Episode 057: Southeast Asian American Architects

Leaders of the profession share diverse perspectives on race, equity, and architecture.

Practice Disrupted is committed to elevating conversations on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to teach, empower, and build greater awareness across the industry. Building from prior diversity conversations, this week we learn about Southeast Asian Architects.

Guests:

Meghana Joshi, AIA, NOMA is a strong proponent of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice in the architecture profession. At SoCal NOMA, she is a Director of Outreach and Recruitment for Project Pipeline and works towards increasing minority representation in architecture through summer camps for middle and high school students. She founded AIA Orange County’s Women in Architecture Committee in 2015 to give a platform for Orange County firms to meaningfully contribute towards the improvement of professional conditions for women in architecture. She joined AIA Orange County’s Board of Directors in 2019 and founded EDI+J Committee to increase minority representation through mentorship in leadership. She founded “Project Amplify” to amplify voices and works of minority architects in the AEC industry. She is an active member of ULI-OC/IE’s Office and Commercial Product Council. She is currently engaged in bringing ULI’s Urban Plan program to educate underrepresented demographics and communities. She is also an active member and advocate for “Belong at Little” – Little’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.

📍Follow Meghana on Instagram or on Twitter

Suyama Bodhinayake, Assoc. AIA diverse experience in architecture spans three continents, shaping his commitment to design excellence, sustainability and service. He currently resides and works in Southern California.

Throughout his career, Suyama appreciates the opportunities to contribute to international and national award-winning projects, as well as the opportunities to serve the profession through a variety of leadership roles within the AIA. Since 2018, he has been a member of the AIA Orange County (AIA OC) Committee on the Environment (COTE) and a founding member of the COTE Southern California Coalition in 2019. In 2020, he joined the AIA OC’s Board of Directors and has since served as the chapter’s Director of Sustainability and the Chair of COTE, leading a multi-faceted approach to promoting sustainability. As a member of the AIA California COTE Advocacy Task Force, he advocates for building decarbonization policies at a local and state level. Suyama is committed to sustainability as part of design excellence. As a member of AIA OC’s Design Awards committee, he guided the process of how every AIA OC design awards submission must now comply with the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. Additionally, Suyama advocates for architects to be recognized as stewards of the built environment. He was nominated, and currently serves as AIA Orange County’s first Director of Advocacy. He has advanced AIA’s role as a leader in sustainability within communities around Orange County, California. He has been supporting education in architecture since 2016, serving on the Advisory Board for the Architectural Technology Program at Orange Coast College.

As a champion of causes that impact our future, Suyama firmly believe in the Native American saying, “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Farah Naz Ahmad is an Architect and LEED Accredited Professional based in New York City, specializing in building sustainability and green building standards. Her public sector experience in city government agencies includes sustainable design review of projects, assessment and development of technical standards and energy code compliance. Additionally, Farah is engaged in green building journalism, spreading awareness on environmental policy and current events. Farah also shares her experience in sustainability through social media, documenting eco-travel and lifestyle, as well as best practices on energy efficiency. Farah previously served as a building energy code official at the New York City Department of Buildings and is now working on green school projects for The City of New York.

📍You can find more of her work on: www.farahnazahmad.com or on Instagram

Show Links:

📍 Little Diversified Architectural Consulting

📍 BAUER Architects

Practice Disrupted Diversity Series:

Episode 009: Voices from the Future of the Profession (Black Architects)

Episode 016: Voices from the Future of the Profession (LGBTQIA+ Architects)

Episode 035: Asian American Architects

Episode 048: Architecture, Identity, & Culture

Episode 053: Immigrant Architects

Episode 054: Architecture, And: EDI+J

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on this series!

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