Special Feature A Women’s Work

In honor of Women’s History Month, PYLON is sharing stories from women who are changing the narrative, in the built industry. In the following pages, women share their journey as mothers, principals, designers, and student advisors, through architecture, their hopes and accomplishments, their growth, and advice for the next generation of women who wish to pursue architecture as a career.

I’m having trouble sitting down to write this piece. As the principal in my studio and mother in my household, it’s been a busy week: I’ve done two site visits and had two client design meetings, with a third tomorrow; the Architecture League has just published a report I’ve been working on for a year; and my child seems to have gone for a reverse daylight savings. Before starting a family, I worked tirelessly at Diller, Scofidio + Renfro. When I left, I decided to find a better work-life balance, but here I am: the only time I’ve found to write this piece is Thursday night around 9pm.

Architecture is by nature a labor of love. That love is no stronger or weaker because I’m a woman. What’s different, being a woman and a mom, is that I’m trying to succeed in both roles. Sometimes it doesn’t work out for either.

In architecture school, we all dreamed of having our own practices, but we were never taught how to do it. The hardest part isn’t the designs or the drawing—it’s feeling like you’re making every decision on your own. Figuring out how to run a business, from managing clients to paying staff, can be as hard as the actual design work. But in truth, I’m not on my own: I’ve had fantastic mentors who have helped me in those efforts. My most valued mentors are my parents, who are both architects, but I’ve also been fortunate to have mentors in every job I had prior to running my current practice. To say I did it alone wouldn’t tell the whole story.

As principal of my own studio, I want to re-think what it means to be a woman and to have a family in the field of architecture. I encourage people who work for me to have a boundary with me, to enjoy their weekends, to enjoy their vacations, to be there for their families—to take care of themselves. I know what it’s like to sacrifice that, and I think we need to break that cycle. There’s often an expectation that we show up at work as only part of ourselves, leaving our personal issues aside as we get the job done. While COVID’s school closures and social distancing have made work-life balance harder, they’ve also normalized that we have personal lives. The reality is we’re all humans, and we’d be a lot more productive if we leaned into being human a bit.

A few years after finishing my masters, I remember being shocked by a statistic in the Architecture Journal: while graduating architecture school classes are around 50/50 split between women and men, only 21% of registered architects are women. As a historically male-dominated profession, architecture is struggling to adapt to all these talented women that are now a part of it. Both men and women have families, but it’s far more socially acceptable for men to not share domestic labor and to keep on working than women. If we want to be at the cutting edge of architecture, we have to be on the cutting edge of work culture. That means being more comfortable with people working from home, giving employees more flexible hours, trusting employees to do work even when you can’t see them, and welcoming families into the practice instead of pretending they don’t exist.

If you’re a woman pursuing a career in architecture, I have three pieces of advice. First, you’ve got to love it; it’s way too much work to not love. Two, be on the cutting edge of changing working culture and if you’re somewhere that

doesn’t seem open to that change, move on and move on fast. Three seek out mentors in the profession, find someone who’s doing what you want to be doing, and learn from them.

Manhattan apartment renovation. Photo: Devon Banks

From a young age, I loved to play with Legos, and my passion for architecture has continued to grow ever since. I was born in Brooklyn, NY but mainly raised in the suburbs of Elmwood Park, NJ and Prosper, TX. My exposure to different living environments helped me see how our understanding of the world comes from diverse lived experiences. I was really interested in how our environments shape us and how architecture has the ability to tell stories. Architecture is an integral part of our culture, our history, and our identity; my realization that architecture could be a catalyst for change drove me to pursue an education in architecture at Pratt Institute.

When I started my architectural education at Pratt Institute, I entered school with the idea that architecture is a field that could only influence positive social change through buildings, but my experiences at Pratt helped me see the potential for architecture to change the current narrative and become a reflection of our idealized society. Architecture is a system of thinking and a new way of understanding the world. We as architects possess this language of influence and can help people understand who we are, how we organize, and how we connect with people. We are storytellers, artists, and activists.

It is important for me to put as much love and energy into my academic work as I do into helping others around me. I have been aiming to achieve this by centering care and using joy as a tool for transformation. Since I am only in my second year of my undergraduate education, I am still exploring the ways in which architecture has the potential to build a better world; however, I am certain that I want to use my education and my career to advocate for justice and support underrepresented voices.

