This March, KPF marked Women’s History Month with “Diving Deeper,” a month-long program exploring the ideas, accomplishments, and personal perspectives behind the work of KPF’s women architects.
In a new video, KPF’s women Principals—Florence Chan, Terri Cho, Claudia Cusumano, Rebecca Gromet, Hana Kassem, Jill N. Lerner, Marianne Kwok, and Lauren Schmidt—reflect on what has kept them at KPF, what great architecture should make you feel, and the moments they are most proud of. A shared thread throughout: the unique platform that being a Principal provides to shape the built environment, the direction of the firm, and the next generation of leaders.
Women’s History Month programming spanned both the New York and London offices. In New York, Jing Liu of SO-IL, Tosin Odugbemi Hoskins of Atelier Oluwatosin, and Caitlin Taylor of Midcourse Design each shared their professional journeys as Founding Principals of their firms and joined a panel conversation led by KPF Director Rachel Villalta and Senior Associate Principal Anna Pietrzak. In London, a panel of women practitioners—including Anne Kuenning of Endurance Land, Jenny Sawyer and Selina Mason of Lendlease, and Tracy Ogino of Canary Wharf Group—offered candid reflections on what it means to be a woman in the built environment in a panel moderated by KPF Associate Principal Sheghaf Abo Saleh and Visualization Specialist Anna Mytcul. The London office additionally hosted a session with Betty Owoo and Lucy Steeden of the Greater London Authority exploring how public sector mechanisms shape commission, quality, and whose needs are prioritized in the built environment.
Both offices also hosted social events, giving staff the opportunity to connect with women leaders at KPF. At New York’s social mixer, “Diving Deeper: Conversations with the Women of KPF,” attendees moved through a rotation of lively roundtable conversations. Throughout the month, a weekly newsletter spotlighted the women of the firm across all levels and teams, exploring the way they work, their goals, and their interests. A rotating gallery display in the New York office—Diving Deeper: Origins of Practice—showcased work and perspectives of KPF’s women architects. In London, the “Extra K” fundraising event featured a short walk and run through the city, raising charitable donations for Part W, a women’s action group promoting gender equality in the built environment.
Thank you to everyone who organized, contributed, and participated this month.
