Jianwei Shi, an architect in KPF’s New York office, designed the winning logo.

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KPF Celebrates Pride Month 2020

The firm honored LGBTQ+ Pride throughout the month of June, continuing a partnership with Build Out Alliance and hosting multiple internal events that address social justice in design.

Organized by KPF Pride, the internal group instated this time last year, the month’s programming included a design competition for the 2020 KPF Pride logo, setting the tone for a series of events that engaged the KPF community. Jianwei Shi, an architect in KPF’s New York office, designed the winning logo seen above. The design will be printed as a collectible, enamel pin and sold by donation. All proceeds from the pin sales will be donated to The Okra Project, a “collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them.”

This Pride Month also ushered in the third installment of Inclu-City, a KPF Pride lecture series centering on issues of inclusivity and equity in design. This month’s speaker was Matthias Hollwich, principal and co-founder of the firm Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and co-founder of Architizer.com. His prominent research on aging and its relationship to architecture has been the topic of lectures, conferences, and a recently published book titled New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever.

With most of the global firm still working remotely, KPF Pride also hosted a virtual conversation and creative exploration titled “How Do You Personally Define Pride?” as well as a firm-wide Happy Hour and Trivia Night.

About KPF Pride

Comprised of a cross section of the KPF community, KPF Pride works together to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues within the firm in ways that will inform design thinking. The group meets regularly to discuss topics related to inclusivity in design and organizes educational tours and outings, schedules guest speakers and panel discussions, and hosts charitable social events within the office. KPF Pride also supports LGBTQ+ members of the architectural, engineering, and construction community through a partnership with Build Out Alliance.

About Build Out Alliance

Build Out Alliance promotes and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people serving openly and with pride in all roles within the building design and construction industry. Members strive to make the industry more welcoming to LGBTQ professionals, leading by example in their own work environments and through partnerships with community organizations.