reading a ton (books, AIA trust, AIA Handbook to Professional Practice),
• listening to podcasts (EntreArchitect was super helpful to me),
• taking some courses (fundamentals in business if you’ve never studied it)
• studying and interviewing your role models (research and reach out, people are more open to sharing about them and their work more than you’d expect),
• and writing a business plan (this will help you create a well-rounded plan!).

Start slow and let revenue drive your growth; there’s no reason to go into debt in a service-based business.

Finally: people. Hiring my first employee made everything real and bringing on partners changed my life. Your firm is nothing without healthy, happy people, if even that’s just you. Take good care of yourself and others, and make good decisions about which clients you decide to work with. Loving what you do and who you work with will keep you going when things are tough - running a business is hard work.

Why do you think it is important to correct pay equity gaps? What does it mean to close the pay gap and how can such conversations help the professionals?

Pay gaps shouldn’t exist, period. It’s a symptom of discrimination. So while it’s important to close the gap, it’s more important to address the systems that caused them in the first place.

Transparency. Clearly defined criteria for promotion and salary increases. EDI training. More frequent opportunities for giving and receiving feedback. A diverse leadership team. Regular auditing and corrections of pay. All of these should be standard in practice.

I’m on the extreme end of this because I believe everyone has equal value and potential to be great. I wanted to cultivate a collaborative culture that encourages exploration and growth over competitiveness and winning a game.

We pay a flat salary to everyone based on that concept of equal value, and then award bonuses for loyalty, excelling as a leader, and meeting performance criteria that the team defined themselves. We only change salaries for cost of living adjustments and don’t do traditional promotions.

If we are well supported with pay, benefits, flexibility, mission alignment, and autonomy, we feel valued and do our best work, and everyone wins.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

There’s nothing more rewarding than serving others, making the world a better place, in your own authentic way. Know yourself and take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

Life is short, I want to spend it having fun and knowing I made a positive impact on as many lives as I could.

Did you always want to become an architect? Where did it all start?

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a marine biologist and go on the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau, dive with whales and be the first woman to narrate underwater documentaries. In Mexico in the late 80’s, the opportunities for marine research were very limited. Influenced by family and a family friend who is an architect, I applied to architecture school. It was not until my second year and a class with a great professor that I fell in love with architecture, creating space, and the ability to impact the built environment in positive ways. 

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?  How is it different from the traditional architectural practice?

I am working on several attainable/affordable housing projects, several of them with public non-housing institutions that have underutilized land. While historically, many large firms look at each market sector as a silo from a marketing and operations standpoint, this practice is no longer applicable with most of these projects. There is a greater diversity of stakeholders and architects must bring knowledge of a variety of funding mechanisms and organizational leadership, the excellence in design remains the same and transcending typical practice lanes. 

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

Working with such a diverse group of clients and team members. Different design solutions are always explored, and the constant evolution of design is invigorating and inspiring.  

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life? 

I am not sure I can separate the skills learned in my architectural journey from the day-to-day learning. I don’t stop being an architect after 6pm or once Friday is over. Over the years, an area of growth and interest has been in appreciating the value of working with others to achieve great results. 

How did multicultural experiences help you evolve as a professional?

Similar to the answer above, those experiences have helped me to evolve as a person, not just as a professional - I do not see these two being separate. Multicultural experiences enhance creativity and innovation, but only if you are open to different cultures and experiences. A very trendy term is global learning, which has been embraced by those that have had these multicultural experiences for centuries. 

You are one of the founding members of the WIA Committee. Can you talk about the evolution of the committee and how has it changed over the years?

At the inception of the group, it created a fast platform for a small number of women in architecture to spread our wings, support one another, explore different opportunities, and seek diverse challenges. From there, the group’s growth was exponential and contagious. I think the growth of the members of the group has taken a different cadence, and I anticipate that this growth will be more sustainable in the long term. 

Why do you think initiatives like the Women in Leadership Summit hosted by AIA Silicon Valley are important to the profession?

Silicon Valley is the center of innovation for tech and entrepreneurial research + development however, we are not seen (yet) as the center for innovation for architecture, new housing models, or new pedagogies. The Women in Leadership Summit was not an initiative, but a confluence of women seeking to change the profession. This type of events put Silicon Valley in the eyes of the profession as centers of influence and hopefully areas where more investment and research can be done. 

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

The architectural profession is just a small part of the ecosystem where we live. I think it is more important to ask ourselves how architecture (not just the profession) can improve equity and diversity – is in that area, the built environment, where we have most of the power and the capacity to affect a greater number of people and the society as a whole. Buildings need to be more equitable; they need to be designed for all and we have the ability to do that through design. 

Why do you think it is important to correct pay equity gaps? What does it mean to close the pay gap and how can such conversations help the professionals?

There should be no gaps when it comes to pay equity. Mind the gap, don’t ignore it. Closing the pay gap means that we need a better methodology to determine pay increases, based on actions and professional growth, not on people. It also means that we need more transparency in pay, and we need to conduct pay equity audits to hold firms accountable and ensure that we are all on the right track. 

What ways do you think women leadership can be better supported by AIA other than WIA? 

The AIA has been a male-dominated organization for a long time. Systemic change will take time and first, the organization needs to recognize that there is a general lack of support for women leaders by the AIA. There are some key specific actions that AIA can take to support women in leadership: 

·      Help create a methodology for pay equity analysis and require firms to demonstrate compliance

·      Invest in female leadership potential by creating leadership programs for women and women of color

·      Require JEDI learning credits for license renewal, just like HSW units are required

You have been in the industry for about 25+ years. What are your two cents for professionals looking to transition to leadership roles? 

You are short a few years but thank you for saying 25+! My advice to professionals transitioning to leadership roles is to fight for those positions by finding how their unique expertise is helpful to those around them, and how their diverse superpowers make them valuable to the organization where they want to be. Find yourself in order to pursue your own path. 

What was your most challenging project so far in your career? Can you elaborate on the experience? 

My most challenging project was an aquatic center designed and built for a client that was simply not interested in design collaboration. I remember requesting meetings to meet with them, to show them the design, to explore functional requirements, and they just wanted an architect to execute, not collaborate. In working with a good mentor of mine, the project was successfully completed, it won some awards, but the process was far from what I typically enjoy the most about architecture: the collaboration with your client to make the project the best it can be. 

What does it take to be a successful architect apart from being a good designer. What advice would you give that is not typically taught in architecture school?

You need to be able to tell a story, via drawings, in writing or verbally. Without a story, the design is only a form without reason. 

How has the pandemic changed the way you work as a team? 

We have developed new skills and explored different ways of collaborating. These tools were available before, but not leveraged to their full potential. Overall, I think this has made us more versatile and nimbler. It also allows us to be more engaged and offer different, more flexible work opportunities to those that otherwise may have found it difficult to maintain a career in our industry. 

Can you elaborate on your experience as a board member with Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley and give us some insights on the things that you do as an organization?

The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley empowers the Latinx community in Silicon Valley to seek opportunities in leadership and supporting access to educational excellence. There is nothing more important than access to quality education in BIPOC communities – Latinx communities are often left underserved, lacking representation and visibility to the many careers available to them, which makes opportunities for work even more distant. 

Do you think volunteering with various organizations helped you become a better leader? If yes, what is your perspective regarding community involvement for professionals in the industry?

Community engagement enriches my life, it allows me to stay connected, lifts my voice and my own diverse experiences, and it complements my growth as a professional. It doesn’t matter which industry you are in, connecting back to your community through volunteering is a good way to inspire empathy, positively impact your perspective about life, and give back to others around you.  

What would you say your mission is? What’s the impact you’d like to have on the world, and on the profession?

My mission is to inspire others to do their best. This mission is constantly reinforced through my work in different organizations and through my work at Steinberg Hart as a Partner and Chief People Officer. Through design, I can be part of finding the right solution where people learn, live, work or play, I am fulfilling that mission by creating an environment where residents, students, and people can be their best.

Dr. David Edwards received his Ph.D. in 1999 in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry for four years before starting Earth Bound Homes in 2002. Dr. Edwards is a certified Green Building Professional, a US Green Building Council member, and Green Point Rater. Earth Bound Homes was the proud winner of Acterra's Sustainable Built Environment Award in 2007. 

Earth Bound Homes was founded with the goal of being the greenest home building and remodeling company in the nation by using sound science and leading-edge building materials and techniques. 

In 2004, the company rebuilt Dr. Edwards's home in Santa Clara. Living in this home, which is now rated the greenest home in California by Build It Green's Green Point Rated System(315 pts.), provides Dr. Edwards with a unique understanding of what works and what doesn't at the bleeding edge of green building. In 2009, Earth Bound Homes built the first LEED Platinum Zero Energy/Zero Carbon home in California. 

Today, with a team of twenty people, Earth Bound Homes has developed into one of the most sought-after home builders in the Bay Area, with the ability to build both great homes and leading-edge Passive House homes that focus on energy efficiency and deep green building. Earth Bound Homes has developed a highly respected PreConstruction Process that focuses on an open and transparent planning and building process that emphasizes a deep collaboration with our architects and clients. This process allows us to work on a wide range of projects, from remodeling small single-family homes in San Jose to building large new estates in Atherton and Menlo Park.

Dr. Edwards and his team take immense pride in building homes for everyone, having built two smaller Passive House homes in the last three years, with five more substantially larger Passive House homes/estates currently in Construction and PreConstruction.

What is your current role at Earthbound homes?

My roles at Earth Bound Homes are President, CEO, Sales Manager, and Head of Systems Development. Like most founders, I wear many hats, although a lot less than I used to wear. 

Can you explain your transition from Biochemistry and Molecular biology to the current work with Earth Bound Homes. Take us through your journey of this transition. 

As crazy as it sounds, this was a pretty easy decision. I disliked my job in the biotech industry as it was filled with boredom, politics, and people put into management roles because of whom they knew and not what they knew, nor what they could do or who they could help. I started remodeling my house to keep my mind busy during my postdoctoral fellowship. And I loved it. I did it again at my next home and then at a friends' home while I was still working in biotech. Often, it was the only thing that kept me sane. After the last company I worked with was bought out and I was subsequently laid off, I was asked by a family friend to remodel their entire home and put an addition of 1,000 sq. ft. And I fell in love with the process of building all over again.  It was the most fun I had had in years!  

