Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF)

We are thrilled to share a new addition to Pioneering Women of American Architecture series: a profile dedicated to Phyllis Birkby (1932–1994), architect, activist, educator, and a bold voice in the le***an feminist movement of the 1970s and ’80s.

Birkby’s work permeates New York City in quiet but radical ways. Her practice prioritized inclusivity, from accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities to feminist-centered planning that reimagined how cities could function for everyone.

To learn more about her extraordinary life, read the full profile via the link in bio.

Written by M.C. Overholt. Edited by Mary McLeod & Victoria Rosner

Additional Birkby events/resources:

🎤 Collective Access: Disability, Gender, and Design
Online panel discussion, July 24 1-2PM EST.
Moderators: M.C Overholt & Stephen Vider,
Speakers: Aimi Hamraie, May Khalife, and David Serlin.
Organized with

☁️ Fantasizing Design: Phyllis Birkby Builds Le***an Feminist Architecture
Exhibition at , on view until September 2.
Curators: Stephen Vider and M.C. Overholt
Graphic Designer: Marissa Martonyi
Exhibition Designer: Xiaoxiao Guo

🎧 “Beyond Architecture: The Fantasy Worlds of Phyllis Birkby”
podcast, Episode 12
Producer: Brandi Howell
Editorial Advisor: Alexandra Lange

On behalf of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, we extend our heartfelt thanks for joining us at the 2025 Bevy Leadership Awards Celebration! Your presence helped make this event a truly inspiring evening as we honored trailblazing women shaping the built environment—leaders whose vision, innovation, and expertise continue to redefine our cities and communities.

We hope you left feeling as inspired as we did by the remarkable achievements of our honorees and the collective impact of our community. Your support and engagement are what make events like this possible, and we are grateful for your commitment to advancing equity and leadership in architecture, design, and construction.

Be sure to stay connected with us for future programs and initiatives!

Check out some of the night’s special moments in the photo gallery via the link in bio. Photos courtesy of Samuel Lahoz.

Today is Giving Tuesday. BWAF invites you to take a stand for women in architecture, engineering, construction, and design as we face unprecedented political, economic, and societal challenges. We know that the built environment has the power to shape more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable communities—and today, that mission is more urgent than ever.

Women working in the built environment face intersecting challenges. Our organization is committed to addressing these issues head-on by empowering the next generation of leaders in architectural industries and ensuring that women’s contributions to our communities remain central to the future.

Your support is critical as we expand our programming beyond New York City– offering virtual and in-person programs across the country. In 2024 we started to expand our impact through partnerships and connections to women-lead programs in architecture, engineering, BIM, and more. In 2025, we plan to continue that growth, creating important paths and support lines to women in every part of the country.  

Your support makes possible:

Mentorship programs that empower early to mid-career professionals to lead in industries traditionally dominated by men, equipping them to overcome today’s unique challenges.

Leadership programs that help build industry-wide alliances and encourage structural changes.

Research and exhibitions that illuminate the vital contributions of women past and present, inspiring a more equitable vision for the future.

Policy advocacy to drive systemic change, creating a more inclusive and supportive industry for women.

Please consider making a gift this Giving Tuesday to support our initiatives. Every contribution lays the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive world—one where women are supported, celebrated, and empowered to lead.

Thank you for joining us in this essential work. Let’s build the future together.

Donate today via the link in bio 🔗

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Friends Night last week! We were deeply inspired by the diverse range of presentations from our esteemed Friends and Friends-of-Friends from , , , , .BK, , and .

The Friends of BWAF program offers unique networking opportunities and brings together small groups of peers for topical conversations, architecture tours and social events, focused around women in architecture and design, engineering, construction, and beyond.

Support our efforts and become a BWAF Friend today!

Photo credit: Bess Adler / Thornton Tomasetti

BWAF Trustee Annya Ramírez-Jiménez ( Partner) participated in ’s discussion last month centered on architectural practice in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The program was organized in conjunction with Spatializing Reproductive Justice, on view this summer at the Center for Architecture.

“In conjunction with the two year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the co-curators of Spatializing Reproductive Justice will engage a panel of women in practice in a discussion at the intersection of the architecture profession and reproductive health. The speakers will give insight into how various firms and organizations have responded to the post-Dobbs circumstances and uncertainties.”

