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  Connect with me directly at jwrightpdx@gmail.com

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Jennifer Wright, AIA

I’m a Portland based architect with 20+ years of experience. The first 2/3 of my career was spent working in a big firm on a variety of large scale commercial projects. The last 1/3 has been spent with a much smaller group, focusing on single family homes and small scale commercial work. I love the process of design, constantly in awe of creativity and am grateful to have the opportunity to spend time with brilliant people; many of whom are women. I enjoy collaborating, storytelling and community. I’ve had the honor of leading the Portland AIA Committee on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion for the last several years and am constantly inspired by the people and organizations championing the future of the profession. The reality is that there’s so much left to do and if we each focus our attention towards moving the needle, we all rise.

With the support of the Oregon Community Foundation and the Architecture Foundation of Oregon I was awarded the 2018 Van Evera Bailey Fellowship which laid the foundation for the development of Designers Build_pdx. The Van Evera Bailey Fellowship annually invites creative proposals for Fellowships that advance the professional development of mid-career architects and related professionals, and encourage them to make greater contributions to their profession and their community. 

The concept for this proposal originated from my experience as the chair of the AIA Portland Committee on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and previous to that the AIA Forum for Women in Architecture & Related Design; both groups driven to support and advance those under-represented in the field of architecture. One of the findings derived from the nearly 9,000 professionals surveyed in the 2016 Equity in Architecture Survey, was the disproportionate amount of women documenting that the Construction Methods & Materials and Building Systems curriculum offered while in college was insufficient to prepare them for a career in architecture.

Although many architecture schools may offer studios and classes on construction, once out of school there are few avenues for attaining hands-on training on how a building goes together. The reality is that it is far more common for men to have a construction background going into architecture school than women, and this lack of constructability know-how plays itself out throughout a woman’s career. Statistically speaking in mid to large firms, the majority of women find themselves in the role of project manager rather than lead designer. There are many components that influence this, but the fundamental lack of construction knowledge is generally noted as a probable factor.

Read more about the findings in the most recent 2018 Equity in Architecture Survey highlighting 14,360 individuals representing the profession at Equity by Design [EQxD].