While doing that, I interviewed with eleven academic laboratories for a second Postdoctoral fellowship and had nine offers at Stanford. However, soon realized I could either be a great father and husband or a successful scientist, but not both. In science, you are either single-minded and focused on your work, lucky, an incredible genius, or you are mediocre and stuck in a second or third-rate university in the South or Midwest. I first wanted to be a great dad and husband and decided to follow my passion and be a builder. The added bonus, I could take my children to school every day and pick them up most days. I went to every one of their sporting events and every theatre performance and built and continue to enjoy a fantastic relationship with my adult children and wife. I have never regretted my decision, and I love, love, love going to work every day, even 20 years later. And I have never been bored.   

What sparked your interest in sustainability?

I learned about sustainability in high school physics and have always had this overwhelming concern for the increasing entropy in the universe, and conservation and sustainability are my way of reducing that. As a cyclist since high school, I learned to appreciate open spaces, wildlife, human-powered motion, exercise, and life. As a scientist, biochemist and cancer biologist, I cannot look at waste, pollution, chemicals in the environment and needless consumption and then dispose of anything, without realizing the stuff we are dumping into the environment is damaging human health and making it harder and harder for every living organism on the planet to survive. In biology, you learn that nature is interconnected, and damaging any one or more animals or plants in the world has indirect but huge impacts up and down the food chain. With all that knowledge, understanding, and an overwhelming sense of guilt for being able to do something and then not doing something, how could I not care about sustainability? 

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

We only work on single-family residential homes. Most of our work is remodels, and about 20% of our jobs are new custom homes. We work on whole house, major remodels, and new custom home estates from Los Gatos/San Jose to Hillsborough and Aptos. We don't do any spec work. We build for people we know and like. We are highly selective of clients, and get to choose the architects we love working with and projects that excite us. My favorite projects are the super efficient, highly complex projects like Passive House homes and modern style architecture. But really, the better the design, the more likely we are to want to build it. Even if it is just a small project. Excellent design makes every job exciting, which is why I love working with the AIA. I keep hoping some design talent will rub off on me, but I am still just a lover of beautiful architecture and still have no idea how to design it myself.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

I love building science; figuring out enormous problems and developing solutions to them, figuring out how to take beautiful architecture and make it perform more efficiently, be less or non-toxic, cost less to build and run, require less maintenance and last longer. I also love to meet new people, build new homes for families and drive or ride by every new job we do, pointing it out to anybody who will listen. The sense of accomplishment in this job is beyond my wildest dreams, and I consider our work on homes and our work with our clients, architects, and our staff to be my legacy and one I am incredibly proud of.

You are the current chair of AIA Silicon Valley COTE Committee. Can you elaborate on this experience?

When I joined the COTE committee, there was no committee or leader. It had been dead for years. I firmly believe that if you want to see a change in the world, you have to be willing to work for it. I am also a fan of history and the lessons you can learn from it. The saying "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." resonates with me. Killing our planet is the evil, and I am willing to dedicate my career to slowing or stopping it. I am impressed with the social responsibility of the younger members of the AIA and how dedicated they are to doing something positive and impactful in their lives. However, I wish more seasoned, and established architects were taking a proactive role in the group. I think young people need role models and mentors who are willing to invest in the hard things, and I don't believe there is a more important goal than saving the planet for future generations. What we have done and have failed to do, does not speak well of my generation.

What ways do you think emerging professionals can be better supported by AIA?

As I stated above, people need role models to teach, guide, incentivize, mold, and train them, but we also need to open our ears and learn from the younger generation. My children are in their early 20's and are more worldly, passionate, understanding and responsible people than I ever was at their age. I have learned so much from them on how to be a better person to all people, especially to those on the planet who are NOT white, American, heterosexual, cis, well fed, health insured, financially stable, educated, physically and mentally able bodied men in the world. Those of us who have every benefit possible in this world have a responsibility to help in any way we can, those who do not. My generation needs to take responsibility to those who come after us more seriously. That means volunteering time to help those who endeavor to help the world. 

Can you elaborate on your recent experience with COTE workshops / Sessions and tell us briefly about the various challenges involved with such events post pandemic?

Our last COTE workshop we did was for the Nov. 2021 chapter meeting and was titled "Talking Green". The focus was teaching people how to bring up and discuss the topics of green building with their clients. History has shown that waiting for clients to bring up what green building and efficiency elements they want into their homes is not enough. Without conversations about what is possible, especially with people not in the industry and who are not steeped in green building, there is no way we will move the needle on climate change and meet our responsibility to future generations. 

The meeting was well attended for a pandemic-era meeting, but attendance was not what these meetings used to draw pre-pandemic. I think the overwhelming amount of work that has hit our industry has kept everybody busy and online meetings have become underwhelming to the point where most people skip the meetings. Additionally, considering my history in the pharmaceutical industry, where my last job was to genetically engineer human viruses to attack human cancer cells and avoid the immune system response, even I am easing my guard and only wear a mask when I go to indoor public spaces or when I have reason to believe that others are being "Virus Irresponsible". I think changing back to in-person meetings now that the EPA has basically labeled COVID19 endemic and removed most of their recommendations for separation, will help make people feel more comfortable meeting in person. I believe people can return to in-person meetings more confidently because just by wearing an N95 mask, they can protect themselves(as long as they are current with their immunizations). 

Lastly, for those of us who have had experiences in offices that were remote and have since come back to in-person full-time, the ability to connect with old friends and colleagues is like returning home, and I get so much more out of those experiences than I used to. I'm not too fond of Zoom meetings, it's simply too easy to be distracted by emails and texts during meetings, and I learn more and retain more when we are learning in person. I know that all the research into online learning vs. in person learning in primary and secondary schools largely bears this out.

What was your most challenging project so far in your practice? Can you elaborate on the experience?

This is a great question, and my answer will probably surprise some people. Yes, I have had challenging projects, but not because of the building. My greatest challenge has always been to rise to the needs of my team, clients, and architects. It has been to grow as a servant leader, a salesperson, a collaborator with my subs, suppliers, staff, clients and design partners, and emotional support for all of the above. As a scientist, I started this career believing I could think my way out of every situation and that my education, training, and intelligence would make me a successful business person. I had to change my thinking and, therefore, who I was as a person. I soon realized that being a builder of homes is 25% building knowledge and 75% knowing how to keep people happy, and they don't teach you that in grad school—just the opposite. Emotions were seen as a weakness and had no place in science. Here at Earth Bound Homes, we are building people's homes, working with their families, and creating something for them that is probably the most significant investment they can make. Learning to acknowledge this and behave appropriately and with the utmost deference to this was a hard lesson for me. Learning to train my staff in the building science, technical knowledge, and quality control, and organization of a project was important obviously, but teaching them how to take care of a client's emotional state and how to control and manage expectations, is far more important than where you put the light switch. 

How has the pandemic changed the way you work as a team?

At the beginning of the pandemic, like everybody else, we were remote. That was just barely workable from a construction standpoint and not at all workable for a long-term strategy of building and growing a great company. Construction is all about relationships built on skills and experience, and working from home removes all of that. Additionally, service industries like ours are all about collaboration between teams to service the needs of our clients. If the teams cannot effectively communicate and collaborate and the client experience suffers, our company will suffer. Our future is dependent on making our customers happy. Our staff, who were already productive and successful in their roles, stayed that way but quickly became overworked as they had little to no in-person support. The newer and less experienced people who were there to support the more experienced staff didn't get the guidance that allowed them to be key support players, and they failed to grow and evolve. From our experience, the pandemic was hardest on the younger members of our team, and as soon as they could come back to the office and be with the more experienced members of our team, they flourished. I have been saying for a while, all of these tech companies that have allowed their teams to work 100% remotely are going to wither on the vine as their people stop evolving, new ideas stop flowing and soon they will be fully dependent on bringing new employees from other companies into their teams to evolve their organizations and their thinking.  

The pandemic has made me value working together in the office. There is nothing like dropping by a colleague's desk to talk about a problem or a solution or to say "hello!". I feel fortunate to have an office to return to; everyone in our office is closer personally, and our work has prospered as a result. Collaboration is key in our business and the newer and/or younger members of our team prosper much more when they have mentors who can help them daily and hourly, making sure they are flourishing and not floundering as they learn new thing and grow their talents and experience. We allow people to work from home when needed; otherwise, everybody works from the office or job sites. If you ensure your company is a great place to work and learn, our experience has been that everybody will want to come to the office. 

What would you say your mission is? What's the impact you'd like to have on the world, and on the profession?

My mission and the mission of our organization is to improve lives—the lives of our clients by building them beautiful homes, the lives of our architects and interior designers, by helping them to do the things they love, like design and working with clients, by doing for them the things they dislike but often takes too much of their time, like organization, specifications, dealing with jurisdictions and utilities, problem-solving before construction and doing everything we can before the start of construction, so they are not burdened by "Emergency" RFI's with unreasonable timelines during construction. Improving the lives of our subs and suppliers by making sure we are ordering materials long before we need them, answering questions, removing obstacles, and making sure our project is prepared before the sub(s) arrive on site. This ensures they can set up their teams to work efficiently and effectively. And through the open business model made famous by Jack Stack in his seminal book "The Great Game of Business", improving the lives of our team members by paying them well, working four-day work weeks so they have better work-life balance. We teach them how to understand business financials and how their efforts, directly and indirectly, help the organization, our clients, and their own lives. Lastly, we believe that by helping to build a better world by taking care of the planet, and pushing our clients and our architects to build better, longer lasting, more efficient and healthy homes, we protect all people and organisms who call this planet "Home".

What is your advice for someone starting out in the field of architecture as an emerging professional?