Speakers included:
Suzy Genzler, CHID Certified Healthcare Interior Designer and Design Researcher, Ewing Cole; Program Director, Master Of Professional Studies In Healthcare Design, New York School of Interior Design
LarriJo Boone, Design Researcher and Clinical Expert, Ewing Cole
Amy Garlock, Associate Principal, SOM; Supervisor, SOM Women’s Initiative

Spatializing Reproductive Justice is curated by , , , and . On view until September 3, 2024.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our eventful Industry Leaders Roundtable held in Chicago at the and last month. Now in its thirteenth year, the Industry Leaders Roundtable brings together thought leaders to change industry culture by providing research, information and action-oriented programs to achieve greater representation of women in the built environment.

Our theme for the retreat, “Values Driven Design”, took cues from what it means to draw value from or instill value in our built environment, given today’s global contexts. Following two days of intensive and intimate discussions about the values and value of centering women in the modern workplace, we were fortunate to receive a private hard hat tour of the Obama Presidential Center ().

Stay tuned for more information about the next Industry Leaders Roundtable, possibly coming to a city near you! Thank you to Chicago for showing us a great time!

We’re honored to share that we received a Special Citation from AIA New York () for Service to Women in Architecture at the 157th Annual Meeting!

Executive Director Tizziana Baldenebro (middle) accepted award on behalf of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. Also in attendance for this celebratory moment were (left to right): BWAF Secretary, Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP; podcast Executive Producer, Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA; Board Trustee, Tami Hausman; and Operations & Communications Coordinator, Ryan Langley.

Thank you to the AIA and our wider industry community for your support, and to our amazing Board for their hard work and dedication to our vital mission. Congratulations to all of the other 2024 awardees.

Join us on July 10, 2024 at for an evening of inspiration and innovation as some of our esteemed friends and friends of friends present their groundbreaking projects in a TED talk-style format.

This program is a unique opportunity to witness the creative minds within our community as they share their visionary work and ideas. Our presenters will cover a range of topics that reflect the diverse and dynamic nature of architecture and design today. You’ll have the chance to engage with these thought leaders, ask questions, and gain insights into the latest trends and developments in the field.

Presenting firms include: , , , , .BK, and .

Registration ends Tuesday, July 9 at noon EST. You can secure your spot by signing up to the Eventbrite linked below!

https://tinyurl.com/2y6hsnsa

On our latest episode of New Angle Voice, “Beyond Architecture: The Fantasy Worlds of Phyllis Birkby”

We continue our throw-back to the seventies, and take a deeper dive into the many facets of the women’s movement that impacted the practice of architecture.

Pushed to the side and rarely credited for her architectural work at Davis Brody, Phyllis Birkby became a significant figure in extending the le***an women’s movement to architecture during the 1970s. Her environmental fantasy workshops played a crucial role in galvanizing the community, providing a creative and empowering space within a male-dominated profession.

Growing out of other consciousness raising techniques, freed up in her classes, Phyllis released the rigor of her conventional training to get down on the floor, and lead the group in sketching their fantasies however outlandish on giant rolls of butcher paper. She encouraged the women to imagine architecture above, below, and beyond the norm.

Birkby’s work not only contributed to architectural discourse but also fostered a sense of collective identity among le***an architects, highlighting the intersectionality of gender, sexuality, and professional identity in the field. In her later years, she focused on architecture for people marginalized in other ways – by addiction, by age, and by disability, again imagining spaces of community and support.

Special thanks in this episode to Stephen Vider, MC Overholt, Gabrielle Esperdy, Matthew Wagstaffe, Leslie Kanes Weisman and the Smith College Special Collections.

This podcast is produced by Brandi Howell, with editorial advising from Alexandra Lange.

New Angle Voice is brought to you by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. Funding for this podcast comes from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Photo credits: Noel Phyllis Birkby Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

We are ecstatic to announce that we have received a 2023 grant for Arts Projects! This will help us produce further seasons of and of course further our Pioneering Women project.

We are very grateful to everyone involved!

Check out Bev’s interview in written by Amy Stone!

“In her interview with Amy Stone, Beverly discusses her oblique entry to architecture, her career-long emphasis on demonstrating the value of design for the public at large, and her optimism for a global influence. She advises those starting out to be curious about what you don’t know and to expand your connections and influences.”

Read it now!