Spotlight on Atlanta Projects: Women in Architecture

HomeMade

HomeMade is a personal home renovation project that embodies a profound educational journey for its architect, offering invaluable lessons in continuity, design execution, and the intricate process of bringing architectural visions to life. Through the rigors of design, construction, and restoration, HomeMade has become a classroom of practical learning and hands-on experience. Adapting the design of a 1950s home into an adaptive framework for co-living, this renovation has fostered a sense of ownership over the project’s outcome and how design decisions translate into daily life. Ultimately, this project showcases the transformative power of experiential learning, where theory meets practice, and creativity intersects with craftsmanship toward an enduring pursuit of knowledge.

Designing for the Next Generation of Nurses

The presentation will focus on two nursing school projects recently completed by Beck Architecture Atlanta office – Emory Nursing Learning Center and GSU Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions Clinical Skills and Simulation Center. During the pandemic, we were reminded of nurses’ critical role for our communities. These projects were born as a response to the need for more community heroes in the healthcare workforce. In these two case studies, we will demonstrate creating a safe and conducive environment through thoughtful design. Thus, the next generation of nurses will be able to practice their hands-on skills in a safe and conducive environment.

Equity in Architecture (EQiA)

Namrata, the co-chair of EQiA, will discuss the organization’s initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the Georgia AEC industry. Founded in 2016, EQiA started off as a state-wide committee to expand the group beyond “Networking Women” while opening up the member base to varied gender identities. In 2023, the group expanded its mission to support the advancement of all individuals in architecture and the allied fields throughout the state of Georgia through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Namrata will discuss the lessons learned from running a committee and how to get initiatives organized, partner with allied organizations and plan programs and events.

Queering Atlanta Architecture

Last semester at Kennesaw State University’s College of Architecture and Construction Management, 5th Year B.Arch students explored queerness in architecture through research and documentation of LGBTQ+ spaces in Atlanta, GA. Partnering with Shamrock+, an architectural imaging company, students took 3D scans of queer spaces to document their history and analyze the architectural features that make them queer. The students then partnered with the City of Atlanta’s Division of LGBTQ+ Affairs to develop concepts and programs for an LGBTQ+ Center in Atlanta. Experience the student’s work and learn about how we can queer architecture from Assistant Professor of Architecture at KSU, Jon Gould, AIA.