I believe in following your passion and doing what you love. Having a job you love makes having a great life a lot easier to find. Yes, money is essential if you don't have much of it, but research shows that money cannot buy happiness and that after a certain amount, there is no increase in joy with increasing pay. Advice I would give to anyone just starting out in any career. Find somebody whose work you love, and then make sure they treat you well, with respect, and that they care about your growth. Then work your butt off. Good bosses will invest more time in those they feel are working the hardest and contribute the most. In my experience, if they think you are unfocused and apathetic, they will likely be the same way with you. If you work hard and you do not feel like you are being appreciated, have a conversation with them. Let them know your concerns and ask them what you can do differently to help them more and become a better contributor to their organization. And then follow their advice. Expect them to be invested in your evolution and if they are not or if the organization or the people in it are not a good fit for you, move on. Don't settle for a job you hate. You spend too much of your life at work and deserve to be happy for yourself and those around you.  

How does a scientific background help you with your current line of work and how does it set you apart from traditional AEC Professionals?

I cannot imagine how much harder my job would be if I did not understand science as I do. We are constantly pushing the boundary of what we can do as builders and scientists. We are constantly bringing new ideas to our clients and architects because I am continually embedding myself in Building Science research, looking for the next way to increase quality and decrease impact. We have been early adopters of basically every building material and system improvement that are now commonplace in the green building movement because I understood the science first, then implemented the new practices. We also are a very organized, directed, and proactive organization, and that focus on "planning the work and then working the plan" has dramatically improved the quality of the projects we build and the experiences of the shareholders of our projects and, lastly, in reducing our impact on the planet. And these are all critical parts of our Organizational Mission.  

How does having an AIA networking set you apart from other design professionals?

While I am not a designer, being a part of the AIA places me directly together with the smartest people in the industry and with the people who are most quickly evolving their businesses and themselves professionally. If you are not continually growing and learning, you are just forgetting and more convinced of your own omnipotence. If you constantly hear new opinions, learn new things and have your ideas challenged by your peers, you will continue to learn and evolve as a person and a leader. Additionally, because I work with many people in the AIA, the better I know who they are, how they work, what they know, and how they prefer to work, the better partner I can be to them when we work together. The AIA is crucial to my success as a leader and helps me provide a better experience for my client and my team. 

What do you think are some ways for AIA to get involved with multidisciplinary professionals and how do you think this will benefit the architecture community?

What I said above about being part of the AIA can be true for everybody outside of the AIA or within the AIA. The better we know each other, the better we will be able to work with each other in the best way possible. The result will be better projects, happier clients, and a greater experience for all stakeholders. 

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

Every project can be greener than you think it can be. We won an award for the greenest home in Los Altos for clients who didn't care at all about being green. They did care about giving less money to the PG&E monopoly when we put solar panels on their roof. They cared about not having to maintain their home every month because we used durable materials everywhere. They loved not worrying about their house exploding when we made it all electric and removed the gas service. They felt safer bringing their grandkids into the home because there was no toxic off-gassing when we removed all formaldehyde-containing building materials and finishes from the specifications. They didn't care about lowering the home's embodied energy as we replaced 70% of the cement in their concrete with fly ash and blast furnace slag. They cared about saving 66K by changing the structural engineering to develop a more efficient lateral bracing plan and removing a lot of extra lumber from the house. Building a better, greener home is not about telling them why you think it is better/important/essential. It is about learning what they think and feel is important, connecting each green element to their values, and then showing them in their own language why a green home is a better home for them.

Kate Conley is a Principal at Architects FORA. She is a licensed architect in California, Colorado, and Washington State. Kate started her career on affordable housing projects in Southern California after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Architecture and minor in Sustainable Environments from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She brings strong technical and design expertise gained working at world class firms and from her mentors in architecture and construction.

Her passion for sustainable design led her to become a LEED AP and drew her to the Bay Area, where she has gained well-rounded technical expertise in a broad spectrum of project types. Focusing first on higher education residential projects, she then pursued flagship retail design opportunities in Chicago and Seattle and commercial office developments in the South Bay.
Improving equity and justice in the design and engineering professions is an expanding area of emphasis for Kate, leading her to participate in the AIA Silicon Valley Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force and serve as 2022 Chair for the WIA Committee.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect? 

When I was about 13, I visited my aunt in Atlanta. There are two office towers there that are referred to as the King and Queen buildings because they have two different crown-like structures on the roofs. It was the first time I realized buildings could be representative of something else. I was just enchanted by the idea that I could be the person creating these landmarks that are an enduring point of reference for a city or community. I already knew I liked building small projects in the garage with my dad, or with K’nex or Legos, and watching home decorating shows with my mom. Architecture seemed to be the natural blend of all of those interests.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life? 

So many! I’m so often reminded that design education completely rewires your brain. I’ll be talking through an issue with someone and say, what’s the problem we’re trying to solve? What are we trying to communicate? How does your solution reinforce those goals? And they look at me like I’m from Mars.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

Our practice focuses on tackling the housing crisis from every angle. We partner with nonprofit (and a few market rate) housing developer clients to design or renovate large multifamily affordable housing developments. We’re also actively exploring opportunities to provide a greater flexibility of housing options on single family sites as well, providing much needed Missing Middle housing in our area. 

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

Every day is different from the last. I never get a chance to get bored. Learning to be people’s “boss” and create space for them to grow and thrive is the latest challenge. 

Why do you think initiatives like the upcoming Women in Leadership Summit hosted by AIA Silicon Valley are important to the profession?

The Women’s Leadership Summit was absolutely pivotal for my career. I realized while I was there that most of my beliefs about the limitations for women leaders in architecture were myths, or if not myths at least obstacles that had been overcome by dozens and dozens of women who stood in that ballroom with me. To say the experience was transformational is an understatement. I don’t think I would have been open to the opportunity to own our firm in 2020 if I hadn’t attended that conference in 2019. 

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

Not enough emphasis is placed on how much the structure of our practice restricts who can participate. Our firm is fully remote and has flexible work hours, which supports our team wherever they live and whatever schedule they need to work and live healthy lives. 

We also have a scholarship/internship program to help architecture students from underrepresented groups pay for school and have a job in architecture while they study. We have our first recipient on our team right now and she’s doing incredible work producing a research report on our latest post-occupancy evaluation.

What ways do you think women leadership can be better supported by AIA other than WIA?

I think women are so strongly represented in our chapter! We’re now looking at 3 women presidents 3 years in a row. The WIA is a very strong committee, and a lot of the other committees have female leaders and members as well. 

What is your advice for emerging professionals especially for women in architecture? 

Be patient with yourself. The first 10 years of your career are for you to be someone else’s soldier and learn and absorb every piece of information you can. Don’t stress about how far you have or haven’t gotten in your career. If you focus on honing your craft and volunteer for opportunities as they come, you will be noticed and leadership opportunities will come your way. 

Every time you’re invited to a meeting, GO! Even if there’s work sitting on your desk. You can do the work later, you can’t replicate the face time and knowledge you gain sitting in meeting with your clients, consultants, and contractors. 

How does having an AIA networking set you apart from other design professionals?

The AIA provides a great way to gain leadership experience before it’s available to you at your firm. If you have an idea for an initiative or want to take on a leadership role, you’ll find nothing but encouragement from our chapter. In turn, you can use your leadership experience in the AIA as evidence that you’re ready for leadership at your firm. 

You have been practicing for about 10+ years. What are your thoughts for professionals looking to start their own architectural firm? 

I never saw firm ownership as desirable until the opportunity to purchase OJK with my partners came up. In my mind, starting my own firm meant starting from scratch and stopping all the good work I was already doing to take on much smaller projects. There is, however, a large population of firm owners who will be retiring in the next 0-10 years and will need to transfer their firm ownership to their employees. I have loved taking on a strong, ongoing practice with my partners, and would encourage other architects to find out more about the leadership transition plan at their firms. Chances are, there’s not a great one in place, and you can become part of that conversation!

What does it take to run a successful practice apart from being a good designer. what advice would you give that is not typically taught in architecture school?

To make yourself ready for firm leadership, it’s important that you understand the business side of architecture. Architecture school does a not-great job of imparting these skills to architecture students. I think we had one quarter of practice management in 5 years of school. I’m very lucky to have an incredibly savvy business partner who manages operations, finances, and team health at our firm while my other partner and I focus on architecture project work. If you don’t have your own magical business unicorn, you’ll need to educate yourself. Find a business mentor, a course, a book, a podcast, all of the above. The AIA is a great place to find other firm owners who can help guide you toward business practice resources. 

I’d also say I wish architecture school had focused a bit more on the social justice aspect of architecture, and architecture’s capacity to help or harm a community. When I was in school the focus was very much on sustainability and “greenness”. LEED was brand new. But there was little discussion of people and communities. Architectural history was presented as a hit parade of great buildings, with little exploration of the destruction that came before and/or resulted from those great projects. I will say the senior thesis shows where I’ve been a guest reviewer recently have included a much deeper analysis of the local population and their needs than we ever considered. I hope this upward trend continues!

What was your most challenging project so far in your practice? Can you elaborate on the experience?

When we took over ownership of the firm, the founder Jerry King had been doing construction administration on 3 ongoing projects. I took over all 3 projects under construction from him on Day 1. It was daunting, but I love being on site and so adapted quickly. Jerry and our GC partners were so gracious in bringing me up to speed. 

How has the pandemic changed the way you work as a team? 

Not at all! Many members of our firm come from EVIA, my business partner Leah’s former firm. EVIA was an all-remote practice 2 years before the pandemic. They connected with OJK once the pandemic hit to help them go remote, which helped launch our entire firm leadership transition journey. 

I’d say the biggest change is that now that architects and designers have gotten a taste of remote work, a lot more people want to work for us! In our last round of hiring we received over 300 applications from all over the world in the first 24 hours we had the job posting up.

What would you say your mission is? What’s the impact you’d like to have on the world, and on the profession?

Our mission as a firm is to tackle the housing crisis from every angle. It is the biggest issue facing our generation and has led us down the path toward gross economic disparity with the generations before us. I’d like to live to see a world where the term “affordable housing” becomes obsolete, because all housing is affordable.

Why do you think it is important to correct pay equity gaps? What does it mean to close the pay gap and how can such conversations help the professionals?

