AWA+D’s The Rise: A Recap
Aryana Leland
There are over 121,000 licensed architects in the United States - yet only 1 in 4 are women.
A licensure candidate in the United States must pass six divisions of the Architectural Registration Exam to earn their license, which can be notoriously difficult. In 2024, the pass rate for the Project Management division was 60%, and 48% for the Practice Management Division. Despite these daunting numbers, the Practice Management and Project Management divisions are often the starting point for licensure candidates, and rely heavily on an understanding of key AIA contract documents. This is where Michael Hanahan comes in, unofficially.
Aryana Leland
Don’t miss the upcoming 2025 AWA+D Symposium - here’s a sneak peek of past events and what to look forward to!
Aryana Leland
In December, the American Institute of Architects published Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Architecture Firms: Opportunities & Risks as part of their The Architect’s Journey to Specification series. The growing use of AI in architecture has prompted an examination into the perception and goals of these tools for firms and organizations, and what a future of AI and architecture might look like. Though this report aims to provide key insights about the profession’s current use and perception of AI, its methodology has glaring issues.
Aryana Leland
This week in Denver, seemingly disparate artists Kneecap and Kent Monkman drew large crowds downtown. On a Monday night, Irish rap trio Kneecap played a sold out show at Summit. A few blocks away, the first major United States solo exhibition of Cree artist Kent Monkman was being set up at the Denver Art Museum; the subsequent exhibition opening and sold out conversation with the artist on Saturday was the largest crowd I’ve seen at DAM. With little in common at first glance, these artists are alike in their use of humor and indigenous knowledge to establish identity and colonial histories, and are now bringing their work to a larger stage.
Aryana Leland
As an organization whose mission is to advance and support women who work in the built environment, AWA+D supports and celebrates women year-round through education, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Through our sister foundation, AWAF, we provide scholarships, mid-career fellowships, and present events such as which introduces young female students to architecture and allied design professions in an accessible environment.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to share 15 women that are making an impact in today’s world of architecture, art, and design.
The Rise: Building Downtown LA