International Women’s Day 2020
Each for Equal “An equal world is an enabled world. How will you help forge a gender equal world?” This year, COX wanted to focus on the idea of celebrating women’s achievements. How do employees at COX, from female leaders, to male grads, help praise the women in our industry? What do people do in your studio to celebrate women’s achievements? Are they celebrated? Why is it important to do so? We reached out to women and men across studios, sectors and seniority and asked them - “why is it important to celebrate women’s achievements in architecture and design?”
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“Over the last year and a half, I’ve had the opportunity to take on role of co-leading the Melbourne CDG (Computational Design Group), I am really proud of that fact that we have eight young women in the group who are active and working hard to grow this specialised sector of knowledge and application within COX.” Graduate of Architecture Rebekah Collins at the 2020 CDG Hackathon
Rebekah Collins Graduate of Architecture Melbourne I find at COX that there’s a very long-standing and embedded culture of equality and equity, true diversity of people, projects and ideas as well as open dialogue between peers across the practice is encouraged. This permeates every level and interaction within the studio, sometimes more subtly and sometimes more overtly. Our women celebrate each other in many ways:
Group) Hackathon, alongside two other young women; Nisse and Emily. Together we are working hard to innovate and push boundaries at COX in a field of design that is traditionally male dominated. Having this opportunity, fully supported by management and our colleagues of all genders has really helped me to grow both professionally and personally.
- Through their words: By taking the time to recognise and congratulate other women, not just for the big achievements but equally for the little things. The conversations that I’ve had with a wide range of women in the practice have made me feel really encouraged and have helped me to gain in confidence.
Having achievements celebrated really shows that others value what you’re doing, builds confidence and most importantly, lets other people know about the great things happening in the office so we can keep learning from each other.
- Speaking highly of each other to others. I think it’s important to be consistent in building each other up, recognising the hard work, praising the jobs well done and celebrating the talent through informal conversations - Providing a platform or opportunities for each other. Being given the chance to personally talk about something you have done, whether inside or outside work, is a great chance to share knowledge and celebrate that achievements. For me it’s been a big part of my professional growth, both by having the opportunities to speak but also by listening to other women and learning from them. We help to celebrate each other’s achievements by supporting each other every step of the way. I’ve received support from women at every level of the COX studio - whether it’s offering help, advice, or even just to chat, knowing that there’s women alongside me willing to help me achieve my goals has helped enormously. Celebrating achievements and results is what makes people inspired and motivated to do their best work. Seeing women in the office doing great things has empowered me to be able to step up and take on more challenging and difficult challenges. Recently I organised this year’s CDG (Computational Design
It is important to celebrate women’s achievements in architecture and design to pave the way for women that come after us. I feel grateful to be standing on the shoulders of those who came before me. The women who have enabled access to education, work life balance and women in positions of leadership. I look up to a broad range of women in our practice as friends and mentors. I am so glad to have worked in both the Sydney and Melbourne studios where there have been female directors and senior associates, and I hope to see more women rising to these roles in the future. In a historically male dominated field, it’s great to see that the number of men and women graduating architecture is now near equal, and the number of women gaining registration is rising. But there’s still work to be done on achieving equality in a number of areas in architecture, including computational design and women in senior roles. We need to recognise this inequality while at the same time celebrating the achievements of women and the leaps forward we are taking and continue to take. It’s so important to ensure that we offer equal pay, equal opportunity, flexible working arrangements, mentorship, and keep shining a light on women kicking goals in design to encourage young women to continue entering the design professions. Being generous with time to mentor, and encouraging those around is a really key way that we can make change from within.
Jamileh Jahangiri Senior Architect Sydney
Patricia Bozyk Architectural Graduate Brisbane
Nuraishikin Salleh Associate | BIM Manager Brisbane
I feel the best thing about our studio is that it doesn’t matter if you are a woman or man - there is no stereotype of how women are or should be and the studio thoroughly encourages talent regardless of gender. So, in a way, supporting each other’s talent is the vibe, rather than supporting the gender balance. However, my experience has been different outside the studio when facing some uninformed clients. In these cases, it is a great comfort to see how directors and senior colleagues are advocating and celebrating women, by making sure our voices and ideas are heard or in some cases notifying them on our accomplishments.
More importantly to me, is the question; How does our studio culture equally celebrate both female and male professional growth and achievement? The Brisbane studio is comprised of vibrant diversity amongst the staff. The equal opportunities we are given, and the support and flexibility that is offered to juggle family commitments, with work ambitions, creates a workplace of balance and inclusion. These components of our studio culture, as well as having access to both female and male mentors in senior roles, creates a positive environment for females to progress in their careers from graduate roles to registered architects. This is valuable in an industry where these numbers are still skewed and unbalanced.
