BEAT is thrilled to host a virtual roundtable and book launch for Women [RE]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures. Women [Re]Build was inspired by the organizing activities of a group of women architecture students who sought to answer questions important to them as young professionals entering into a discipline largely still dominated by outdated postwar corporate practices. The edited book features projects and research of both accomplished academics and practitioners in the field.
Women [RE]Build is exemplary in its mission to combine in one resource reflections on the renewal of feminist thought in architecture (Framing Stories), challenges to practice made possible by activism (Shaping Polemics), and portrayals of inspiring practitioners who pave the way for future women architects (Building Futures). Rarely have so many women’s voices, dedicated to enriching the profession of architecture, been collected in one publication. The book celebrates the work, wisdom, and aspirations of those who have succeeded in surpassing the daily challenges set by this most conservative of professions.
Please join us for an evening of inspiring conversation with editors and contributors Ramona Adlakha, Ramune Bartuskaite, Franca Trubiano, Shirley Blumberg, Nicole Dosso, Annelise Pitts, with a special presentation by Sadie Morgan.
In addition to reviewing the book’s original intentions, the evening’s roundtable discussion will ask particular questions in light of the recent challenges the profession has experienced in the worldwide pandemic. As economic and social conditions have further revealed the disparities that exist for those who study architecture, labor in its design and construction, or live in their buildings, the evening’s conversation will ask “how will we know” when and if things have changed in the industry? Is the industry changing for the better? What are some strategies we can implement to keep the industry moving forward?
Limited space available.
While this event is free to attend, a ticket for entry will be required.
PANELISTS:
RAMONA ADLAKHA | Diamond Schmitt Architects
Toronto, Ontario
Ramona works at Diamond Schmitt Architects where she focuses on large scale cultural arts and institutional design projects. Ramona holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania where she received the Alpha Ro Chi Medal for professional merit and the William Melhorn Scholarship in architectural history and theory. Ramona holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Fine Art and Literary Studies from the University of Toronto where she was the recipient of the Government of Canada’s Millennium Provincial Laureate scholarship. Ramona is deeply committed to promoting the visibility and voice of women in design. Ramona’s first book, Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics and Futures, co-edited with Franca Trubiano and Ramunė Bartuskaite and published by ORO editions is now available online and in bookstores worldwide.
Ramona is an Executive Committee Member of BEAT and focuses on graphics and communication media, developing marketing collateral to further promote BEAT’s programming and mandate.
RAMUNE BARTUSKAITE | JKRP Architects
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ramune is a practicing architect at JKRP Architects in Philadelphia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a Marketing Minor from Miami University, ‘14, a Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, ’18, and a Certificate in Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building from Parsons School of Design, ‘21. She is a co-editor of a book titled Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures, published in 2019 by ORO Applied Research +Design. Ramune serves as Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Urban Land Institute (ULI) Women’s Leadership Initiative, advocating for healthier, more equitable, and inclusive development within the city. She is a board member of a national nonprofit called Rise First, serving first-generation and low-income students and professionals. Ramune is also the founder and CEO of Spec Matters: an online resource for architects, designers, and building owners–educating them on how to write healthier specifications and make better material selections. The project aims to bring awareness to the toxicity of the building industry and empower building professionals to build healthier environments and communities.
FRANCA TRUBIANO | University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Franca Trubiano is Associate Professor in Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania and a Registered Architect with l'Ordre des Architectes du Québec. She completed her Ph.D. in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. Her work has been funded by the Mellon Humanities Urbanism and Design (H+U+D) Initiative at Penn, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, the Perry World House at Penn and the US Department of Energy. Her current manuscripts include Building Theories, Architecture as the Art of Building (2021 Routledge) and the co-edited book Bio/Matter/Techno/Synthetics: Design Realties for the More than Human (2022 Actar Publications). She co-edited Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures (2019 Oro Books) with Ramona Adlakha and Ramune Bartuskaite. Her edited book Design and Construction of High-Performance Homes: Building Envelopes, Renewable Energies and Integrated Practice (Routledge Press 2012), was translated into Korean and awarded the 2015 Sejong Outstanding Scholarly Book Awards, from the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency.
