CEUs
4.5 HSW for the entire series, not available for individual sessions
Cost
$30 – AIA or NOMA Members (series) or $10 a la carte
$15 – Non-Members, per session
Free – Students
Location
Zoom
Program Overview
The AIA Code of Ethics includes as one of its standards, that “Members should provide their colleagues and employees with a fair and equitable working environment, compensate them fairly, and facilitate their professional development.” The rule of conduct which follows states that, “Members shall treat their colleagues and employees with mutual respect and provide an equitable working environment.”
The field of architecture has historically struggled with issues of representation and career advancement for women and BIPOC individuals. The American Institute of Architects created the Guides for Equitable Practice (“the Guides”) to respond to many of these issues and provide a framework “to overcome inequities and help advance the profession, the careers of individual architects, and the quality of the built environment by creating more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces and interactives.”
Architects should work to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of those in their workplaces, as well as those in the communities they serve. These tenets go hand in hand as a more diverse and equitable workforce is more likely to be aware of and address the intersectional issues that continue to plague our society. Using the Guides and additional resources, this course will provide a foundation for architects and design professionals to build their awareness of issues of equity in the workplace and suggest ways to begin to address them.
Session Dates
This is a three-part CES Course, you must attend all three courses to receive AIA CES: 4.5 LU/HSW. You will receive a join link for each session after registering.
Session 1: Wednesday, February 16, 12-1:30 pm
Session 2: Wednesday, March 16, 12-1:30 pm
Session 3: Wednesday, April 20, 12-1:30 pm
Each session will include the following:
Tips on how to use the Guides
Terms and definitions
Key takeaways
Case studies
Related resources and data
Interactive Q&A and feedback
Learning Objectives
Investigate key issues which have led to inequitable representation in the architecture profession, and in turn, may translate to a lack of knowledge or sensitivity toward many clients and end users.
Identify areas of practice that play a role in creating different outcomes for people from non-dominant groups within the architecture profession with the intent of improving the social well-being of architects and those they serve.
Explore multiple resources, tools, and techniques to provide equitable treatment and opportunities for underrepresented individuals entering or within architecture workplaces to support a healthy, diverse, and inclusive professional environment.
Apply suggested techniques to recognize and challenge practices which may ignore or reinforce bias in the architecture workplace.
Instructor
Kavitha Mathew, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP
Kavitha Mathew is Global Diversity Officer for Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) Architects. She works to deepen and accelerate the firm’s current momentum in its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, as well as develop and implement KPF’s global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Commitment.
As Special Projects Director for AIA New York, she strives to enhance engagement opportunities for members, with a focus on developing leadership and community service initiatives. She is a registered architect with over 20 years of experience in the field. Her past roles include Director of Corporate Architectural Services for Ralph Lauren and project architect/manager/director at firms including Ted Moudis Associates, Spacesmith, and KPF.
As founder of Equity Co:LAB, she is dedicated to elevating the architecture practice to be more inclusive and equitable through research-based, results-oriented collaborative workshops and programs. She holds Architecture degrees from the University of Virginia and Columbia University.
