Women In Architecture

Recently, while preparing to write an upcoming article about the Portland Art Museum's new North Building expansion project, it occurred to me that the two biggest public building projects in our recent history are being led by women.

Ann Beha and her eponymous firm, Ann Beha Architects of Boston, are behind the art museum project, while Sarah Graham of the Zurich/Los Angeles firm Angelil/Graham/Pfenninger/Scholl, is the designer of the aerial tram between Marquam Hill and South Waterfront.

Those are two very big projects, both in terms of size/budget and significance to the city and culture. But at the same time, Beha and Graham are not necessarily a good barometer of the role women play in local architecture. Both operate firms from out of town (although Graham is a native Portlander), and when it comes to Portland firms in which female architects are principals or play an otherwise significant role, it's hard to count many.

Obviously there is Robertson, Merryman, Barnes Architects, which has long been referred to as the only firm in town whose principals are all women. RMB was involved with the Classical Chinese Garden as well as the Old Town Lofts. But stop for a moment and think: Other than in the interior design and planning professions, where women seem to occupy a somewhat greater percentage of movers and shakers, can you name very many women calling the shots at Portland firms?

A few names do come to mind, of course: sole practitioner Cynthia Bankey, Amy Miller-Dowell of the Portland Development Commission, Martha Peck Andrews FAIA of Andrews Architects, Fuji Shono of Browning Shono Architects, Diane Shiner at Mahlum Architects.

Still, for years, no matter what city in America, women have been a frustratingly tiny minority of licensed architects. That was supposed to be changing, with architecture schools turning out designers at nearly a 50/50 ratio of women to men. But when will that be reflected in the makeup of local firms?

Comments

[Lynn Parsons]

Hi Brian,

There's a newer, woman-owned architectural firm you should know about in town - Oh Planning + Design. The firm was started by healthcare architect, Deb France, a year and a half ago after she served as Director of Healthcare at SRG Partnership for 4 years and after spending 3 years at HLM Design in San Francisco and Portland.

Deb met veteran technical architect, Ken Mouchka, while at SRG and Ken joined the practice as principal a few months after Deb got the firm off the ground. They've been making great strides their short one and a half year in business and are now an 8- person office with completed projects at Providence Portland Medical Center, Oregon State University and Portland State University.

I hope you'll have some time to visit them at their office in the Yamhill District in the near future!

Thanks,
Lynn Parsons