The key to closing pay equity gaps is transparency. At our firm we have 3 flat salary bands based on your role at the firm. Everyone on our team knows how much everyone else makes, and when someone feels ready to rise to the next band, we work on a plan with them to get them there. 

We reward above-and-beyond rock star performance with an annual bonus. We had a design charrette where our team identified the 25 criteria, they’d like their bonus to be evaluated against together as a group. We give them a preview of how they’re doing on their bonus “score” every quarter so there are no surprises at the end of the year and our team can identify what areas they’d like to tackle next to give themselves a bump. 

Can you talk about the role of architects as a social facilitator between the city and the residents?

We’re lucky that the developments we design provide homes for our areas’ most vulnerable residents. We view resident and community feedback as vital data in our design process. We’ve built out robust community engagement and post-occupancy evaluation procedures to close the feedback loop from our completed developments to make our next, new projects even stronger. 

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

To paraphrase my partner Sarah, architecture is a highly skilled and challenging profession. You as an architect get to choose where and how you apply all your experience, brain power, and learning. If you feel your projects aren’t in the best service of your community, find a firm that’s doing the type of work you feel is worthy of your time and expertise. 

Brent McClure is Principal and Vice President of CAW Architects and has nearly 30 years of architectural design experience in California.  A longtime and award-winning architect, Brent is a leading advocate throughout the Bay Area for designing healthy and vibrant educational environments.  At CAW, Brent oversees the design of large and complex educational projects: from campus master plans to new science and academic buildings, athletic facilities, and performance spaces. Brent has led the designs of 100’s of educational and community-based projects including the first two LEED Platinum public school projects in the Bay Area.  Working with public and private schools, universities, religious, non-profit, and community-based clients, Brent is committed to creating lasting spaces that positively impact the greater public, that create spaces for learning and living where today’s and future generations can thrive, and that transform and humanize the built environment. 

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

I developed an interest in architecture at an early age in high school and felt driven at that time to become one.  It was a combination of loving math, drawing, and for me, figuring out how things are built.  As a kid, I would often take things apart to learn how they work and are assembled.  Then try to put them back together.  There were a few times when I was a kid, I would take my bicycle apart and put it back together, only to find two or three screws still laying on the ground when I was done.  Good thing it still would ride!

In high school, I took some architectural drawing and design classes, and once I started to sketch plans for new buildings I was hooked.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

Besides all the soft skills that you develop through years in the profession, such as multi-tasking, working with teams, and communication skills, the one that stands out to me the most is problem solving.  So much of what we do as architects at all levels of the profession is problem solving or “design.” Everything from figuring out how to best resolve a construction detail, organizing a drawing set, to designing a plan.  Even figuring out how to engage with a client, lead a programming and design process, or work with a stakeholder committee.  All of these take design and problem-solving skills.

Outside the office, we are always confronted with issue that require the same mindset to figure out and using that architect’s problem-solving (or “design thinking”) skills often helps to find better outcomes in life.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

I’m working on several projects at a variety of scales.  We’ve just finished up a new Junior Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto this project includes an education center, small children’s museum and an interactive zoo.  The zoo is fully netted so some of the animals can roam free with the patrons creating a truly immersive experience.  We’re in construction on a new two-story classroom wing building at Silver Creek High School that has 10 classrooms arranged around a shared atrium space that opens onto the adjacent plaza giving students a variety of informal educational and social experiences.  We’re also developing a district-wide master plan for the Sequoia Union High School District.  Here we are leading a detailed community outreach process to understand the needs of each school site and then translate them into projects.  This plan will then generate campus improvements for the next 10 years.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

There are a few.  I love the variety as every day is something different; from working on design, meeting with clients, to being out on job sites.  We are fortunate to have a variety of project types and client types in the office, which helps keep the work fresh.  Likely, the most interesting part is meeting with clients to understand their goals for a future project and then ultimately translating their vague and fuzzy list of project needs and goals into hopefully a well-designed project.  When the client is thrilled with the result at the end of the process is incredibly gratifying.

You are an active member of AIA Silicon Valley board. Can you elaborate on this experience?

I became truly active in the chapter very late in my career.   Although I’ve been a member for many years, wished I had gotten involved when I started out in the profession.  Now that I’m active in some committees and on the board, I’m truly surprised at all the many programs and opportunities there are for fellow architects of all levels in the profession to benefit from.  I’ve met so many incredible people and have been fortunate to work alongside them, an experience I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t get more involved.  Architecture is a unique tribe, and few outside the profession “get it.” Networking with fellow architects outside our firm and building friendships with others has been deeply rewarding.   I would encourage every architect, either fresh out of school or a seasoned architect like myself to get involved and contribute, even in small ways.  It’s never too late.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

I think architecture firms need to create welcoming and inclusive opportunities and spaces for all people that are engaging in the profession.  The profession is so people-focused, that giving everyone opportunities to succeed within the profession can be easily accomplished when you see the joy in working together to pursue great design in every project opportunity, we are fortunate to have.

What ways do you think emerging professionals can be better supported by AIA?

I think a greater awareness of the programs and initiatives that the chapter has.  Often, we are all so busy, that we lose sight of these activities outside our daily jobs and lives.  I also think a greater interface between emerging professionals and senior architects in the chapter could benefit both young architects as well as the senior leaders in the chapter.  Let’s find a way to make this happen!

Can you elaborate on your recent experience with AI.22 and tell us briefly about the various challenges involved with in person signature events post pandemic?

Helping with the AI.22 Conference was an arduous and incredibly rewarding experience for me.  Putting together a one-day conference with 14 sessions is a tall order, and then on the heels of COVD presented another layer of complexity.  The biggest challenge was the state of flux the world was in, which in turn drove our conference planning into the same state.  We were constantly planning and then changing plans as we would go, from the date, the venue, and even speaker changes.  We did find the hybrid and virtual experiences worked much better than we initially thought, which is something no one could have anticipated pre-COVID.  It was great to meet new people and see so many in person, some for the first time in two years. It was great to be back!

What is your advice for someone starting out in the field of architecture as an emerging professional?

Try to learn in everything you do.  Ask questions.  Seek out answers.  Try to build a professional network, within your firm, and where possible outside your firm as this is a people-driven profession.  It takes an army of people to get a project to the finish line and having great people to work with at every stage builds in the satisfaction of this profession.  And lastly, seek out mentors wherever you can and build those relationships.  There is so much to learn, and after 27 years in this noble and rewarding profession, I’m still learning every day.  Having a passion for the profession is what makes architecture so exciting.

How does having an AIA networking set you apart from other design professionals?

I believe it really helps you to learn and grow faster in the profession.  You’re exposed to so many more individuals at different firms and different levels of the profession that it broadens and deepens your experience in the profession.   There’s something powerful being engaged with larger numbers of like-minded people who share a passion for architecture and advancing the profession.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

Nurture your own passion within the profession and always be seeking out opportunities to grow as an architect.

What architecture blogs or websites do you regularly follow? 

The Architect’s Newspaper.  But it’s the print edition. :)

A global thinker and creative thought leader, Mani Ardalan Farhadi’s experience spans three decades of design programming/planning. Currently, she is Senior Facilities Planner, Stanford University School of Medicine, OFPM (Office of Facilities Planning and Management). Mani combines her passion for education, with extensive planning skills to conduct feasibility studies and programming on research space. Prior work includes Taylor Design, Steinberg Hart, and Sasaki Associates. Using strategic thinking, she is integral to campus projects, having collaborated with public and private institutions from K-12 to Higher Education. Described as ‘the client in the room', Mani’s keen ability to listen builds consensus with end users. 

Mani’s leadership extends into a wide range of volunteering. Her roles include former Board of Trustee (Los Gatos Union School District), and Chair of Bond Oversight Committee, receiving ‘Citizen Architect’ award. She mentors for WIA (Women in Architecture) Silicon Valley and co-founded BIBI (Banou’s in Building Industry) for Iranian-Americans. Current duties include serving as DEI Officer for Wellesley College and on the Board of NICA (Niosha International Conservatory of Arts). Mani has served as moderator and juror, given presentations on panels at workshops/conferences (SCUP, AIA, SPUR, EQXD, ACSA, CCFC, CCLC, A4LE, CAE, SF Design Week, GenARTS, at Mills College, Santa Clara University, Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and Wellesley College) on topics ranging from Case Studies to Inclusivity and Intersectionality. Graduating from Wellesley College (B.A. Architecture), and subsequently Boston Architectural College (B.Arch), her formal education was supplemented with SCUP Planning Institute (Step III), LEED AP and Leadership Los Gatos.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

Growing up in Iran, I was certainly aware of the significance of architecture. My father is an international architect, Nader Ardalan, who was educated at Carnegie Mellon and Harvard GSD, having practiced in the US, Iran and Kuwait. He and my mother, the late author Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, researched Sufi traditions of Persian architecture. They took us as they traveled throughout Iran to observe, sketch, photograph and learn about the rich heritage of Iran, after which they wrote the book ‘Sense of Unity.’ We explored small towns, villages, palaces, gardens, mosques, bazaars and caravanserais. Each beautiful and iconic structure was deeply rooted in nature, geometry, landscape, culture, and ecology of the place. Above all, the buildings had spiritual meaning, mystical symbolism and connection with the community.  

The pivotal moment for me came at the International Congress of Women Architects, held in Iran, 1976. The former Queen Farah Pahlavi had studied architecture in Paris, before marrying the Shah. Given the climate of the 70’s and mounting women’s rights in the world, she was inspired to host well-known and rising women architects from around the globe. My mother was invited as a speaker, though not an architect, as an author/scholar to talk about spirituality in architecture. My parents had recently gotten divorced, I had become a teenager, and my Mom thought we’d enjoy this special moment. She was right as always. Being even a minor participant there changed my life!

There were representatives from 23 countries, including emerging women professionals in the Iranian architecture industry. The stars included Denise Scott-Brown, Anne Tyng, Alison Smithson, Jane Drew, Gae Aulenti, among many. Women came from Nigeria, Japan, India, Finland, US, England, Australia, Mexico, and other faraway places. The way they collaborated and related to each other conveyed a camaraderie. It was energizing to hear them philosophize and discuss the relevance of regional design, sharing the important role of women. They spoke so passionately about how women could change the world through architecture, developing a Resolution as a ‘Call to Action.’ Mom published the Conference Proceedings, which I still refer to, as relevant today as it was then. Though I’d seen my father as an architect, it wasn’t until I saw these phenomenal women architects that I decided to study architecture myself. To this day, their words resonate with power and possibility. It was a transformative experience.   

