Viewpoint: Technical Women
Specialized technical skills—such as expertise in sustainability, computational design, heritage, energy modelling, and construction detailing—are often associated with male architects. As Vice Chair of the Advisory Committee of BEAT (Building Equality in Architecture Toronto), I had the pleasure of supporting a recent seminar that aimed to counter that bias. The day-long event featured five women who have developed in-depth technical knowledge as a key part of their career journeys.
The day’s moderator—and the curator of the panel—was Jennifer Davis, strategic business development lead at WZMH Architects. Jennifer spoke about how she began stacking skills sets in a succession of personal and professional projects—taking on construction detailing in architecture offices, then applying those abilities to her own public art projects, which in turn led to the development of a proficiency in proposal-writing. At WZMH, she wrote her own job description for a role where she creates business development opportunities based on the firm’s technical expertise. A recent project involved leading a publication and presentation series that showcases the firm’s extensive experience in re-cladding towers.