We have seen an increasing number of women in our studio in both Interior and Architectural sectors and an increased number of women in management positions from Associate to Directors. This has been the result of a conscious effort in achieving gender-equality in our studio. Examples of these initiatives include more support being offered for new mothers in our practice and increased recognition of women in our practice.
Working in architecture for a while, I feel it is important to celebrate women’s achievements as women tend to view speaking of their success as egotistical or intimidating compared to their male colleagues. I see this is beginning to change in my generation (of 10-15 years’ experience in architecture), but I feel that it may be harder for women with above 25 years’ experience to celebrate their own success. Looking at how my generation is moving forward and the opportunity we have to be equal- I see great importance in celebrating women’s achievements.
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As architects and designers, we make a direct contribution to the shaping of society and the built environment through the projects we work on. We love to be immersed in different architectural styles, to soak in the rich history of places and observe the influence that notable architects of the past have had over cities and architecture. The female voice, however, is one that predominantly laid silent in this field until recently. Today, the growing female contribution within the industry makes this an exciting and unprecedented time to practice architecture and observe the changes to our built environment.
Women in our studio across all levels and sectors have made outstanding achievements - whether in the studio or external involvements. We celebrate each other’s achievements by acknowledging and rewarding the efforts undertaken by them and spreading the news throughout the practice and on social media platforms. These forms of recognition encourage other women to be more proactive and engage in future initiatives. At the same time, it creates awareness for others on the values of women in this industry. In a predominantly male-dominated industry, it is important to celebrate women’s achievements to reiterate that women are an equal match in the workforce, to provide valuable support for women from similar backgrounds and to showcase the feminine-flair in design and architecture.
“Today, the growing female contribution within the industry makes this an exciting and unprecedented time to practice architecture and observe the changes to the built environment.� COX Architectural Graduate, Patricia Bozyk
COX Student Desiger Adelaide Cowan
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Kasey Wilson Interior Designer Brisbane If we are searching for equality in the workforce, why do we want to differentiate our gender at all? Why do we need to expose our contribution and relevance to design as a gender? Equality in the workplace has come a long way in recent generations so what bias do we still face? To answer this, I thought about some of the female pioneers in design throughout history and was reminded of the inspirational story of Charlotte Perriand. Dismissed by Corbusier initially by the stereotypical view of females at the time, she had to fight hard for her design voice to be recognised. In the decades that passed her tenacity of sprit gave way to maverick furniture designs that have become known as some of the most classic and enduring pieces of that period. This story reminded me of how far the traditional perspective of females’ role in the workplace has changed. Perhaps we can all relate to it on some level still. I read her story and felt empowered
to strive for my own chance at making a real impact and to have a voice that is valued and respected in my field. I have always worked in male dominated industries with my previous role as an environment designer in video games. My male counterparts have been respected and supportive colleagues but as a minority in the group I have had to fight many crises of confidence. I have found the patience, support and insight of female mentors and colleagues’ throughout my career has allowed my confidence and job satisfaction to progress. COX Brisbane have welcomed initiatives such as flexible working arrangements which have also helped to foster a happier and more committed female team at the studio. Today I am extremely grateful to be working alongside some of Queensland’s most experienced and highly regarded female designers. I believe it is this supportive culture that encourages female autonomy and confidence - leading the way forward for females in design for the future.
Susanne Jensen Senior Designer Sydney Having worked in COX’s Sydney studio for 10+ years, it’s both very inspiring and exciting to see and be part of the change that’s happening. The shift is shown as we have moved towards promoting talent over gender and thereby providing a better balance within the office. Across the whole office we celebrate women’s achievements and we are ensuring that all team members are recognised. This helps in making women’s involvement more obvious and their contribution is thereby celebrated and recognised. The improvement since I started till now is noticeable and confirms it’s going in the right direction. It’s a great opportunity to be part of that change.
I think it’s very important to celebrate and recognise women’s achievements within design and architecture to help promote the importance of this issue and to keep the progress going. An important part of this is to help providing women with opportunities that they wouldn’t normally get. And to help promote and involve women in projects, meetings and decisions. Another important issue is to raise awareness about unconscious bias which we are doing by being involved in unconscious bias workshops. Celebrating women’s achievements is important and we have come a long way in our studio for gender equity and we are committed in continuing to improve on this.
