Defining Success: Early Results - Equity in Architecture Survey '14

Survey Says:

The Missing 32% Project launched the first Equity in Architecture Survey from February thru March 2014 as part of a multi-year research study to promote discussion and inspire change within the profession.  Nearly 2,300 respondents from the local and national architectural community contributed to the research effort that has helped to provide a candid look into the status of the profession and the challenges that must be addressed to preserve its value and relevance for future generations.

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Infographic Design by Ming Thompson of Atelier Cho Thompson

How do you define success?

Our first Infographic illustrates the overall respondent demographics, including gender and age, as well as a compelling look the topic of what constitutes a successful career. Our preliminary survey finding compares how different groups answered the question "How do you define success in your career today?" Those working in traditional firms, sole practitioners, and architectural graduates in divergent career paths represent the 3 groups.  Out of 16 possible answers asked, all groups (with men and women nearly equal) selected 3 prominent factors over the rest;

• Work/Life Flexibility
• Working on projects of personal and professional significance
• Working with a positive, talented, collaborative team.
• (Social Impact / Making a difference was a close runner up).

Not surprisingly, architectural sole practitioners valued "Work/Life Flexibility" as the highest factor; while those working in traditional firms and divergent career paths had selected "working with a positive, talented and collaborative team" as their top choice. Some of the remaining answers that were infrequently selected include: positive client relationships, positive project outcomes, earnings commensurate with experience/achievements, job title/status and recognition by the design community. 

These results are based on preliminary findings conducted by our research team from Mills College, with Infographic provided by Atelier Cho Thompson. We look forward to sharing other key outcomes of survey findings at Equity by Design on October 18th. Join us! You can register for the event here.

Knowing Our Worth As Architects

Novedge Google Hangout

How to Succeed in Architecture
Knowing Our Worth As Architects

Tuesday August 19th, 2014 ‐ 11am-12pm PST

 REGISTER FOR THE GOOGLE HANGOUT TODAY!

From Left to Rigth: Rosa Sheng, Anne Fougeron, Mark LePage

How to Succeed in Architecture is Novedge's monthly original interactive series dedicated to Architects and Designers. To read more about the series, click here.

In this Episode Do you know your worth as an architect? Do your clients value your knowledge and skills? Have you embraced the business side of architecture? Join us as we discuss these topics with Rosa Sheng, Mark LePage and Anne Fougeron, in preparation for Equity by Design by The Missing 32% Project, that will take place on October 18th at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Who is Presenting

Rosa Sheng, AIA, LEED AP BD+C joined Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in 1997 and became a founding member of the San Francisco office in 1999 while serving as Project Architect for Pixar Animation Studio's Headquarters in Emeryville. With 20 years experience, Rosa has led a variety of award winning and internationally acclaimed design projects, which range from the aesthetically minimal, highly technical development of the glass structures for Apple's original high profile retail stores to the innovative LEED NC-GOLD Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College. She was also part of the team for Square Headquarters and is currently working on innovative and sustainable projects for UC Davis and Dominican University of California. Rosa also serves as a Board of Director for AIA San Francisco and is the Founding Chairperson for The Missing 32% Project Committee, to address the issue of Equity in Architecture. She is also a member of SCUP, USGBC and OWA.

Anne Fougeron, FAIA, is principal of Fougeron Architecture in San Francisco, California. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in architectural history at Wellesley College and a master of architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley, she worked for San Francisco architect and urban designer Daniel Solomon for three years, an experience that informed her awareness of the interplay between buildings and the urban environment. In 1986 she founded Fougeron Architecture and went on to design award-winning private and public sector projects in a decidedly modernist vocabulary. Fougeron has taught architectural design to undergraduate and graduate students at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley, where she served as the Howard Friedman Visiting Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Architecture from 2003 to 2004. Fougeron Architecture is a nationally recognized design firm whose work exhibits a strong commitment to clarity of thought, design integrity and quality of architectural detail.

Mark R. LePage, AIA, is the Partner in Charge of Operations at Fivecat Studio Architecture and the founder of Entrepreneur Architect, an online resource inspiring architects to build better businesses. Mark writes a weekly blog, hosts a monthly podcast and has recently introduced Entrepreneur Architect Academy, an online business school for architects planned for launch Summer 2013.