Amy Wolkwitz shows how our architectural core & shell projects are documented
Did you know that while half of architecture students are women, only one out of five are licensed architects? In a broader sense, STEM interest among girls has declined from 11% to 9% in the last year according to an Engine survey. While many organizations, private and public, are placing a heavy emphasis on STEM and STEM-related fields for young women, there is still plenty of work to do.
Enthusiastically engaged in this work is the Chicago Architecture Center’s Girls Build! Program. Only in its fourth year, the program is dedicated to giving girls ages 11-14 from Chicago Public Schools hands-on experience in the built environment.
OKW interiors materials assembled for the students to create their own material palette
OKW hosted Girls Build at our office on November 3 of this year to help sustain the young students’ interest in architecture by showing them real-world women in the business of architecture and design.
This piece of the puzzle is crucial. According to a study organized by Microsoft, girls lose interest in STEM and STEM-related fields such as architecture and engineering between the ages of 11 and 15. More disheartening is that once they lose interest, it is very challenging to earn it back. There are many widespread, systematic issues responsible for this trend, but the top culprits are a lack of role models, lack of representation of women leaders in classrooms and textbooks, peer pressure, and misperceptions about STEM careers. The gap is further compounded by race and class.
In order to provide these real-world role models, it was very important that the Girls Build students see the talented and driven women of OKW. From new faces to veterans, the women of our office organized several “stations” where each student would put together a material cut-sheet for their own custom bathroom, learn about the development of a construction document set, and witness a real-time Enscape 3D walkthrough of an OKW project. The event attempted to quickly summarize the many people and skills needed to see a project from vision through completion.
“I used to think that architecture, engineering, and interior design were all separate fields,” one student wrote after the event. “Now I know that all these fields combine and a team of individuals works together to complete a project.”
This focus on creativity, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving is exactly the kind of approach that can keep these girls fascinated by architecture and design through this challenging age, where they are most at risk of abandoning their interests because of stereotypes or misperceptions.
Julia Carnaghi and CAC volunteer David Cordaro assist with material selections.
The good news is that in today’s architectural landscape, the most popular global architect is the late Dame Zaha Hadid, and that Chicago’s most well-known architect is arguably Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang. Having these role models in addition to our own women leaders at OKW is important, but equally so is making sure young girls have access to the skills, resources, and people to sustain their interest in our wonderful community.
The Girls Build program is scholarship based for its students and is funded by donations. To help with the cause, please visit the Chicago Architecture Center’s website here.
Girls Build! students with OKW Staff, November 3, 2019