BEVERLY WILLIS ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION INTRODUCES BUILT BY WOMEN: NEW YORK CITY

New York, NY—Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation announces the launch of a unique project this month called Built By Women (BxW): New York City.  Initial funding for research has been made possible through a generous grant from the New York Building Foundation.  Additional support for the project is derived from a partnership with the Roger Williams University School of Architecture, Art and Architectural Preservation and a Planning Grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.

Built by Women: NYC will include 100 outstanding structures, or environments in the City designed by women. The purpose of this project is to provide members of the public, ranging from students to adults, and residents to visitors with a unique “collection” through which they can explore the complex and fascinating built environment in which they live, play, learn, work, worship, shop, and manage all aspects of their lives in the dense urban landscape of New York City.

The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) works to ensure that the contributions of women to the building industry are acknowledged and recognized. Women, in almost all fields of endeavor, tend to fall out of history books. By focusing on the work of women, the Foundation does not draw a comparison with the contributions of men, but rather, sheds light on work by women in fields that have traditionally been dominated by male practitioners.

James T. Hanley, executive director of BWAF says, “Built by Women: New York City presents the Foundation with an exciting opportunity to focus public awareness on some of the finest projects designed by women in the City.  These feats of engineering, landscape design and architecture will serve as a means to expand knowledge of the wide array of issues facing all practitioners in these fields.  Our goal is to foster a deep appreciation of the built environment through the work of women who devote their careers to shaping our world.”

During its first phase, criteria for the selection of works to be included in the project will result in a collection of buildings that will be tied to women who are part of the Foundation’s Dynamic National Archive. Based on this material, maps and tours will be developed for the public. When available, these resources will be accompanied by recorded audio information that may include interviews with designers. The New York Humanities Council Planning Grant, will be employed in working with museum staff members with expertise in education and exhibition design, to formulate downloadable materials that will enable individuals, along with educators and community groups to “mount an exhibition” of Built by Women: NYC. This will include study materials and questions designed to engage people in discourse about why and how buildings, or other aspects of the environment shaped by human hands, are designed. Raising awareness of the many practical, economic and societal factors that have an impact on our built environment is an important goal of the project.

For more information about this project, contact:

Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
6 Barclay St, 6Fl
New York, NY 10007
E-mail: info(at)bwaf.org
Phone: 212.577.1200

The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) is a national research and educational non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, working to change the culture of the building industry so that women’s work, whether in contemporary practices or historical narratives, is acknowledged, respected and valued. BWAF achieves its mission by documenting women’s work, educating the public and transforming industry practice through collaborations with museums, professional organizations and other groups in the areas of architecture, design, landscape, engineering, technology, real estate and construction.

Founded in 2002, after two years of investigating current practices within the present culture of the building professions, including engineering and construction, the Foundation embarked on a grant program for individuals and national organizations that support its mission. Core programs now include education, research—both historical and interdisciplinary—and outreach. BWAF hopes to broaden our collective understanding about the many different roles women have in shaping the places and spaces in which we live and work, as well as to ensure a vibrant future for all women involved in all aspects of the building professions.

For more information about the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation visit www.bwaf.org

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