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

After 30+ years of working in architecture firms on educational projects, I’m now a Senior Planner at Stanford University School of Medicine. Having been on the consultant side for decades presenting to schools and designing learning environments, I’m now embedded within. It’s a whole other perspective! In my role, I conduct strategic planning with our team, as we discuss and determine future relocations, building new research space or renovating to accommodate change. We are continually evolving, with growth primarily taking place in Research Park, a few minutes away from the historic main campus. Learning about the faculty and student innovations, grant-funded explorations and groundbreaking work, it is fascinating. Creating feasibility studies and draft layouts, it is a constant flow of activity. I’m more productive than ever. During the programming phase, I get to engage directly with the faculty, administrators and labs, meeting to discuss their requests, hearing their viewpoint, and collaborating with our design firms to formulate solutions and build consensus to move forwards.

How did multicultural experiences help you evolve as a professional?

Given my roots in the eastern hemisphere and lived experience in the western continent, I’ve developed a fluid understanding of multiple milieus. It’s a hybrid existence that draws strength from both tradition and modernity. I have reverence for the ancient aspects, such as respect for elders, combined with a forward-thinking mentality, such as a fervor for advocacy. I have an understanding and appreciation of minorities and immigrants, being an Iranian-American-Muslim woman. I have empathy for others who have not been represented, because I know what it feels like not to fit a typical mold, and to be prejudiced against. Granted my case is not as extreme as those in the BIPOC community, and I try to learn more about systemic injustice every day.

These foundational elements have built the person that I am today. Another key asset of eastern culture for example is the concept of community. It’s not about solo achievements, but about a unity of purpose within a family and a neighborhood. We’re not brought up to become individual contributors, but to be part of a group and to have each other’s back in support and solidarity. As such, I’ve been lifted by my network of sisterhood, whether through girl scouts or girls summer camp, by attending an all-female college, and then finding my mojo within a collection of women architects in my professional career. In our built environment and social construct, we can have influence to raise awareness and improve conditions.

Do you have any feedback on other possible ways to be an expert / leader in the industry for someone who chose not to pursue licensure?

To begin with, I had a liberal arts degree from Wellesley College majoring in architecture, and upon graduation, commenced work at Sasaki Associates. To pursue the professional path, I enrolled in the BAC (Boston Architectural College). The BAC architectural degree was a unique experience, being that we were in school at night, concurrently with the requirement to work in architecture firms during the day. Due to the grueling schedule, it took many years to accomplish. By the time I graduated with my professional degree, I had been working for 12 years, married for 8 years, in my mid-30’s, and promoted to Associate, so we focused on having a family. As such, I was pregnant during my thesis, and my first child was born right around graduation. I went back to work after a 3-month period, which left little time for studying.

I did attempt the route of licensure, taking 3 of the 9 exams required at the time, and passed 1 of them. We then moved from MA to NC, where I focused again on our family, and my second child was born. From there, we soon moved to CA, and after getting our family situated, I went back to work again in an architectural firm, at Steinberg Hart. By now with two young children and working in a highly productive capacity, it was next to impossible to continue licensure. Based on that, I would recommend everyone obtain their professional license soon after graduation.

In my career, my projects were primarily for educational institutions, collaborating with schools, colleges and universities. My role was mainly a Project Manager, with expertise in Programming. I was always teamed up with colleagues who had technical and design background so I used my organizational and communication strength to manage the team. Promoted to Senior Associate, I continued to expand my professional network, and evolved skills in master planning, visioning, consensus-building, design guidelines, feasibility studies, community engagement, etc. These became my area of specialty within the educational field, and did not require licensure, as I pursued leadership opportunities in business development, marketing prospects and conference presentations.

How is your current role different from previous experiences of working with a traditional architecture firm? How has this experience shaped your perception of the profession?

Campus planning projects entail thinking about micro level and macro level. The sites were mini cities, with project types such as classrooms, dormitories, libraries, cafeterias, athletic facilities, parking garages, student unions and most importantly understanding the learning environment. A few years ago, the opportunity came about to work within the education environment I had nurtured, which is how I came to be hired by Stanford University. In the role of a Senior Planner, there are so many aspects of the practice that can be conducted similarly as in architecture firms, in particular the programming and planning piece.

However, now I have access behind the scenes. I can see how direction is set, why decisions are made, and in what way the process evolves throughout design, as I synchronize the projects we are navigating. Since all my experience was based on the upfront work to set the vision and engage with the community, it has been fulfilling and I’ve found alignment with my expertise. It can be enlightening to find a place of belonging and a work environment where your strength can shine. If a traditional architectural practice is not providing opportunities that fit your specialty and your passion, there are other avenues to pursue. In alternative careers, one can influence outcomes, steer the process, provide input and contribute to the overall project direction.

You are an active member of AIA Silicon Valley's Women in Architecture Committee. Can you elaborate on this experience?

I’ve been a member of WIA (Women in Architecture) Committee of AIA Silicon Valley almost since its inception in 2015. I was approached by former Steinberg Hart principal Brigitte Williams who created the committee with a handful of others, including Pamela Anderson-Brule, Britt Lindberg, Stephanie Silkwood and Katia McClain. We began with the express intention of hosting the WLS (Women’s Leadership Summit) in the Bay Area. Over the years, we have held events on self-confidence, salary negotiation, leadership path, emotional intelligence, career-building, networking, and a pipeline for minorities into architecture, to name a few of programs. In addition, we have written blogs, amplified the voices of others, and increased membership of women in the AIA chapter. In particular, with my own visibility representing Iranian women, the participation by other Iranian women has been augmented.

In the WIA forum, we support each other, mentor those who need career advice, make introductions, share articles and lift one another. This platform has given us a group voice from which to advocate for J.E.D.I. (Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion). Through our efforts, we elevate those from underrepresented backgrounds and amplify their voices, as we can become cognizant, to then thoughtfully consider others in our design practice and in our working relationships. When we have an opportunity to engage with the community for our projects, we can approach it with more compassion and listening skills, removing preconceived notions. It helps us to design with inclusion for our disabled clients or to think more holistically about the neurodiversity of the population. Ultimately it enables us to consider making spaces more welcoming and representative of the fabric of society. 

Why do you think initiatives like the upcoming Women in Leadership Summit hosted by AIA Silicon Valley are important to the profession?

The WLS is what our committee has been planning towards for 6 years! We’re expecting 500+ women from all over the US to attend in person. It will be held at San Jose Center for Performing Arts, Sep. 28 – Oct. 1, 2022. We are excited to connect with women and allies in person after the forced hibernation from Covid-19. The speakers represent a broad range of industries and perspectives, from mental well-being to world-renowned designers, from those in academia to those in transportation, from activists to sustainability experts. Attendees will hear from those outside our own Silicon Valley bubble, learn about issues facing other parts of the country, and be exposed to ideas. We will hear from diverse voices and perspectives, whether representing an ethnicity, an alternative career path, or a different mindset. We’ll encourage women to build their network and create an atmosphere of camaraderie. Under one roof with all these aspiring architects, designers and planners, we will be woven together into a blanket of support, to give us strength and direction, to show us we can achieve our dreams.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

The profession has certainly evolved and can continue to be a place where we are encouraged to listen, learn, observe and contribute to the built world with everyone in mind. Over the years, the programs offered are beginning to change the mindset, but the very systems of our profession have to become more inclusive. Establishing a pipeline of minorities to pursue architecture and providing formal mentorship in the path to licensure are some of the actions. Incentivizing firms to reach out to high schools in underserved or rural communities, holding workshops to engage and educate non-architects about the work we do, as well as working with the disabled to design more inclusive spaces will erode the perception of architects as a privileged profession. We have to improve the working conditions, eliminate the expectation of long hours, and change the dynamics of the construction environment to be more respectful of women. If we’ve learned anything these days, we have to offer flexible hours, allow employees to balance family / work life and implement well-being in the profession. Certainly, we have to provide equal pay to all genders, ensure racial diversity in the workforce and increase the salary levels by raising the fees we charge in the industry.

In my own circle of Iranian women architects, we hosted a safe and frank conversation about working conditions in America under hierarchical environments with older generations. As we talked about working with older white male bosses, many shared awkward, uncomfortable and horrific stories of what happened to them when they first began working in the US. They had to put up with demeaning situations because their bosses held the upper hand with their immigration status or because they needed the job to stay in America or because they didn’t know they could speak up or didn’t know how to take action. If we hear from the marginalized community, it will change how we work together and the respect we have for each other. In turn our customers and clients can see that we are human, we represent a diverse range of people, and that we walk the walk. Our employees will feel better about solving problems for our clients because they will also have been seen and heard. When we build our empathy skills in-house, it in turn helps us build our empathy skills externally.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

Why do we have design standards that are predicated around a euro-centric homogenous male experience? In my current work environment at Stanford, we have a mini United Nations of backgrounds on our campus. My dream is to create cultural design based upon representing the multitude of ethnicities, nationalities, colors, shapes, sizes and perspectives we come from. The same way my father talks about designing for ecological adaptation, my mother talks about spiritual adaptation, and the women at the International Congress spoke of designing for regional adaptation, we can all design for cultural adaptation. We can be that bridge of understanding that transcends across ecologies, spirits, regions and cultures.

Leticia SooHoo is a licensed architect, experienced project manager, green building advocate and mentor in the AEC industry.

With 20+ years of experience, Leticia has been involved in many green building projects and various projects of complexity and innovation. Currently, she is an owner representative / project manager at CBRE @ Google, responsible for procuring and executing commercial construction projects. Her higher goal is to optimize the owner-architect-builder process to ensure the best project outcome and build lasting relationships.