While studying at Pratt Institute, I have had the opportunity to be involved in wonderful initiatives that have shown me the importance of dialogue and engagement in understanding how we live and recognizing the need for

change. I am currently the Student Advisor to the Dean in the School of Architecture at Pratt; the inspiring leadership of our dean, Dr. Harriet Harriss, has helped me see the power within myself and my ability to empower others. The future of architecture can be transformed through education, and I am so blessed to work alongside Dean Harriss who has shown me that pedagogic change can create an inclusive canon and influence an equitable world. My role as the Student Advisor to the Dean as well as being an undergraduate student representative have allowed me to advocate for student involvement and bring the voices of the rising generation into critical conversations. I am also a firm believer in the beauty of community, and my participation in the Mistresses of Pratt Archive and the Pratt NOMAS Chapter have given me the opportunity to elevate underrepresented voices and honor the contributions of women and people of color in the field of architecture. This work has allowed me to reflect on myself as well as the changes I want to see in our world, and I would not be where I am today without everyone who has supported me on this journey.

For women who are considering a career in architecture, I would encourage you to let passion lead you in the direction of your dreams. You belong in this profession, and your words and ideas do matter. Architecture will not reach its full potential until it includes and supports all voices. Change will only come from working together to design an inclusive and equitable future for all. It gives me great hope to be surrounded by a generation of future architects that are genuinely invested in making a difference. The radical solution lies in us working with inclusivity, equity, and collective consciousness in mind, and we will play a significant role in shaping our history and future. I believe that we can build a better world together as dreamers and makers. I hope we can be united in the future and honor the differences that make us beautiful.

I came into architecture by way of stage design which has shaped my approach to architecture as an act of creating places within which life can freely play out. Having lived in very large cities almost my whole life, I have developed an urban dwellers’ natural ability to navigate a constantly shifting landscape of sights, sounds and other tactile stimuli, first in Istanbul, then in New York City. The urban context within which I primarily work presents me with a series of design problems to tackle and parameters to respond to. Over the many years of practicing architecture in New York City, I have come to enjoy the process of renovating as a transformative experience for both me and my clients.

My inspiration to pursue architecture further came from my small community of friends and professors in the architecture studio. Together we migrated from a freewheeling liberal arts program at Bennington College in Vermont to the Graduate School of Architecture at Rice University in Texas. We dispersed across the US after graduation, I moved to New York in 2001, adopting Brooklyn as my forever home. After interning at BKAA and Rockwellgroup, I chose to take a more hands-on approach to architecture at MADE Design Build in Red Hook, Brooklyn where I found another close-knit community of designers and builders with whom I collaborate to this day. I discovered the satisfaction one can get from figuring out the smallest details and that scale was relative. I was inspired to pursue my own practice where I could let my personal design process develop and flourish.

One of the biggest joys of my life, my daughter, also brought the biggest challenge to my career since children and architecture both require constant attention. Over time I learned to explore ways of making the two crosspollinate each other instead of competing for my limited resources, which stretched ever so thin during the early days of the pandemic.

Despite the hardships so abruptly brought about, the pandemic has also been a positive force in hastening the much-needed conversation to address challenges facing women who work. I am hopeful that an acknowledgement of the extraordinary demands on women in architecture will lead to meaningful change and more structural support from society at large that will help equalize the playing field. Architecture is a life-long investment. My advice for women considering architecture as a career is to foster relationships that will support and sustain you while staying confident in the choices you make to determine your own unique path.

My name is Emma Greenberg and I am the founder of Emma Greenberg Architect, PLLC. I grew up in New Jersey in a family of artists including painters, bookbinders, and ceramicists. I am also artistic and always took drawing and painting classes while growing up. I received my Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and my Master of Architecture from LSU. After graduating, I moved to New York City and worked for six years in small firms on residential, commercial, and retail projects. I obtained my architectural license and started my own firm, Emma Greenberg Architect, PLLC where I work on residential architectural, interiors projects, and consult with other architects on their work.

My entrepreneurial journey began with content creation. I developed my personal brand and created an architectural Instagram account @emmasarchitecture. This allowed me to share my passion for the artistic side of architecture, such as materials and finishes, and details relating to storage and organization. I post photos, diagrams, and comments to explain the reasoning behind design decisions.

I also created a YouTube channel, ‘Emma Talks Architecture,’ to host interviews with other architects creating content and leaders. I also share my videos on home organization, and other topics that I explore on my Instagram account.

I attracted my first client through my Instagram account. A friend saw my work on Instagram and asked me to work on her bathroom renovation. The client had a strong vision for the bathroom, which I refined to meet her aesthetics and goals for resale. I developed the schedules in accordance with the budget and schedule, created the construction drawings, and observed construction remotely due to the constraints of the pandemic. My attention to detail in design and my interactions with the client and passion for having a comfortable home have inspired me to continue working on residential projects.

I consult virtually on the design of home offices. Now that people work from home, I saw a need for this. I worked on a great deal of commercial interior projects and designed the furniture layout, storage, ergonomics, and decor of the room to provide comfort and promote productivity. I discuss with the client over video calls about how design components can support their professional goals. Meeting virtually removes geographical limits and is time efficient.

