APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
WIA+ Cleveland Newsletter
MARCH | 2025 | ISSUE #1
Greetings from WIA+
Community Building: As Architects and practitioners working within the Cleveland area, we all are very busy juggling the responsibilities of our profession, our personal lives and participation in the causes that inspire us. Our goal is to provide an avenue by which we can build a stronger community of Cleveland women in Architecture, plus any other individual who finds our programming meaningful. We are seeking to provide meaningful programming that will cater to various demographics of our members, based on your stage in your career and life. We would like to provide an avenue to cultivate meaningful relationships and foster meaningful conversations, that affect us all. Valuable Programming: What matters to you the most is influenced by the stage of life in which you are in. Whether you are an emerging professional, or a seasoned Architect, we are working on providing programming that can serve as a bridge among our WIA+ community. We have quite a few initiatives in the works, so please stay tuned for updates as they become available. Uplifting our fellow Women in Architecture: As women in what was previously considered a male-dominated field, we should be each others biggest advocates and cheerleaders. We would like to find ways to provide avenues by which to find paths, advocate, nominate and elevate women within our profession. Inspiring the next generation of Women in Architecture: Different generations of women have had different exposure to opportunities to work within STEM. Letting young women know what opportunities exist for them, while providing mentorship is key to empowering the next generation of female architects. We look forward to working and collaborating with our Cleveland architecture community! Best wishes from WIA+!
Claire Markwardt Bank Lisa Diaz-McPeek
Table of Contents March Events Wellness in Design | Strength and Focus Beer and Boxing - March 26th 11th Annual Women in Architecture Celebration Speaker: Catie Newell March 28th April Events Wellness in Design | Strength and Focus Yoga and Wine - April 30th Getting to Know You Resources
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
March Events
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Wellness in Design | Strength and Focus Beer and Boxing Wellness in Design Series The Wellness in Design Series is a monthly opportunity to gather, catching up with each other while doing a fun workout. Committee members Kaitlyn Boniecki and Emily Leu have headed this initiative, planning great events that broaden our workout horizons and offer a fun times to build connections. March 26, 2025 – Beer and Boxing Our March event was one of those that was a new experience for many of our members! This month we were joined by two world class boxing coaches, Noel Salwan and Marlon “Push” Davis. They’ve coached many boxers, including amateur national champions, 2 Olympians, and several top caliber professionals. While we don’t think they found any future Olympians in our ranks, they were a lot of fun to work with, running us through individual and group drills and providing guidance while we learned the basics! A few photos of the crew in action can be viewed below:
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Thank you to our event sponsors, MGS Global Group, Lighting Dynamics, and APG Office Furnishings!
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
11th Annual Women in Architecture Celebration! 11th Annual Women in Architecture (WIA+) Celebration! On March 28th, we were thrilled to gather, celebrating Women’s History Month, the 11th year of WIA+, and spending the evening in great company. Market Garden Brewpub was a welcoming venue, with the Ohio City Room creating an intimate setting that provided the dark atmosphere needed to best view our guest speaker, Catie Newell’s compelling work. Catie was an engaging speaker, sharing her beautiful and thought provoking work in an always building narrative. It was easy to sense the love, experimentation, and thought put into each of the projects she shared. We thank her again for joining us, and we look forward to continuing to follow her work! During the evening, we also had a presentation of a Presidential Citation. We extend our congratulations to Jodi van der Wiel, FAIA! Jodi is an influential voice and force in our community, and she is well deserving of this special recognition. Amidst her many accomplishments, one that is dear to this committee is that she co-founded WIA+! The Presidential Citation text is below: “In grateful appreciation of your outstanding service to the AIA, as well as your dedication and commitment to the success of AIA Cleveland as a Fellow, 2020 Board President & former Co-Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee. Your Initiative to establish the architecture patch for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio is a testament to your commitment to women and the future of our profession.” Thank you to all who were able to join us! A special thank you is extended to our volunteers Katie Lester and Nora Hoxha, who helped with running the ticket table and set-up.
We also really appreciated the guidance and support of our fellow board members as we learned the ropes these first few months of stepping into our roles as co-chairs. Finally, thank you to our event sponsors, Pella-Gunton Corporation, HBM Architecture and Interior Design, and Maria Pujana Designs!
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Keynote Speaker: Catie Newell https://www.cathlynnewell.com/
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Thank you to our Sponsors!
April Events
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Wellness in Design | Strength and Focus Wine and Yoga We hope you can join us this month for Yoga and Wine on April 30th! Certified instructor Leo Walsh will guide us through an hour of all-levels yoga before we reconnect and share some wine and snacks courtesy of our event sponsors. This event is open to all - not just AIA members! The cost to attend is just $5... so sign up today! If the weather is nice, we may practice outside on the Viaduct...! LINK TO REGISTER! https://aiacleveland.ticketleap.com/wellness-in-design-april-yoga--wine/
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Getting to Know You As we are getting to know one another, we have invited our members to provide some information about themselves for our fellow AIA members to get to know them. Our goal is to showcase and get to know the women who are working and thriving within the Cleveland architecture community.
With this inaugural newsletter, we have started the introductions with the women in the AIA Board. If you would like to be featured in upcoming newsletters, please email wiacleveland@gmail.com and we will forward you the link to enter your information.
Rob Green
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
GETTING TO KNOW ROB Where do you work? Bowen Where did you go to college? Carnegie Mellon University How long have you been working in the field of Architecture? 40 Years Are you originally from Cleveland? Yes
What inspired you to pursue a career in architecture? As a child, loving putting things together. Later inspired by a wonder for building art and science. Who are some role models that have influenced your career? MFrank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, Antoni Gaudi, Zaha Hadid, and Louis Kahn Can you share a project with us that you are particularly proud of? Please mention the reasons why you are proud of this project. NEORSD Renewable Energy Facility for the scale and innovative design to house a broad range of industrial processes and energy generation. What advice would you give your younger self? Be open to exploring new paths. You just might find an area of your greatest passion. What advice would you give other women entering the field of architecture? Be brave and be confident, yet be humble. You have much to offer and take a back seat to no one. What is your favorite quote? “We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us“ W Churchill
Kate Csontos
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
GETTING TO KNOW KATE Where do you work? Stantec If you are working in a role related to architecture, what is your career path? Senior Project Management / Senior Architect Where did you go to college? Kent State University How long have you been working in the field of Architecture? 16+ Years Are you originally from Cleveland? Yes What inspired you to pursue a career in architecture? My drive to problem solve and a desire to design unique yet efficient user experiences based on form and function. Can you share a project with us that you are particularly proud of? Please mention the reasons why you are proud of this project. Form Energy Factory 1 (Weirton, WV) due to it's complex program, design-build approach, fast-track schedule, and the true partnership that formed among all parties involved in order to achieve what appeared impossible. The new facility designed will also produce an iron-air battery product that will have a positive impact to the world.
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
Resources www.aiacleveland.com
APRIL | 2025 | ISSUE #2
The 7 Best Podcasts Hosted by Architects, for Architects per Archdaily
https://www.archdaily.com/881587/the-7best-podcasts-hosted-by-architects-for-arc hitects#:~:text=The%207%20Best%20Podcas ts%20Hosted%20by%20Architects%2C%20fo r,...%207%207.%20DnA%20Design%20and%2 0Architecture%20
Architecture Blogs https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/ https://www.archisoup.com/best-architecture-and-design-blogs https://manofmany.com/living/architecture/14-best-architecture-blogs