Leticia is also an avid educator and speaker. She has taught at university level and spoken widely at roundtable conferences and webinars and provided training in green building and sustainability in colleges and corporations. She continues to contribute to the profession by advocating, mentoring, and making design matter.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

My father was an architect and had his own firm with a couple of partners. He managed to do some good size ground up development and infrastructure projects. When I was a child and visited his office, I was often fascinated by how lines and shapes on paper and scaled models could become a physical building. That was like magic to me. But as a 7-year-old, I didn’t immediately say “I want to be an architect when I grow up” because I had many other interests. It’s only when I graduated from college (my undergraduate degree was industrial design) that I wanted to become an architect.

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

I think it is mainly the ability to observe the physical environment with a critical eye and troubleshoot issues and provide a solution as an architect and a cultural observer. Also respect all things in nature and the interventions different cultures made - that’s why I love traveling and exploring different cities.

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

I have been on the owner’s representation side in the past 3+ years. I am currently working on a variety of Google workplace projects. I really appreciate the well intentions of the client wanting to innovate in the workplace and its lofty goals on sustainability (going carbon zero 24/7 on all these assets by 2030). I enjoy the process of collaborating with Google, my colleagues at CBRE, and my AEC teams.

How is your current role different from previous experiences of working with a traditional architecture firm? How has this experience shaped your perception of the profession?

By being on the owner’s side, I can get a bigger picture on why and how we build and find opportunities to contribute on a higher level.

Having said that, I think the architectural profession tends to narrowly focus on providing architectural services and misses the bigger picture in strategy. It is an area for the profession to grow and expand their expertise in their services.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

I realize that what I do is all about understanding people’s needs. Design and construction are the manifestations of that ask and are somewhat secondary. What I really enjoy the most is working with people to problem solve and deliver a good space at the end.

You are an active member of AIA Silicon Valley's Women in Architecture Committee. Can you elaborate on this experience?

I am relatively new in this committee and have already met some many incredible and powerful women. Our voice is strong, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the committee. I would tend to steer away from the conversation of “female designed architecture” or any kind of gender biased space. Architecture should be built for all and we can explore how a diverse group of people experience the same space in different ways.

The Architectural Intelligence 2022 Conference was a great success this year. What are your key takeaways from this event?

I think AI.22 was a critical success and I enjoyed it so much. So much thought and planning efforts were put into the learning content and the participant experience. The keynote speakers were amazing, and we all came out of the conference being energized and inspired.

The pandemic put a huge challenge in planning this conference - our committee worked throughout the pandemic and had to reschedule the conference twice. I would encourage the future committee to make some decisions earlier, so we didn’t have to rush many tasks at the very last minute. And scheduling the event on Friday instead of a Tuesday might help with attendance.

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

Just like many other fields are going toward, let’s consider allowing staff to have flexible hours and ways of working, flexibility not to work full time, and giving allowance and acceptance to staff who have caretaking needs and other responsibilities. 

I also think that AIA has to do a better job at reaching out to high schools and the public in general to advocate good and sustainable design and introduce to underprivileged communities that the architectural profession is a viable path for them. We have different voices to contribute to our profession.

What ways do you think women leadership can be better supported by AIA other than WIA?

I think it is great to have the WIA committee deep diving into topics regarding gender equity and inclusivity. I would like to see more topics in LGBTQIA cross engagement and have AIA publicize these topics in a more visible way. One idea is to team up with LGBTQIA organizations to cross promote events. That way we can reach out to a wider audience.

What is your advice for emerging professionals especially for women in architecture? What does it take for women to break the glass ceiling of this profession?

Understand your worth and the power of your voice and demand flexibility and inclusivity.

How does having an AIA networking set you apart from other design professionals?

I think AIA is a powerful network to get people together to propel the next generation of practitioners to rethink the profession. The profession must stay relevant and agile to address critical challenges such as climate change and urban problems such as homelessness, and tool up to provide a bigger picture (as well as more specific) solutions to solve many problems.

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

I love this profession. It is very tough due to long hours and the process of design through delivery is often exhausting but I remain optimistic. There is so much more we can do!

How do you think sustainable architecture can be better integrated to the design process? What are some of your experiences on designing sustainable buildings?

“Sustainable architecture” (as I put into parentheses) should be designed into code NOW. It is too expensive down the road in terms of operating and environmental costs not to deliver a net zero energy / net zero carbon building in the first build. I think it is a matter of educating the cost of building something new - the first costs will always be more expensive, but it is better to pay a smaller premium upfront than to mitigate a building that is costly to operate and constantly doing harm to the environment. I think the architectural profession must start pushing harder on zero codes and make it a mandate.

What sparked your interest in becoming an architect?

Architecture was sort of introduced to me as being the nexus of some of my favorite subjects in school - math and science. My teacher suggested it early on in my academic life and I held it pretty close to heart all the way up until college applications came around. I had toured several schools and learned more about their programs, and it really felt like a good fit all along. Needless to say, I never turned back.

I would be remiss to say Legos didn't have a big part in it, too - and yes, I have made a side hobby out of collecting and building all the different architecture sets, like so many of us have! 

What skills have you developed in your architectural journey that you have been able to apply into other aspects of your life?

This may seem like a joke, but I mark up everything all the time now! Just about any document that I find myself needing to review or make eventually ends up bloody in Bluebeam before getting another round of polishing. Now I think this might be more of a bad habit than a skill at face value, but I think what I've gleaned from it is the tendency to review and revise, and invite others to join me in doing so, too! The nugget of truth at the center of it is the value of iteration and the benefits that can be reaped from practice and refinement. Some days it manifests as a home cooked recipe that I continue to tweak and other days it’s a lease agreement that needs some attention before getting signed. I'm grateful for the skeptical eye that I am continuing to hone since starting my design journey. 

What are the kind of projects that you currently work on?

I am currently working on CDs for a high-rise student residence here in the East Bay. Previously, I was working on a major renovation of an academic building as well as a new ground up office and event space, here on the Peninsula. Academic projects are what particularly intrigue me and so I've always aligned myself with firms and colleagues that do a lot of academic and community learning spaces. 

On the personal front, I'm now pursuing my LEED credential now that I've completed my architectural license journey. This will be one of my first formal steps towards a sustainability training, and I'm certain it won't be my last! 

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

I feel like being an architect and designer is a little bit like having a crystal ball. I try to pinch myself often enough to remember that these models that we build and collaborate in are developing glimpses to what will one day be in existence. I think that is an exciting thing and something can easily be forgotten in the day to day, when we're grinding away. I think remembering this really reinforces the importance making informed decisions early on and asking questions when they arise.  And acknowledging when things aren't right, at least not yet, so you can figure out how to get there. 

What was your strategy to complete and pass all ARE divisions?

I researched for a good while online and through colleagues to learn from others about how they tackled the 7 exams. What I found and what worked best for me was grouping the exams into PCM, PJM & CE and then PA PPD & PDD and essentially worked through them in phases. This allowed me to double dip on content that addressed multiple exams and really layer learning upon one another in a reinforcing way. I signed up for each exam 8-10 weeks out to help create some urgency for myself and took my time studying and preparing and gave it my best shot when each test came around, trying to avoid postponing unless I truly had a conflict or knew I hadn’t covered enough material yet. I had a great group of colleagues who I was able to bounce questions off and who helped hold me accountable, even though the slumps when studying got monotonous. It’s also worth noting that I had a long hiatus between the two "Phases" because I was trying hard to balance my workload and personal life, so being forgiving with yourself and setting my own pace was important for me. I can vouge that there are benefits to starting the process early - the material you study can reveal a lot of in-depth explanation that clarifies maybe why you were told to draw a detail a certain way or that explains some of the logic that went into how you're getting staffed on projects. Conversely though, I think everyone ought to take licensure at their own pace and engage in it when you know it is what you want to do. And once you get there, just start signing up for tests and give things a try. Also be sure to leverage the support from your employer to fund your exam and study materials. Also keep your eyes out for scholarships, should you need external financial support to help make it happen.

You are a member of AIA Silicon Valley's COTE Committee. What did you gain from that experience?

So, AIA SV (SCV at the time) was of huge influence on me at the very beginning of my architectural career because I was fortunate enough to receive one of their incredible scholarships before I went to school. Beyond the monetary support the biggest initial gain I received from it was a group of mentors who made me aware of AIA and AIAS at large. I plugged into my local AIAS chapter at school pretty immediately and then would volunteer and attend events when I was home during the summer. Since graduating and becoming a full-on member myself, I've continued to receive support through the network of knowledgeable friends and mentors I've gained from being a part of this organization. I have also stayed involved through our COTE Committee branch that has been a great way to work alongside others to advance our sustainability agenda and meet a lot of impressive people while generating content to help elevate our membership's understanding and awareness of architecture's impact on the environment and most importantly, what we can and should do about it. 

How do you think the architecture profession can improve equity and diversity?

Improvements in equity and diversity can’t be done by a select few. They have to be made by a majority to make a pronounced shift. I think we each need to assess what we can do better to make both our profession and the products of our profession more inclusive and representative of our diverse communities - and make habits out of these improved actions. I think we need to take collective stances on projects that counter our ethics - not just in a performative way but in a true and genuine vow as licensed professionals. I think we need to continue to check our privilege as it pertains to the work cultures that we create, starting in school all the way to the professional work environment. We also need to assess the systems in place and evaluate who they have and have not historically included in areas like hiring and recruiting. Much like we are learning to trace the sources of our materials as pay greater attention to embodied carbon, we ought to also assess what our sources of talent are and branch out to welcome and support people beyond the familiar places we may look. 

What is your advice for emerging professionals pursuing licensure?

The licensure pursuit is definitely a journey. Some people make it a quick journey and others a longer one, but regardless, it takes effort, stamina, and passion to get you to the finish line. I say this because I think there is a strong expectation around licensure that everyone deserves to dissect before beginning their own journey. I think it’s important to step back and assess your ambitions to ensure that obtaining your license it in alignment with them. If not, then great you can pursue other credentials that support the knowledge base you need to build credibility for that role you seek. And if architecture is the path for you, then embarking on that journey is the way to go. Talking to others who have done it is a great place to start as are the NCARB forums where a host of others share their experiences and strategies to tackle the exams. Make sure to also ask your employer about what kind of support they offer, often there are reimbursements for exams and a library of study materials that you can utilize. Also ask your colleagues if they're looking to start taking exams too, or how they've gone if they're already under way and you can build a group of people to navigate the journey with, if you find it helpful. 