I would give two pieces of advice to young women pursuing a career in architecture: get licensed and make your own opportunities. Being licensed allows for

EMMAGREENBERGARCHITECT.COM EMMA@GREENBERG-DESIGNS.COM (225) 276-5997 IG @EMMASARCHITECTURE professional opportunities, career advancement, and the option start your own firm. Also, studying for the Architectural Registration Exams teach you a great deal about detailing, code, and the profession.

Furthermore, I have had the most success by putting myself out there. I have gained opportunities because I consistently created content on my own social media platforms. While this initially felt uncomfortable, I gained confidence with time, practice, and eventually success. My efforts led to proposed architectural projects, professional connections, speaking engagements, podcasts, and blogs. The revelation that putting myself out there would lead to growth was empowering!

I have had a meandering path that ultimately led me into architecture. I always loved art but I did not foresee how that passion could be sustainable at the time. I was encouraged to pursue whatever it is that I wanted in a career, yet the knowledge of all possibilities seemed farfetched. However, that all changed when my church had worked on developing its second senior housing. I realized there are many possibilities for art and design. From that moment, I worked hard on preparing myself for a Master’s degree in Architecture since I missed my opportunity in my undergraduate education. The hard work paid off when I received my acceptance into City College of New York’s Spitzer School of Architectu.

As I was going through my studies, I faced many challenges by being thrust into using new programs and gaining knowledge of the architectural field. The support I received from my family and school peers helped me see a newfound potential that I have not noticed in myself. Among this support system, who later became my husband, became my greatest supporter as I became his. Pursuing architecture has been one of the most important decisions in my life.

Today, after working for a few years, I see myself halfway towards my goal of earning licensure in the coming year. My work experience helped me grow my knowledge professionally and prepared me for another personal goal of starting my firm one day. I hope to create more housing for those who need it, like seniors. My church helps aid the community in Harlem in ways for those who live in it would benefit. I want to work with my church and continue that success. Reflecting on my experience feels like I am going back to what sparked my interest, giving back in the best way. It is freeing to know this is within my reach, especially when I did not know where my love for art and design would lead me. I am looking forward to what is to come.

If there is a woman who is going back and forth about pursuing a career in architecture, my advice to you is, “if you want and can do it, just do it!” The architectural field needs more women like you and me. Life is about taking a risk for yourself, why not just take it? It will get you one step closer to your passion or career either way. Life is about knowing more about yourself, what you like and dislike. You will only find out if you try. Take the risk without regrets and with the notion that whatever you learn, no one can take that away from you. Understand that there are many women like yourself out there, including me, in the profession. I took those risks on myself, and now I can only see the benefits. and now I can only see the benefits.

Exterior rendering of PRC NYCHA Manhattan at 1504 Amsterdam Avenue, by SLM

I think this is a piece of good advice for anyone, but especially important for people who aren’t cis men: never be afraid to say when you don’t know or don’t understand something.

I think every female architect I know would say they feel a lot of pressure to prove that they deserve to be where they are, professionally, especially when surrounded by contractors. There’s a deep fear of making a mistake or being caught not knowing something, lest your ignorance is used in a broader argument about where women do and don’t belong. We often have this knee-jerk reaction to not ask questions, admit to being confused, or ask for something to be explained again or differently, etc. And that fear isn’t unjustified – you will be talked down to or mansplained to or assumed to be of lesser importance or have less authority on a project than you do, simply because of your gender presentation and especially if you’re younger. It sucks. It’s getting better, but it sucks. I’d say that roughly 10% of the time I say I don’t know something, it’s met with mansplaining or some other flavor of condescension.

The other 90%, though, can be pretty great. When you say, “I don’t understand,” what you’re doing is validating someone else’s expertise; you’re giving them an opportunity to feel smart and valuable and be heard for what they bring to the project. They not only will like you for that (because no one doesn’t like being told “hey, you’re smart, tell me how this is done”), but also, they’ll remember you as a person who cares about the work, is curious about the right way to do something, and values the expertise of the other people on the team. That immediately translates into respect for you and makes it far more likely that that person will come directly to you someday to ask for your help with something. It’s the best kind of quid pro quo—you show someone that they are valued and respected, 90% of the time they will show you that same thing right back.

