Transforming Architecture and Design: Inspiring Black Women
By Shayla Hudson
February 7, 2023Post Tagged in
I returned to work 7 years after staying home with my 2 wonderful children.
Design Collaborative surrounded me with remarkable architects and designers…. yet to my surprise, something was missing. I was the only individual of Black descent. So, I decided to research the industry at large and educate myself and my colleagues on what I learned.
In 2020, Architect Magazine reported that only 0.4% of licensed architects in the US are Black women. A 2022 article in Architectural Digest, reports only 2.3% of interior designers in the U.S. identify as Black or African American in a $17.5 billion industry. While growth in racial diversity in the A/E/C industry is slow, the number of Black-led design firms and minority-owned studios is noticeably increasing. One great example of a growing and thriving minority-owned firm is Moody Nolan. Based in Columbus, OH and founded in 1983, Moddy Nolan is the largest African-American-owned and operated architecture firm in the US. In 2021, it was the recipient of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Firm Awards and was founded by architect Curt Moody and engineer Howard E. Nolan in 1983.
Let’s take a walk through history and take a look at several women who make strides for the African American community in the A/E/C industry.
