The HERstory of Women in Architecture

Are you aware that Mattel’s Barbie® I Can Be™ series came out with Architect Barbie? The doll came with a drawing tube, a model of the Dream House, and hardhat in 2011. She was accessorized with a pink bangle bracelet and black framed glasses. She wore black booties and an A-line dress complete with the silhouette of a skyline at the hem. What can’t Barbie do? Throughout history we find many women defined what it means to be female and an Architect.

Design in the Hills: Friday Presentation and Charette Recap

By Bobbie Koch (Sicangu Lakota) Associate AIA & AICAE, and Valeriah Big Eagle (Ihanktonwan) Ed.D., M.S.Ed. Since the 1940s, our Lakota Uncis – our grandmothers – advocated to bring a Native American Community Center to Mniluzahan Otunwahe (Rapid City). For the past few years, He Sapa Otipi – Community Center for the People of the …

An interview with Pascale Sablan, Architect/Advocate: Part 2

We continue the conversation with Pascale in Part 2 discussing her personal journey through the architectural industry. AD: How have you been able to see the impact of your contributions to the architectural industry?  PS: First, a few years ago I was lecturing at an AIA Brooklyn event and a young woman approached me after …

An interview with Pascale Sablan, Architect/Advocate: Part 1

It was my honor to conduct the following interview, posted in two parts, with Pascale Sablan, FAIA, an Architect/Advocate creating a diverse community network of those who impact our built environment through her organization, Beyond the Built Environment, as well as her work as an Associate at Adjaye Associates in New York City. AD: Pascale, …

Independence Day Thoughts on Architecture Part 2

Patricia Acevedo Fuentes, AIA, is AIA South Dakota’s Immediate Past President and also serves as the vice-moderator for the AIA National Strategic Council where she is a champion for rural communities. Originally from Puerto Rico, she is an Architect in Rapid City, South Dakota and 2021 Bush Fellow. Allison Dvorak, AIA, is AIA South Dakota’s Vice President and Advocacy Committee …

The Built Landscape of Suffrage History

Liz Almlie, Historic Preservation Specialist, SD State Historical Society South Dakota and the United States have recently marked big centennials of women’s suffrage.  A state constitutional amendment passed in November 1918 and the final ratification of the federal 19th Amendment took place in August 1920.  I was lucky enough to participate in several public history …