How does having an architecture license set you apart from other design professionals?

The license equates to credibility as well as responsibility. With the license, I've received a wonderful acknowledgement that I am competent in the essentials and have a solid foundation, but it really is just the beginning. I try to remind myself that much of the learning comes from experience and applied learning. 

If you had one message you wanted to share with the community, what would it be?

Sign up for the 2030 Commitment, right now! Like literally right now: https://www.aia.org/pages/6464938-the-aia-2030-commitment and if you already are signed up, awesome! Teach your colleagues about it and find some connections in your network who aren't signed up and get them to sign up, too!

Dive in headfirst and you'll be accompanied by an incredible network of people who have taken the same leap and can help you take the next steps. It's crucial that we become well versed in how our buildings are performing and where they're being sourced so we can all make greater strides at diminishing the impact our work has on the environment and on each other. 

What architecture blogs or websites do you regularly follow?

The Practice of Architecture

Architects Newspaper

Woodworks

Monograph

Archinect, particularly their Salaries Poll (https://salaries.archinect.com/)

As well as other AIA chapters around the US that are doing great things - AIA Philly's COTE committee is one in particular that I have enjoyed following. 

And a good handful of architecture meme accounts to get me through the long days

Afsha Ali is a licensed Architect in the State of California. She has over 20 years of experience in designing and managing projects throughout the Bay area. She joined Aedis Architects in 2007 and since then has successfully led teams for both new construction and major renovations for various types of projects. She has worked on multifamily housing, K-12 projects including gymnasiums, cafeterias, libraries, music buildings, and performing arts center projects. Afsha sees every project as an opportunity to enhance the well-being of its users and create positive impact on the whole community. She is currently involved in several mass timber projects and strongly believes that as an architect, she has a duty to minimize waste, and create healthy, sustainable and biophilic environments.

When not working, Afsha enjoys cooking for her family and friends. She enjoys basketball with her kids, hiking, and spending time outdoors on the weekends. She is also an active volunteer in her community.

1. What do you love most about being part of AIA?
   My love and respect towards AIA go all the way to the years when I was struggling to study for my ARE. Joining AIA ARE study groups was a game changer for me. It made the whole process much easier. AIA has helped me grow professionally and personally. I am grateful to be part of such an amazing AIA community where we learn from each other and share our experiences.
   
   
2. What skill have you been developing and/or sharpening this past year?
   I have been involved in the AIA COTE committee. As a part of the Wellness forum, I have been organizing and facilitating virtual events to promote wellness through built environments. Through the COTE committee, I am connected with other professionals who share the same values as mine.
   
   
3. What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
   Work life balance is the most important thing. When you love what you do for a living, your stress turns into pleasure. I have learned Architecture is more than a profession, it is a passion to make this world a better place.

Six years ago a local architect and respected leader set an ambitious goal to host a prestigious national conference in San Jose. In 2015, Pamela Anderson-Brulé was the first woman to be elevated to the College of Fellows in the 63-year history of the AIA Silicon Valley chapter. She took the honor as a call to action and a catalyst to create the AIA SVC Women in Architecture committee. Reflecting on the journey, Anderson-Brulé recalls, “What started with inviting three women to join me has turned into a remarkable committee of over 60 members and a pathway to strong female leadership. The first big goals we established were to increase female Fellowship in our chapter and to host the National AIA Women Leadership Summit.” In 2018, Sharon Refvem became the second AIA SVC woman in architecture elevated to Fellowship, and now three years later, the chapter has been selected by AIA National to host the WLS.

The first WLS began as a grassroots effort to bring together women principals of architecture firms, women in leadership positions, and women architects moving into leadership roles across the country for an intense two-day summit focusing on leadership and design. Today, the summit represents the largest gathering of women in architecture from all career stages who raise each other up and explore, grow, and learn from one another. 

In partnership with AIA National and AIA SVC’s Executive Director Kristen Werner, the 2022 WLS will be led by a strong committee of women architects: Mariana Alvarez-Parga, Leah Alissa Bayer, Katia McClain, Dasha Ortenberg, and Stephanie Silkwood. The 2022 WLS co-chairs have grown together over the past years as leaders of the WIA committee, founding co-chairs of the signature Architectural Intelligence (AI) Conference, and now hosting a national conference, exemplifying the value of creating a strong professional network. 

After a tumultuous year, this event is more important than ever for women. Though Silicon Valley is often seen by the rest of the world as a utopian center of innovation, it has a difficult history with equity, inclusion, and diversity. The events of 2020 revealed how significant these issues still are today and reaching a critical boiling point. AIA Silicon Valley aims to highlight its local built environment in all its complexity, open discussions of the role of the architect as a social leader and innovator in social equity and justice, and showcase the Bay Area as a diverse, unique, multi-faceted place that inspires people to reinvent and recreate better life experiences for their communities.

At its core, the Summit co-chairs hope to create an event that calls on female leaders to use their privilege to benefit others, particularly through mentorship and sponsorship, recognizing that investing in people is one of the best ways to create positive change. Anderson-Brulé is excited to witness her dream realized, noting, “True growth and transformation comes from conscientious self-awareness, confidence, and courage. I look forward to a summit that can create an intimate connection to each woman, so that she can see herself in her future state of leadership and have the tools, mentorship, and pathway to advance her career.” 

President’s Letter

March 2021

“What if a building were more like a nest? If it were, it would be made out of local abundant materials. It would be specific to its site and climate. It would use minimal energy but maintain comfort. It would last long enough and then would leave no trace. It would be just what it needed to be.” – Jeanne Gang

As we start the month of March and see that Spring will be upon us soon, we are reminded that Spring is about renewal. It is a time of new beginnings and emergence of new opportunities.

The AIA’s focus on climate action continues through the Strategic Plan. Our AIA Silicon Valley leadership attended AIA Grassroots 2021 virtually and had the opportunity to bring political action to our congressional representatives. The AIA is asking congress to make a commitment to invest $300 billion over the next 5 years in green building infrastructure to abide by the Zero Code in new construction and to maximize the use of existing buildings and materials for retrofits. Along with several other Chapter leaders in our jurisdiction, I met with the offices of Diane Feinstein, Jackie Speier, Zoe Lofgren, and Anna Eshoo to bring those goals to them.

The Scholarship committees in full swing and applications are now being accepted. The WIA hosted the February Chapter meeting which included an outreach to West Valley students in conjunction with the CC2C program that we’ve partnered in with Silicon Valley Leadership Group. At the meeting students were paired into smaller groups with general members and had the opportunity to ask questions they had about their education and future career. The chapter meeting also included the first “Those Who Inspire Us” presentation which was about Paul R. Williams, FAIA.

The planning for the Golf Tournament, our first “in-person” event since March of 2020, has kicked off. We are looking for volunteers to join in the planning and staffing of the event. 

We are also in full swing planning an in-person AI.21 Conference for the fall of this year. 

Due to popular demand for a virtual social event, the March Chapter meeting is going to host a Spring Social which will include a craft cocktail demonstration and networking with colleagues.

The Advocacy Committee lead by Jyothsna Giridhar, is working toward advocating Zero Code in local municipalities. The committee is looking for members who wish to join and take part in advocating this issue along with others that affect legislation and codes in our communities. 

Do you remember TRACINGS? Tracings was our “paper” newsletter that was mailed out every month to our membership. Well, we are looking to revive the newsletter and we are seeking members who are interested in providing content and staffing. 

Our AIA Silicon Valley community is available for every member and wants to know from you how we can improve the value you receive from the AIA.  We are striving to find ways to engage every member. Let us know how we can be of service to you.

Please check in with our staff at info@aiasiliconvalley.org if you are interested in joining any of the committees mentioned or would like to provide any feedback to help us to better understand our membership needs. 

Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Associate

Principal Architect, J Kretschmer Architect

2021 AIA Silicon Valley President

President’s Letter
February 2021

On January 20^th a new U.S. President was sworn into office. President Biden spoke of unity and inspiration in his inaugural address.

“Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.”

Last year through our 70^th anniversary year, presentations at Chapter meetings shared the history of our Chapter decade by decade. That history is our story. Now, how can we use that story to inspire us in the “ages yet to come?”

The history of our Chapter has included a legacy of mentoring and supporting future architects through our scholarship program. I myself was once a recipient of the Chapter scholarship in 1993. I met Kent Mather, FAIA when I received the scholarship and in shaking my hand to congratulate me, he’s never let go. I’ve been a member of this chapter ever since.

So last month the 2021 Scholarship season kicked off and added two new members to the committee.  Missy Mirkovski, AIA will transition from Liaison to committee member, we added Sassan Pedramrazi, AIA as a committee member and Mary Morris, AIA is the new Liaison.

The Architectural Intelligence Conference AI.21 planning is underway for a fall, in person, conference. The committee is already planning some engaging sessions and social events.

This month a new Social Media Committee was formed. This committee will have the task to create content and post to our Chapter social media accounts. We will post about events, partnerships, member spotlights and other relevant “shout outs.”

Our Chapter’s vitality relies on the member volunteers whose passion brings you quality programs, events and education to our membership. Without the generous gift of their time and their enthusiasm we just wouldn’t have as much fun or learn so much each year.

If you have been wondering if there’s more you can get out of your AIA membership, consider joining a committee. Contact Keith Blaine, AIA to find out the best committee for you.

As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work.” Your time and commitment is whatever you would like to make of it. But the people you meet when you work together is the best networking you can do. Any membership level can join any committee.

Continuing with the theme of stories that inspire us, at each chapter meeting we will invite speakers from our membership to share with us a person (or group) who have inspired them. Especially those who have inspired them in their careers. Some presentation may be about architects who inspired them at some point in their architectural practice journey. Some of these stories may be very personal. Those Who Inspire Us will be a fun way to share those important connections and hopefully inspire others. Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from colleagues and affiliates.

Maybe it comes from artists, writers or musicians. Or it may come from family members, friends or community leaders.

