Book Talk: The Women Who Changed Architecture

Please join the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee for a conversation with three accomplished architects featured in The Women Who Changed Architecture (Princeton Architectural Press, 2022). This publication is a visual and global chronicle of the triumphs and challenges of over 100 women in architecture, from early practitioners to contemporary design leaders. The goal of the publication is to increase the visibility and voices of women in architecture and to underscore the profound achievements of three generations of women architects. Documenting significant work by laudable female architects, the book highlights the value of different perspectives, cultures, identities, and contexts, bringing  them into the central narrative.

Speakers:
Nicole Dosso, FAIA, Vice President of Design & Construction, Vornado Realty Trust
Jill Lerner, FAIA, Principal, KPF
Suchi Reddy, AIA, Founding Principal, Reddymade
Claire Weisz, FAIA, Founding Partner, WXY

About the Speakers:
Nicole Dosso has spent her 25-year career working in New York City on complex projects demanding a high level of team coordination and collaboration. Projects include 7 World Trade Center, One World Trade Center, Baccarat Hotel & Residencies, Manhattan West, and 35 Hudson Yards. As Vice President – Design & Construction at Vornado Realty Trust, Dosso is involved in several projects in the Penn Station District, set to be the epicenter of New York City. In 2012, Dosso was honored in the “40 under Forty” issue of Crain’s New York Business and received an AIA Presidential Citation for contributions to the World Trade Center site. In January 2016, in recognition of her notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture, Dosso was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. Dosso is currently serving on the New York State Board for Architecture and Syracuse University’s School of Architecture Advisory Board. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.

Jill Lerner is a Principal at KPF. As the leader of KPF’s institutional practice, she has focused on the planning and design of award-winning healthcare, research, academic, civic, and infrastructure projects around the world. An architect with over 40 years of experience, Lerner embraces a hands-on approach. Her work is distinguished by innovation in planning, environmental sustainability, attention to craft, long-term flexibility, and a commitment to addressing the needs of all stakeholders. Recent projects include CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center, NYU Shanghai, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Guangzhou, the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and the NYCHA resiliency project at the Red Hook Houses. As President of AIA New York in 2013, Lerner supported the creation of the Practical Utopias exhibition and spearheaded the Post-Sandy Initiative and the Blueprint for the Future of the City, establishing a framework for the profession to address challenges of infrastructure, public housing, and climate change. In 2019, Lerner was appointed to the Mayor’s Climate Advisory Board to advise city leaders on NYC’s LL 97. She continues her advocacy as Board Member of the Municipal Arts Society, the Regional Plan Association, and the New York Building Congress. Lerner serves on the External Advisory Board of Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. She speaks frequently on issues of planning, resiliency, innovation, and women’s leadership.

Suchi Reddy is founding Principal at Reddymade. Based in New York, the firm’s practice spans the fields of architecture, design, and public art. The guiding principle of the firm is “form follows feeling,” a design ethos informed by neuroaesthetics, the study of how the brain responds to the design of our surroundings. The strong belief that good design, calibrated carefully to the human, positively influences wellbeing, creativity, and productivity informs all projects from conception to details. Reddy brings extensive experience in large-scale cultural, educational, healthcare, retail, commercial, and residential projects to the award-winning practice. She was appointed the Plym Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois School of Architecture, Champaign–Urbana for the Fall 2019 semester, where her work focused on contemporary architectural experience through the lens of neuroaesthetics, neurophenomenology, and sensory design. Reddy has presented and lectured on the firm’s work at numerous venues including the Salk Institute for the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture’s annual conference, the University of Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin. She sits on the board of the Design Trust for Public Space, Storefront for Art and Architecture, and Madame Architect, and she is a member of the Dean’s Board of Advisors at Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.

Claire Weisz is a founding partner of WXY, a New York firm globally recognized for its community-centered approach to architecture, urban design and planning. Her work around urban issues have been featured widely in national and international publications including the New York Times, Metropolis, AD, Architectural Record, and many others. She has received the Architectural League of New York’s Young Architects Award and the Emerging Voices Award. Weisz was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2017, awarded the Medal of Honor from AIANY in 2018, and was honored with the Women in Architecture Award by Architectural Record in 2019. WXY won the 2016 AIA New York State Firm of the Year Award and is listed as one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019. Weisz is the co-founder of the Design Trust for Public Space and from 2000-2005 served as the organization’s co-executive director. She currently holds a seat on the Industry Advisory Group for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Operations and serves on the board of the Regional Planning Association. She has served on design juries, both nationally and internationally, including the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, Jury Chair of the Nova Scotia Museum of Contemporary Art, Azure Design Awards; Big Ideas for Small Lots Housing Design Competition, and Metals in Construction Design Challenge. Weisz is a Fellow of the AIA and the Urban Design Forum and has served on the NYSCA Architecture Design Panel and the AIANY Board of Directors. She has received research grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Graham Foundation. She has taught and lectured widely both in academia and for professional associations in both design and planning.

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