It’s opportune that the commencement of Designers Build coincides with the third anniversary of the Women’s March. Many of the same issues that precipitated and have become the focus of international protests are ones that drive the need for these construction workshops. As the Women’s March highlights the need for a societal transformation around women’s rights, the mission of Designers Build is borne out of the professions’ own crisis around lack of opportunity and injustice.
As past Equity in Architecture surveys show, a disproportionate amount of women documented that the Construction Methods & Materials and Building Systems curriculum offered while in college was insufficient to prepare them for a career in architecture. Anecdotal evidence points to the fact that it’s not surprising when women are given marginal field time spent in construction administration as compared to their male peers, even though this is pivotal in gaining enough hours to become licensed. The bias that women aren’t as familiar with construction is real and one that can have detrimental effects on her career. The effects range from prolonging time towards licensure, limiting and directing roles into administration or project management versus design and impeding progress towards leadership roles.
Although it would be wonderful if the skills taught in these construction workshops and courses proved useful in your day to day work. The intent is to provide opportunity for not only skill building but problem solving, tool competency, resource familiarity and community building.
Illustration courtesy of Sam Vanallemeersch at kolkhoz.com