Ramin Jahromi Director Sydney
The building industry for centuries has been a male dominated, both in Australia and beyond. It has historically, and even today, faced serious issues regarding diversity and inclusion. One can say that the situation has improved, but the pace is nothing short of slow and snail like. There is much more we can do, and fundamental to speeding up the process is bringing the achievements of women into the spotlight. Why is it important to bring this issue into the spotlight? The genesis of the word ‘spotlight’ is a projection of light on a performer on stage to get the audience’s attention. This helps the audience focus on the message from the performer – ensuring they are given the attention they deserve and command. One could argue that unless the spotlight is focused on the ‘performer’ that the message could be lost on stage. Just this morning I woke up to the news that the 2020 Pritzker Architecture prize was awarded to two women, Yvonne Farrell
and Shelley McNamara. How fantastic to celebrate two female architect’s achievements on the eve of IWC. Finally, a ‘spotlight’ needing our attention and celebration. This not only brings the spotlight to some beautiful architecture but also highlights the work of two women. Their unique approach to their field, which as female architects is not only unique in the way that it talks to a sense of place and time, but to their bespoke approach to a material palette and spatial complexities. As professionals - whether male or female - we all need mentors and projects that we find extraordinary to aspire to. The decision by Pritzker to celebrate two women for 2020 prize, shows why we need to celebrate the work of great architects and highlight the work of two women. That decision will go on to inspire many other architects for many generations.
Founding members of the Male Champions of Change, including COX Director Joe Agius
Michi Playford Graduate of Architecture Canberra One way in which we do this well at our Canberra studio is to celebrate the milestones – whether it be graduating from uni or being involved in an inter-studio initiative such as the ‘Hackathon’. If someone has been up to anything interesting it won’t go unnoticed for long and will usually result in delivering a presentation to the entire office. This is a fantastic way to showcase the talents of the women at COX Canberra and allow others in the studio to acknowledge the skill and hard work that’s gone into delivering a project, putting together some beautiful graphics, or whatever it may be. At COX Canberra we have a diverse range of women with talents both inside and out of work – these include everything from Cycling, Dragon boating, Carpentry, Ceramics, Rock climbing – more than I could possibly list. As a young graduate at the beginning of my career, it’s incredibly inspiring to be to be surrounded by women who are kicking goals both in the studio
as well as in their day to day lives. I think it’s testament to the fact that success breeds success – the more that we can encourage and highlight each other’s successes the more we are motivated to challenge ourselves and achieve our goals. In drawing from my own personal experience at this early stage of my career it’s much easier for me to recall instances of male colleagues supporting my achievements than female colleagues. I think that this both highlights the imbalance that still exists in the workforce (especially in upper management) but also the fact that it’s not always easy for women to celebrate each other’s successes. For whatever reason this may be, I think it makes it so much more important that we do celebrate each other’s achievements – not only the big wins but the small everyday accomplishments which might otherwise go unnoticed.
Joe Agius Director Sydney
One way myself and other staff have celebrated women’s achievements in architecture is through our involvement in Champions of Change.
and found that “high levels of stress and disillusionment” may push women out of the profession in larger numbers and at earlier points in their career than men.
The formation of the Male Champions group was a reaction to the release of the Australian Research Council-funded project,“Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architecture Profession: Women, Work and Leadership,” which looked into the lives of women in architecture. The study identified a “striking scarcity of women in senior leadership and management roles”
Through Champions of Change we have seen great cultural change in relation to women’s engagement in the industry. At COX, we implemented flexible working arrangements, mentoring, monitoring of submissions from a gender equity standpoint and engagement with allied professions.
“A common theme amongst our women, as Oprah Winfrey puts it, is bringing out the best in everyone by surrounding yourself with people who are going to lift you higher.“
Helen Hardy Interior Design Support Adelaide
I am part of a professional office in, what seems, a unique environment - almost 70% of the staff are women. Moreover, we have 2 directors, one woman, one man. Our practice is built around project teams of which women, again, lead roughly 70%. This creates an atypical culture to that experienced in other practices within our organisation and many other workplaces. In our case, teams are brought together and broken up on a regular basis, teams tend to work long hours, are very absorbed, very quiet and very deadline focussed. What we see is women as quiet achievers, encouraging their fellow professionals, female and male, while at the same time developing a strong competitive spirit amongst their colleagues across the practice to strive for better ends. A very evident and real support group for their work colleagues. With multiple projects in progress for any one professional
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and varying deadlines stressing everyone throughout the office, it is difficult to shout it out when other people are working, so invariably the opportunity slips by. There is little time for celebration. Frequently the teams have already moved on to their next projects, not necessarily with the same members. More likely, a project team may have a brief, understated lunch or coffee to acknowledge the point reached. So, in our environment women are key drivers in bringing teams together, in encouraging and motivating them to achieve the best result possible whilst focussing on the incoming tsunami of new opportunities. A common theme amongst our women, as Oprah Winfrey puts it, is bring out the best in everyone by surrounding yourself with people who are going to lift you higher. In our case there is little if any sign of bringing their fellows down. Indeed, behind every successful woman is a tribe of successful women who have her back. This is our situation.
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