Arch-4203| Ricardo Chavez

Not Enough
Lack of Diversity is Killing
Architecture

Architecture prides itself in being a vessel for culture, science, and humanity. Yet within
early schooling, the university and work force architecture faces a dilemma; Diversity. According
to Design Intelligence only 1.7 percent of licensed architects are minorities, and even fewer are
African American or Hispanic. Critics argue that architecture is reaching a sterilization of
creativity due to the lack of innovation and culture that minorities bring to the table.
The history of architecture is riddled with the perception that being an architect is a field
reserved for the Bourgeoisie. Often the pipeline toward diversification begins at early education,
where most individuals begin the tumultuous relationship with architecture. Schools such as
Charles High School of Architecture and Design, and Build in San Francisco are indoctrinating
high school students early. CHSAD and Build both want to address the lack of minorities and
diversity in architecture; they do this by providing design problems that mix history, science, and
math into projects and give students hope to pursuit architecture. According to studies forty
percent of students that attended design schools choose architecture as their major, the rest
continued into stem programs. The higher increase in percentage shows that design oriented high
schools are increasing minority contribution at the very beginning of architecture pipeline. The
Director of CHSAD stated that most minorities have a skewed or no perspective that architecture
contributes to society. The students are from troubled homes with talent for design, and often did
not now architecture existed as a field. By creating an early access to architecture diversity can
begin at the root, yet students also have to go through University where diversity is even bigger
issue.
Universities are often what molds the type of architect that most students become, and
often are the not diverse enough to welcome diversity. Steven Lewis the AIA President of
National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) believes studio culture is often where
minorities experience difficulties. Lewis explains that minorities are hit hard by the cold
competitive nature of studio culture, and when you factor race on top of studio it only
complicates matters. Studio culture is known to tackle problems that society ask, economic
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problems, and yet they dont provide room for diversification. Diversity at universities also
needs to happen at the faculty level. Mark Robbins the Dean of Syracuse University School of
Architecture stated To be a meaningful institution students of all stirpes should be able to find
themselves within the faculty . This relates back to history and how architecture is perceived as
the entitled major. James Murdock Article Diversify talks about role models. Murdock states that
diversity and race still matters and casualties at architecture schools around the country are
struggling with it. If there is no role models within a system that modeling the minds of future
architects, how can diversification increase? Minorities bring street knowledge to higher
education and new methods of thinking. How can a posh student who has never suffered design a
culturally, economic, aware project? Minorities on the other hand have suffered and provide
perspective and new solutions that the posh counterpart might not conceive in design; as is often
the case. Early education and Higher education are making strides to diversify the field of
architecture, yet the main culprit that needs to rally is AIA and the work force.
Without a proper foundation in early architectural life, the dilemma of diversity ripples
across the professional world. There is a call to arms within architecture professionals to retain
more minorities for the sake of the profession. In the 1968 AIA National Convention Whitney
Young called for diversity in the field of architecture; since then there has only been a 2.7%
increase in African-American Licenses. According to DIVERSE minority architects are very rare,
and the ones that hold management positions at firms even more. This is because 80% of the
firms in the U.S are owned by white males, which creates a dilemma in acquiring jobs. This is
also a problem when acquiring internships. Many students note that its often their white
counter parts who often have little skills are the ones getting internship positions. Some students
with exceptional skills and scholarships have been applying for years, while white students
with little experience get the internship. In a research survey by The Guardian over 47% of
minorities holding an architecture degree went into other fields after graduation. Many have gone
into graphic design, or construction management. The Guardian states that the field represents
itself, and if firms are hiring only whites then most minorities are put off. Design Intelligence
estimates that by 2042 over 50% of the population will be minorities descent. Design
Intelligence also argues that many minority architects, only 2% of their children seek architecture

as field. Many minority architects refuse their offspring go through the hoops and holes they did
to be successful. Now this creates a problem within the field, Diversity must increase but both
parties are now separate.
Diversity is the foundation of for imagination, and has fostered innovations such as the
telephone, computers, electric car, and the future of architecture. Architecture history is riddles
with privileges architects trying to change a culture, social, economic boundaries when they are
spoon fed. Architecture institutions are struggling to implement diversity among faculty, and
often cannot find minorities to fit the and be role models for other students. The field is slowly
making strides to diversify, but only when a big name architect comes along to usher change. The
Unites States has not had a Pritzker Prize winner in over 10 years, while other countries strive in
architecture and design ideas. Architecture is struggling and if it does not change and diversify
like other fields, the world will go back to making concrete boxes.

Works Cited

Arendt, Paul. "Architecture "a Barrier to Minorities"" Race Issues. The GUardian, 21 July 2005.
Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

Murdock, James. "Diversity in Design: The Diversity Pipeline." Architectural Record.

Architectural Record, 09 May 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Ogentoyinbo, Lekan. "In Architecture, African-Americans Stuck on Ground Floor in Terms

of Numbers." Diverse. Diverse, 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.