SHIRLEY BLUMBERG | KPMB Architects
Toronto, Ontario
Shirley Blumberg is a founding partner of KPMB Architects and a Member of the Order of Canada for her contributions to architecture and community. She has designed many of the firm’s noteworthy and award-winning projects that range in scale, from interiors to architecture and planning.
In addition to her academic and cultural projects, she has also focused on social justice work in affordable housing. She is currently working on such projects as the competition-winning Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, an affordable residential community in Toronto, and prototypical housing for the northern Indigenous community of Fort Severn in Ontario, Canada.
Several years ago, Shirley began a conversation with like-minded colleagues that became BEAT - Building Equality in Architecture Toronto - a grassroots initiative to promote equality for women in the profession that has since grown to include chapters across Canada.
NICOLE DOSSO | Vornado Realty Trust
New York, New York
Nicole Dosso, FAIA, Architect, Educator, Mentor. Nicole has spent her 25-year career working in New York City on complex projects demanding a high level of team coordination and collaboration that characterize her career as an architect and her portfolio of work. Projects include: 7 World Trade Center, One World Trade Center, Manhattan West, 35 Hudson Yards and Moynihan Train Hall.
As Vice President - Design & Construction at Vornado Realty Trust, Nicole is involved in several projects in the Penn Station District, set to be the epicenter of New York City. Her current projects include the adaptive reuse of the civic Farley Post Office, modernization of the 2 Penn building which includes Amtrak’s new entrance to Penn Station.
In 2012, Nicole was honored in the “40 under Forty” issue of Crain’s New York Business, and received an AIA Presidential Citation for contributions at the World Trade Center site. In January 2016, for recognition of her notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture, Nicole was elevated to The College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects.
Nicole is currently serving on the New York State Board for Architecture, is the Board President of Professional Women in Construction, NY Chapter and is a member of the Advisory Board at Syracuse University School of Architecture.
SADIE MORGAN | dRMM Architects
London, United Kingdom
Sadie Morgan is a founding director of Stirling Prize winning architecture practice dRMM, alongside Alex de Rijke and Philip Marsh.
As a design champion Sadie undertakes advisory roles including chairing the Independent Design Panel for High Speed Two and as a commissioner for the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). She has been instrumental in setting up the NIC’s Design Group which places design at the heart of major infrastructure projects.
In 2019, Sadie was appointed as a board member of the UK government’s housing accelerator – Homes England. She recently founded the Quality of Life Foundation – an independent body aimed at raising wellbeing through improvement of the built environment.
Sadie lectures internationally on dRMM and the importance of infrastructure. In 2013 she became the youngest president of the Architectural Association. In 2016 she received an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University and was appointed professor at the University of Westminster.
In 2017, Sadie became a Mayor’s design advocate for the Greater London Authority and was named New Londoner of the Year by the NLA for her work championing design at the highest political level. Most recently she won ‘Female Architectural Leader of the Year’ at the BD awards and an AJ100 Contribution to the Profession award. In the New Year’s Honours 2020 she was awarded an OBE for services to design advocacy in the built environment.
ANNELISE PITTS | Cameron MacAllister Group
Brooklyn, New York
Annelise Pitts, AIA, is a passionate designer, researcher and advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the architectural profession. As Research Chair for Equity by Design, she has led the group’s nationally-recognized research project, exploring equity in architectural practice through surveys on professionals’ career perceptions, experiences, and aspirations. Annelise is a licensed architect with nearly a decade of experience designing learning, gathering and living spaces. She recently joined Cameron MacAllister Group, where she applies both her research expertise and her experience as a working architect to her consulting practice, working collaboratively with clients to build a more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive profession, one firm at a time.