#EQxD2020 SERIES – Practice, Process and Paradigms for the J.E.D.I.
Session 4: J.E.D.I. + Practice

Architecture as a Professional Practice is a largely white, male, straight, cis-gendered profession, with roots that stem from the policies and practices within the educational pipeline and professional workplace. As such it is difficult to claim that the field is able to truly serve end-users who represent the intersection of identities and demographics of our country - especially those who have been historically marginalized. Recently, as we have witnessed a seeming awakening of much of white America to a truer history and narrative of the experience of black identities and BIPOC communities, it has become abundantly clear that privilege blinds one to the lived experience of those with less of it.

EQxD has an ability to contribute to the conversation about our profession's relevance by getting into the dynamics or architectural workplaces in ways that other organizations may not:

• What are the collaborative foundations that establish and strengthen a workplace culture such that our work product results in a more just built environment?
• What are the barriers that our industry must overcome in order for our profession to become more relevant in the fight for socioeconomic, environmental and health justice?
• How do we create a truly just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive (JEDI) profession that attracts, welcomes, and supports talented designers of all races, ethnicities, and identities?
• What are some examples of pathways and tools for inclusivity, behaviors that promote psychological safety and creativity, and how do we embed them in our practice to foster high performing teams?
• How do we improve the pipeline to bring more young people of color to architecture, and how do we mentor and champion them once they have arrived?

Architecture is a political act. Without a true representation of the populations we serve, the profession cannot fulfill its mission to design and advocate for the health, safety, and welfare of our society’s intersectional demographic. This session will provide an introduction to these questions and explore strategies and solutions for creating a JEDI workplace.

REGISTER HERE

Learning Objectives

1. Using key readings on equity and justice in the architectural practice, participants will be able to describe ways in which the profession has played a role in perpetuating barriers that limit access to the opportunities and resources needed for satisfying and sustainable careers, while also narrowing the profession’s collective ability to effectively shape social, health, and environmental justice.
2. Participants will learn about the work of architectural equity and justice activists who are implementing new practices and processes that in turn create a paradigm shift towards a just future in which our profession is more relevant and provides meaningful and inclusive career opportunities to all architectural professionals, regardless of their identity or background.
3. Participants will investigate an intersectional concept of justice, articulating ways in which architectural practitioners can become change agents delivering a tripartite platform for justice by designing holistically to address issues related to health, social mobility, and the environment.
4. Participants understand ways to establish goals and establish measures of success to track improvements in practice which promote justice in architectural practices, in their projects, and in their communities.

Pre-readings for Discussion

• Where are my People? (ACSA Data Resources Series), Kendall A. Nicholson, Ed.D., Assoc. AIA, NOMA, LEED GA
  • Black in Architecture
  • Hispanic and Latinx in Architecture
  • Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander in Architecture
• No Architect Is an Island: The Agency-Communality Spectrum and the Construction of Professional Identity in Architecture, Annelise Pitts, AIA and Julia Mandell, AIA
• The Art of Possibility, Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
• Episode 54 (Podcast): James Garrett Jr. Hopes George Floyd is the Final Waky-Up Call Architects Need

• AIA Guides to Equitable Practice: Intercultural Competence Chapter

About the Speakers

F. Jason Campbell

F. Jason Campbell is an interdisciplinary designer and artist, leveraging the fields of architecture, photography, and exhibition design. He leads design efforts as an Associate for SmithGroup Higher Education San Francisco, and instructs undergraduate and graduate level design studios at the University of California, Berkeley. He has presented at the local and national conference level on topics such as: equitable and alternative methods of architectural practice, and the intersection of academia and professional practice.

Campbell’s work has been steered by interests in the spatial properties and actions required to claim, make, and keep space; and alternative use of space resources. He recently completed a 5-year design research initiative in the form of a flex-use art space, ELL, forged at the intersection of architectural discourse and performance art. Collaborations include, ‘Evidence’ with the editors of Perspecta50: Urban Divides - the Yale Architectural Journal, and the ARDR (Anti-Racism Design Resources) with SPACE INDUSTRIES.

Campbell earned his Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University at Buffalo.

Kendall A. Nicholson, Ed.D, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, LEED GA

Kendall Nicholson is a licensed educator, trained architectural designer, and an avid researcher. He works as the Director of Research and Information at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). With degrees in architecture, real estate and education, his research explores the discipline of architecture through the lens of a social scientist. He has presented research internationally and his research interests surround equity, education, and curriculum within the discipline of architecture.

Nationally, his passion for equity and race relations manifests in his role as the research consultant for the 2016 and 2018 Equity in Architecture Survey sponsored by AIA San Francisco and Equity by Design (EQxD). He also volunteers as a member of the AIA’s Equity and the Future of Architecture board committee and as an at-large director for the AIA National Associate Committee leading a work group on Mentorship and Equity.

About the Moderator

Lilian Asperin, AIA
Partner, WRNS Studio

As one of WRNS Studio’s Partners, Lilian helps lead the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational outcomes. A leader within the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), she is the 2018-2021 Pacific Regional Chair. Committed to advancing the practice of architecture, Lilian also has served as a Board Director of AIA San Francisco and is the Co-Chair of the Equity by Design Committee, a call to action for equitable practice and to communicate the value of design to society.

