Today is a Special Day

Today is a special day for me in a few ways. Many years ago I dreamt that the architecture profession would be able to manage itself. That dream meant that we would set our own standards. Create our own career path. Decide our own skills and organise our own learning opportunities. It will mean that our employers cannot arbitrarily change our job functions (at a fundamental level at least) anymore than a hospital CEO can change what it means to be a doctor. But within that dream was another.

That our profession could begin to act as a body to solve problems for the world. Take on challenges that individually would be daunting or impossible.

Why do I say today is special? Because a group of architects decided that the lack of women in architecture was an issue that needed addressing. Under the leadership of the fearless and capable Whynde Kuehn and with the joint direction of Grant Ecker, Cary Brown, Gurpreet Bal, Geeta Pyne and so many more... they decided to take on that issue! They believed our profession could someday tackle a global shortage of women in our field.

Think about the power of that. We architects can often see the issues and the problems of our world, our companies, our field. And of course we love to argue. But over the next 24 hours, as the free BIL-T conference commences, dozens of amazing architects will take the stage, and all of them happen to be amazing women in architecture.

Please come out in record numbers. Signup for one session or all 22 (yes there are a few trying to do that) but please join me in this moment to show the world that our profession really can make a difference. That no challenge is too great for us. That we can tackle AI in the morning, help get our companies back in competitive shape in a digital world in the afternoon, and guide societies in the use of technology for good before bed! That we can have impacts and take our place in national security, in health, in economics, in industry.

The first step is desire. The next is belief. The final step is action. Join us today in celebrating Women in Architecture on the Business, Innovation, Leadership, and Technology conference.

Put your name on the roster, and let that be your next action in helping architects shape their world.

https://bilt.iasaglobal.org/women-in-architecture-wia-takes-over-bil-t/