Attached is a response to one of the short essay prompts for Women’s History Month, as well as a photo of me and a rendering of a project I’m currently working on, as project manager. It’s a model home for a residential development in the Catskills, with all homes designed to Passive House standards and designed to be operationally Net Zero: thecatskillproject.com

Our family’s home, constructed in 2002 and built using alternative energy sources, was designed to be energy conscious. The modern concept of “going green” was yet to become part of urban lifestyles. I was only 12, which is young for lifelong commitments, but I knew then that I wanted to become an architect—because a designer with essential skills can influence a necessary change in principles. Construction has the third-highest carbon footprint among all industries, but architects, like the ones who built our homes, were making a dent in that statistic. Architecture seemed a compelling career to my young earth-loving self. My interests in shaping the built environment persisted and I went on to receive my Bachelor’s in Architecture from India, where I also worked for 4 years, focusing on sustainability by reimagining vernacular materials with modern techniques in construction. Innovating from the grassroots level, I see the site as a resource for material and the building as a placeholder for the community. During my time with Biome Environmental and Manasaram Architects—two practices (both happen to be led by amazing women!) pioneering innovation in stabilized earth masonry and bamboo, respectively—I came to understand the challenges associated with “materializing a material.”

Working in the realm of sustainable construction, very quickly, can become a highly satisfying hyper-local pursuit. For example, we were making building blocks from the soil excavated on the same site of construction- the idea being to minimize carbon footprint. It allowed me to go deep into the life-cycle assessment of building materials and implement conscientious systems at a residential scale. Anchored in this conscience, and wanting to gain a global perspective on design, I studied at Pratt Institute in New York. There, my thesis explored the relationship of form vis a vis performative system for greywater remediation and the materiality of found objects in the Anthropocene within the residential scale. I interned at the Collective for Culture, Community, and Environment in New York and invested my time in an urban intervention called “Cool Streets” by the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University with the RETI Center for the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Currently, I work remotely as a project manager at Daniel Beck Architecture where I am honing my skill set with custom residential design and historic renovation projects based out of Charleston in South Carolina.

Incidentally, I was inspired by an amazing woman to pursue architecture. I didn’t know then, but I was relating to a strong female force in a male-dominated space. My one piece of advice is not going to be specific to gender. It is important to be constantly motivated and inspired. Find your inspirations early and take the time to pursue them, going all-in for a set time. After graduating, do not try to find your identity but just watch and learn. Identity will follow organically.

ANEKAL, INDIA

Firm: Biome Environmental Role: Project architect, Design development;, Project coordination Typology: Residential Area: 3500 sft

PRATT INSTITUTE

Instructor: Ariane Lourie Harrison Team: Don Dietsche

PRATT INSTITUTE

Instructor: Nathan Hume Team: Don Dietsche Location: House 16, Governor’s Island, NY

TRICHY, INDIA

Firm: Manasaram Architects Role: Design development with Bamboo Typology: Institutional, experimental Area: 800 sft Design team: Neelam Manjunath, Suman Das

One thing I’ve learned about design is that sometimes the best solution is not the one in front of you, the one you are searching for and expecting—it is the one next to you, behind you, the one you happen to glance at and discover it has been there all along. Similarly, my thirtyfive-year career in architecture continues to be a balance of ego-driven plans and goals with those developed by reflex, intuition, and coincidence.

How and when do we start picking up on the clues of who we will become, what we will do? We look around: at our families, neighbors, teachers, and relatives. Since beginning grade school, I considered having a professional career of any type a requirement, a foregone conclusion to the years of education ahead. My mother was a single mother who majored in zoology, worked as a teacher at the Museum of Natural History, and became a professional medical writer. My older sister worked in banking and now runs an internet-based company. My father worked in government. His mother had been an artist, his father a writer. My mother’s father had a real estate company and a wood-working shop set up in his basement that I loved to explore. This was the world I knew, and the clues that led to the private practice I started twenty years ago are just apparent to me now.

Architecture was not among my first choices as a career, which included inventing, writing, or specializing in a field of science. I discovered architecture while taking a course in mechanical drafting in middle school. Architecture, as an academic study, combined my love of drawing, with that of physics and math. My specialty in residential architecture was a fluke of timing—needing to take the one job offered during a recession—but the clues I find, again in retrospect, pointed in that direction all along: love of the hardware of homes, the texture of materials that surround us, relish in the tools of daily life expressed in kitchens, studies, libraries, dens, desks, chairs, bathing, gardens and envisioning the settings of living as is done through literature.

I was fortunate to have been raised in an environment in which the idea of being a working woman was taken for granted. I never doubted I would be capable of working in a field that might be considered a male-dominated trade— it’s a sense of confidence, the right to sit at the table, that is essential to being an architect. I hope to be a similar role model to family members, those I work with, and those who work for me. In that vein, the sense of legacy is the next aspect of my career that I’d like to offer over the next ten years to younger architects—sharing what I’ve learned about developing project solutions for clients and revealing others they did not yet know could exist.