Pricing + Registration

Registration is available for individual sessions, for a package of three sessions (available for the first three and second three consecutive sessions), and for the full series suite of six sessions. To register for a package of three sessions or the full series of six sessions, please view the ticket options for the first session in that ticket bundle.

The Full Series+ option includes digital access to recordings of all sessions.

AIA Member

• 1 Session  $20
• Package of 3 Sessions  $50
• Full Series+  $95

General Admission

• 1 Session  $30
• Package of 3 Sessions  $80
• Full Series+  $155

AIASF Student Member

• 1 Session $10
• Package of 3 Sessions  $20
• Full Series+  $35

REGISTER HERE

Need-Based Complimentary Tickets

The #EQxD2020 Series is welcoming and supportive of those interested in attending that are currently experiencing economic uncertainty. We will ensure that there are no barriers to access for this program.

In recognition of the compounded challenges of 2020, AIASF Equity by Design will be providing need-based complimentary series tickets for those challenged with financial hardship. If you are a student, emerging professional, or practitioner who is currently unemployed or under-employed, please complete this form to apply for complimentary registration for the series.

Recommended Additional Resources

• 3 Ways Firms Can Cultivate the Careers of Black Architects and Why They Should by Taz Khatri
• Architecture Camps: Hip Hop Architecture Camp, NOMA Project Pipeline
• 400 Forward - Sponsoring and Mentoring Women of Color in Architecture
• Parlour Guides
• JUST Label Fees required to participate
• Where Are My People? Black in Architecture by Kendall A. Nicholson, Ed.D., Assoc. AIA, NOMA, LEED GA

About the Series: Practice, Process and Paradigms for the J.E.D.I. Agenda

EQxD 2020: Reflect, Restructure, Recalibrate

Our society is at a critical inflection point and choices and actions we make today will determine our collective future. This is contextualized by a historic confluence of catastrophic events - a global pandemic, severe economic disruption, racial violence causing civil unrest, and environmental peril caused by climate change. This perfect storm exposes the intersectional impacts of a legacy of systems of societal injustice that have perpetuated inequities for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and others with at-risk identities. This is deeply rooted in systems of injustice that have existed within our society since the founding of our country.

The resulting shifts and disruptions mean that we live in a time risking peril or potential to overcome the adversity surrounding us. Real and necessary progress towards Justice in our world will only be achieved when we are willing to do the work to expose and dismantle the intricate web of racist and unjust policies and practices that have resulted in multigenerational and harmful outcomes for many. Given the challenging and complex conditions in which we find ourselves today, Equity by Design has committed to adapting from our originally planned symposium program towards a broader agenda.

AIASF Equity by Design will be hosting a series of workshops and teach-ins that will focus on collecting and evaluating an intentional intersection of research, writings and multi-media in support of developing a critical discourse to fuel strategic actions that result in sustained improvements in the civic realm. The outcome of these workshops will be a roadmap of new practices and policy amendments in activism and advocacy that dismantle systems of oppression and advance progress towards an Anti-racist paradigm in the built environment.

Join us. Our collective exploration will have a deep focus on how Just and Equitable policies and frameworks drive Diversity and Inclusive opportunities and practices (J.E.D.I.). At the core, we will prioritize Justice, creating a common thread to expand our intersectional mindset.

Series Schedule

• Kick-Off Session
  • Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 1:30-3:00pm PST
    • use registration at this session to access the "Full Series+" and "Bundle of First 3" Sessions tickets
• Session 1: J.E.D.I. and Society/Economics/Social Mobility
  • Friday, October 23, 2020, 2:00-3:30pm PST
• Session 2: J.E.D.I. and Health
  • Friday, November 20, 2020, 11am-12:30pm PST
• Session 3: J.E.D.I. and Environment
  • Friday, December 11, 2020, 11am-12:30pm PST
    • use registration at this session to access the "Bundle of Final 3 Sessions" tickets
• Session 4: J.E.D.I. and Practice
  • Friday, January 22, 2021, 11am-12:30pm PST
• Closing Session: Capstone and Call to Action
  • Friday, February 26, 2021, 11am-12:30pm PST

#EQxD2020 - Architect Registration Examination (ARE) Challenge Scholarship Program

The ARE Challenge Scholarship Program recognizes that the effort and expense of the architectural licensing process as a barrier to achieving this professional milestone and disproportionately affects candidates of historically underrepresented identities in the profession. In light of the extremely challenging and economically unstable conditions that we are collectively facing, AIASF Equity by Design has established financial assistance scholarships for licensure candidates who are eligible to take the ARE exams.

Selected Recipients of the #EQxD2020 ARE Challenge Scholarship will be reimbursed for three (3) ARE Exams (Value $705 per recipient), regardless of pass or fail status. Recipients will also receive six (6) complimentary registrations to AIASF ARE prep classes.

We are also seeking AEC co-sponsorship of this program to fund additional ARE Challenge Scholarship recipients; contact Sponsorship@aiasf.org to learn more.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be currently eligible to take the ARE Exams for Architectural Licensure.
• Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in the #EQxD2020 series.

APPLY HERE

Scholarship Partners
AIASF Architecture Licensing Committee | AIASF Mentorship Committee | AIASF Equity by Design Committee