January 2022: Family Care, Landscape Architecture, Mental Health, and “What Works for Women at Work”

To our readers,

The start of 2022 has been an anxious one to say the least. With Omicron surging, return to work delayed, and many plans cancelled, we again find ourselves in a circumstance where we ask how much longer we'll be managing a worldwide health crisis, and which evolving elements in the workplace are here to stay as a result. I certainly can’t speak to how much longer the Covid era will last, but I can confidently offer observations on the themes I've seen that we're starting the year with. I shared my thoughts on 2021 with Metropolis Magazine, and what I anticipate for 2022 at large with Archinect, but below are my thoughts for January and the most immediate future:

What I’m Seeing - ie. What’s Current

The Pandemic and Family Care - The everyday reality of caretaking has come top of mind yet again as day cares, schools, and even universities closed with the surge of Omicron. In a recent conversation with Ennead Architects partner, Molly McGowan, what is repeatedly clear is that the benefits we provide to working parents as a society fall very short. It's time to reexamine the healthcare benefits we offer in this industry and see our colleagues as representatives of families and their familial needs.
Continued attention to landscape and architecture integration - A lot of the pitches I’ve been getting lately to Madame Architect have been of landscape architects within architectural practices. Thursday's 2022 inaugural interview is in this vein as well. I am very glad about this as the disciplines must always exist in symbiosis as we continue to innovate building around us while becoming more deeply conscious than ever of our existing environment.
The Value of Architects, and of Architectural Services - The formation of Architectural Workers United shook the architectural community in New York. It’s about time for actions like this - so many in the industry talk about the inhumane working conditions that can exist, but other than the activism of the Architecture Lobby, I haven’t seen many concrete steps taken against such conditions and systems until now. Kudos to AWU for taking the initiative and setting an example for all of us.

Courtesy of Architectural Workers United

What I’m Hearing - ie. What’s Coming

Well-being and Mental Health in Design - As I polled our readers for what they’d like to see in 2022, the theme of integrating mental health research into our physical designs solutions came up often. To me, this is the next frontier in terms of priorities within design - from performance, to justice, and now onto mental well-being.
Women working for women - I’ve been asked many times by various professionals in the last few months if I can point them to firms owned and led by women, coinciding with the peak of the Great Resignation this past November (full disclosure, this is also when I moved to Ennead Architects). I’d love to hear your thoughts on working for female-led firms versus not.
From architecture to development and construction - To add to what I noticed in the resignations in November, I am also often asked to both profile and recommend those who have pivoted out of architecture but stayed within the built environment. While the ecosystem of building is extensive and there are many avenues for impact, these inquiries propel me to highlight how one can stay within architecture and make an impact as well as feel satisfied and fulfilled. Architecture needs the brightest minds to continue to reform the profession.

Cover Jacket, courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

What I’m Reading:

What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know by Joan C. Williams and Rachel Dempsey - I found "What Works for Women at Work" to be is a thoughtful and precise guide for mastering all kinds of office politics as a woman. The book is written by Joan C. Williams and her daughter, writer Rachel Dempsey, offering a multi-generational perspective into the realities of today’s world of work.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Personal and Professional Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander - Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander and therapist and painter Rosamund Zander tell us how managers and business leaders can learn important lessons from the arts to inspire all aspects of their work. The Zanders offer a look at practices and principles that, applied with thoughtfulness and care, can transform the way we all view our professional and personal lives.
The Shimmering State by Meredith Westgate - A moving and unsettling literary debut about two patients in recovery after an experimental memory drug warps their lives. Meditative and yet incredibly dynamic, The Shimmering State is like waking up after a dream, where you reenter the world with fresh senses. I highly recommend for oceanside reading.

Final Picks:

To collect: Fox Carlson Art - Nostalgic, satirical, romantic, and deeply poignant, Fox Carlson elegantly synthesizes past, present, and future through his techniques, reminding us that we find ourselves as we cultivate ourselves - through the combination of our references with our current moments and emotions. On Instagram here.

To have for home: MOTTAINAI by Felita Li - Felita’s imperfectly perfect vessels turn into reusable candles, making for an inviting and sensual experience for your home this winter. Visit her Instagram as well.

To eat and drink: Ghia by Melanie Masarin - For those wanting to continue to take a break from imbibing and the celebratory diet, Ghia provides spirit free mixers, spritzes and a recent Ghianduja addition. Bitter, vibrant, and refreshing, Ghia is among the things I want to crave.

And with that, I would love nothing more than your thoughts for the year ahead and what you're seeing and hearing! As always, please reach out at hello@madamearchitect.org.

Yours,

Julia