Pier Pressure - Women Improving the Built Environment
We now introduce a new blog series to feature local female leaders in our industry. (And no, we didn’t spell the title wrong. It’s a little industry humor.) We will be interviewing one inspiring woman each month, and can’t wait to share their insight with all of you! We will send each interviewee the same list of questions, from which they pick the ones they’d most like to answer.
For this seminal blog entry, we thought we’d start with our own female leader, Zaga Owner and Principal Architect, Sandra Thompson. Enjoy her insight, experience and ever-present humor!
Sandra Thompson, AIA - Zaga Principal and Founding Architect
Describe your job without using any industry terminology.
We translate the emotional desire and vision of our clients to individuals in governing positions for permission; and to those with the technical ability to transform the world phyicially- while keeping our clients’ mental, emotional and financial state stable. My actual job is to facilitate the process by selling the realization of dreams, relaying industry experience to my teammates, and maintaining ongoing business practices to keep the cycle moving.
What is the advantage of being a woman in a man’s world?
The ratios of women are increasing within the architecture industry. 27% of architects are women-which is a 3% increase in the last 8 years. I feel that women, generally, have the advantage when communicating-having the ability to read between the lines and being comfortable to ask for better understanding. Although much of design is subjective, there is an emotional component for each individual. Our job as designers is to help formalize these emotional responses for our clients. As a woman, I feel we are less challenged by ego, but rather fueled by connection. With those meaningful connections with our clients, I feel we can be better equipped to explore the emotional response and help our clients make better more informed decisions.
What one piece of advice would you give women just starting out in this industry?
Sorry- there are four:
- Leadership is key. A strong leader listens and looks to the betterment of all, not just themselves. Women will be challenged on this character trait every day.
- You will make many mistakes. Plenty of mistakes. Always accept responsibility- but only for what you contributed.
- Stay in your lane. The project goes smoother when the architect, owner and builder all do their own jobs.
- No one remembers how you start…only how you finish.
Share with us a story of when you have been discriminated against and/or dismissed professionally based on your gender. What did you do or say in response, or retrospectively wish you had done or said?
Maybe not in a professional capacity, but on a trip to the Building Supply store with my dad (who is in his 80s and suffering dementia) I approached a sales person to help find a masonry bit. He turns to my dad, who is standing behind me, leaning on the cart to hold him upright, and asked him what he needed it for. I immediately stepped in between the line of sight and told him that he should speak to me as I was the one who presented the question. Oh, he said…aisle 6.
What do you want your title to be when you retire?
Semi-retired.
What is your very favorite part of your job? And the least favorite?
My favorite part is I get to work with amazing people (my team and our clients) and help transform lives. Plus, I get to draw for a living! One of my favorite parts of social media is seeing posts where our projects have become the background to the family’s significant events.
My least favorite is dealing with conflict…but we get lots of experience in this department. As the liaison between client and builder, being able to look at the situation as objectively as possible helps immensely!
What intimidates you the most professionally?
The thing that scares me the most is not having control over market conditions. As a small business owner, our collective success is influenced by so many circumstances around us including interest rates, material costs and government policy. After years of experience, we have learned that the work will ebb, and flow and the project types are cyclical. We have also learned that adversity has made us stronger.
How do you move forward when everyone is telling you your idea won’t work?
Ironically, I get this one a lot. Often, men can be confident, with very little refinement of an idea but women tend to need to have the concept fully fleshed out before presenting it. Even if I am already confident the idea will work, I usually provide collaboration space with a diverse group. Taking credit for good ideas is never the motivation… I’d rather be good than right.
If you were not in this industry, what do you think you’d be doing professionally?
I would own a pie shop. Not that I am a good baker, but pies make everything better!