Are there architects who inspire you that may not be well known or who were not part of your formal architectural education?

The presentations will be short, about 10 minutes, and will occur at the start of Chapter meetings. 

Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Associate
Principal Architect, J Kretschmer Architect
2021 AIA Silicon Valley President

One big change that was made last year was the hiring of Kris McFarland Werner as our new Executive Director hired during the first week of sheltering in place. Thank goodness she found us, and we found her. Kris took a very deep dive immediately into working for the Chapter and was a very quick learner. Chris Burnham also shined in getting Kris up to speed and took initiative to keep our chapter alive. Without the two of them, landing on our feet and creating new virtual and remote programs for the membership would not have happened. I am so thankful to have both of them on our team.

I’m feeling very optimistic about our Chapter’s future and that we will be able to resume some in person events toward the end of 2021. So, we have decided to start planning the return of the AI (Architectural Intelligence) Conference toward the last quarter of the year. The committee has been formed led by Dasha Ortenberg, Donna Musselman, and Leticia SooHoo, all working toward putting together an exciting and educational event.

Until then, we will be continuing holding virtual chapter events. But we have learned a lot about how to hold successful and engaging remote events. I’m excited about some of the topics we are looking at presenting this year.

One thing that I have thought a lot about while sheltering at home is all the people that motivate and inspire me. I think about my connections to people whether they are close friends, colleagues, family or well-known persona I admire from afar. I also pondered about all the architects who have made significant contributions to the field of architecture but haven’t received the attention they rightly deserve. So, this year I would like to invite members to join me to create short biographical presentations to be shown at the Chapter meetings on architects who inspired them at some point in their architectural practice journey. Architects Who Inspire will be a fun way to share those important connections and hopefully inspire others.

Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Associate

Principal Architect, J Kretschmer Architect

2021 AIA Silicon Valley President

We entered 2020 looking back at our chapter’s 70 years of history to set a foundation from which to look forward. We recognized that the challenges our chapter faced over seven decades were not too dissimilar to those we faced entering 2020. 

As the global pandemic unfolded our chapter paused our planned events but we continued to serve our community. We immediately utilized the tools of our profession to 3D print face shields with Maker Nexus and supply Santa Clara Medical Association’s front lines with the protection they needed. COVID-19 AIA 3D Printed Face Shields 

Our chapter meetings changed focus to address issues of returning to the office or not (including our chapter’s office), operating remote offices, changes in Silicon Valley real estate and workplace planning, and also what the pandemic taught us about sustainable building.

Amongst this, our country was suffering from civil unrest and social injustice. We again immediately acted with our Women in Architecture (WIA) committee to form our Equity Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to guide the Chapter’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2025.

The Women in Architecture committee joined with NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) to open the discussion about what our chapter, firms, members, and community can do to increase diversity in architecture. Beginning with opportunities from elementary school to college and career.

During all of this, our organization and chapter, continued our discussion and education on climate change. The COTE (Committee on the Environment) provided urgently valuable knowledge and actionable takeaways in conjunction with the AIA California webinar series on Climate Action throughout the year.

2020 may have been less about looking forward than we expected, but it demonstrated how important our actions now are to forming the future to which we look forward. Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA Vice President - President Elect has been working towards the future for 2021. I’m Looking Forwar­­d to her leadership as 2021 President. 

Distinguished Service Award
The following members are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the chapter throughout the year and to the broader community for enhancing the profession and the built environment.

Dasha Ortenberg, Associate AIA  

In recognition of your outstanding contribution to the AIA Silicon Valley, the local design community and the architectural profession as 2020 Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee, founding member of the 2020 Equity Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce.

Your passion and voice through the Equity Inclusion and Diversity Task Force formed the basis of the goals and aspirations of the AIA Silicon Valley Strategic Plan for 2021-2025. Your dedication to advancing the profession by expanding the Women in Architecture Committee from equity to include diversity and inclusion, has refocused the Chapter’s commitment to advancing the profession. Your leadership opened the dialogue between the AIA Silicon Valley members with members of the Bay Area NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) about how our community and the profession can break down the barriers into the profession of architecture. August Chapter Meeting, Increasing Diversity in Architecture 

Fanny Wu, AIA

In recognition for your outstanding contributions to the architectural profession and design community as 2020 Co-Chair of the COTE (Committee on the Environment) of the American Institute of Architects Silicon Valley.

Your enthusiastic efforts, collaborative leadership, and passionate dedication to advancing the built environment have made the COTE committee a success in 2020. By locally hosting the AIA CA Climate Action Webinars series your leadership brought the discussion to our membership and community. Architects Role in Minimizing Operational Carbon

David Edwards, PhD

In recognition for your outstanding contributions to the building industry and design and building community as 2020 Co-Chair of the COTE (Committee on the Environment) of the American Institute of Architects Silicon Valley.

Your dedicated efforts, collaborative leadership, and passionate pursuit to advance the built environment have made the COTE committee a success in 2020. Your commitment to educating and sharing your expertise in sustainable building research and practices have made you an invaluable member of the AIA Silicon Valley. November Chapter Meeting - What COVID has Taught us About Green Building

Judith Wasserman, AIA Member Emeritus

In recognition of your dedicated efforts as a leading member of the AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards Committee. Your endless commitment to design and advancing the built environment helped guide the committee through the challenges of 2020.

Your collaborative leadership, creativity and humor made the process enjoyable for the entire committee as we embarked into new territory for the Chapter with a virtual award ceremony. Above all, your continuous involvement and dedication to the AIA Silicon Valley shows through the 2020 Design Awards as a celebration of design excellence in Silicon Valley and the work of our chapter's membership. AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards 

Warren Jacobsen, AIA Member Emeritus

In recognition of your dedicated efforts as a leader of the AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards Committee. Your ongoing commitment to the Design Awards Program and advancing the built environment helped guide the committee through the many challenges of 2020. 

Your tireless commitment to the AIA Silicon Valley and helping to recognize the outstanding careers of our chapter’s membership through the Birge Clark Award recipients and further coordinating and facilitating the capturing and documentation of these recipients. This alone is one of the most important acts in recognizing the AIA Silicon Valley’s history and continuing the values our chapter was founded on. AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards 

Michael Dern, AIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to AIA Silicon Valley and the architectural profession as Chair of the AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards Committee. Your efforts and commitment to the Design Awards Program and recognizing the projects and members advancing the built environment.  

Your tireless commitment to this program, in spite of the challenges of 2020, made this year's Design Awards a success. Your leadership guided the committee into a new medium for the Chapter with an all virtual and prerecorded awards ceremony. The success of this event is the product of your collaborative and creative leadership that resulted in the signature highlight event of the year. AIA Silicon Valley 2020 Design Awards   

Bernardo Grijalva 

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to AIA Silicon Valley and the design community and efforts as a leading voice on the Design Awards Committee. Your ongoing commitment to the Design Awards Program and advancing the built environment helped guide the committee through the challenges of 2020.

Your continuous dedication of your time, talent and resources to the Design Awards Committee is what has made the Design Awards so successful. 2020 was no exception. Your knowledge and experience guided the committee into the realm of fully virtual and prerecorded. Your continuous efforts to film, edit, and masterfully capture the careers of the Birge Clark Award recipients furthers the values the AIA Silicon Valley was founded on, and advances the profession and the build environment. 2020 Birge Clark Award - Ken Hayes, AIA 

Caroline Kwak, AIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions while serving as Director on the AIA Silicon Valley Board.

Your dedication to the Chapter's annual signature events; Home Tours and Golf Tournament, both of which were highlights in 2019. As 2020 unfolded your leadership managed these events in the interest of and safety of the public. Your tireless dedication to the continued success of these events led you to develop a new format and structure that builds on strengthening the connections with the Chapter’s Sustaining Partners. 

Missy Mirkovski, AIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to the AIA Silicon Valley while serving as Secretary on the Board of Directors.

Your diligent efforts to maintain the record of the directions and actions taken by the board in 2020 as the board moved to a more frequent and virtual meeting format. 

Noel Cross, AIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to the AIA Silicon Valley and local design community while serving as Director and Treasure on the Board of Directors.

Your leadership and community connections have successfully grown the reach of the Chapter’s Sustaining Partners. These partnerships have expanded the AIA Silicon Valley’s influence as a resource in knowledge building, fostering the community, and advancing the built environment.

Sharon Refvem, FAIA, LEED Fellow

In recognition of your extraordinary contributions to the architectural profession and design community in California as the 2019 President of The American Institute of Architects, Silicon Valley. 

Your leadership on the Board of Directors and multiple committees enabled the Chapter to thrive and grow. This growth is most evident in your mentorship and encouragement, of diverse and emerging professionals, to take leadership roles within the Chapter and community. Your passionate efforts to educate the design profession and the public on the consequences of climate change are to the benefit of our built environment. Your leadership and vast industry network enabled the Chapter to seamlessly find the most qualified staff member and smoothly transition the Chapter’s Executive Director. Your tireless efforts to improve the Chapter’s systems, methods, and policies are to be appreciated by the Chapter for years to come.  COTE Embodied Carbon Accounting - LCA Tools Roundtable

Kent Mather, FAIA, Member Emeritus

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to The American Institute of Architects, Silicon Valley, by Paying-it-Forward as member, leader, and Executive Director and CEO of the Chapter, mentoring and encouraged aspiring architecture students and emerging professionals to develop their leadership skills, to further their involvement in the mission, goals, and values of the AIA, the profession, and the built environment.

Steve Cox, AIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to The American Institute of Architects, Silicon Valley, by Paying-it-Forward as member and leader of the Chapter, mentoring and encouraged aspiring architecture students and emerging professionals to develop their leadership skills, to further their involvement in the mission, goals, and values of the AIA, the profession, and the built environment.

Lee Salin, FAIA

In recognition of your outstanding contributions to The American Institute of Architects, Silicon Valley, by Paying-it-Forward as member and leader of the Chapter, mentoring and encouraged aspiring architecture students and emerging professionals to develop their leadership skills, to further their involvement in the mission, goals, and values of the AIA, the profession, and the built environment.

Paying-It-Forward video from December 2020 Chapter Meeting