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 Design Like a Girl 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:
1. anne lacaton
FRAC Dunkerque | Dunkirk, France
Anne Lacaton co-founded Lacaton & Vassal with Jean-Philippe Vassal in 1987. Based in France, the pair were awarded the 2021 Pritzker Prize and their work often specializes in adaptive reuse and social housing.
2. Olivia Mae Asuncion
Asuncion at the Cavite Institute | Philippines
Olivia Mae Asuncion, AIA, is a Project Architect with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA). A self-described “ramp enthusiast,” her work prioritizes accessibility and social equity through meaningful design.
3. Tatiana Bilbao
Botanical Garden | Mexico City, Mexico
Tatiana Bilbao is the founder of Tatiana Bilbao Estudio. Based in Mexico City, her work encompasses a range of scale and typologies, but emphasizes a project’s surrounding context and representation methods.
4. Kazuyo Sejima
New Museum | New York, NY
Sejima co-founded SANAA with partner Ryue Nishizawa in 1995, and the pair were awarded the 2010 Pritzker Prize for their work. Based in Tokyo, SANAA is known for their cultural and public architecture.
5. CATHERINE HERNANDEZ
Toyon Gardens Permanent Supportive Housing | Los Angeles, CA
Catherine Hernandez, AIA Associate, NOMA, uses her background in community organizing, affordable housing, and design justice to push for more equitable communities throughout her hometown in Los Angeles and beyond.
6. ELIZABETH DILLER
The Broad | Los Angeles, CA
Co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro in 1981, Elizabeth Diller has been included with TIME’s "100 Most Influential People" list and is a Professor of Architectural Design at Princeton University.
7. FRIDA ESCOBEDO
A Library as Big as a World | Riehen, Switzerland
Escobedo is a Mexican architect and founder of Frida Escobedo Studio. In her practice, her work encompasses a wide range of expertise, such as cultural architecture, art installations, publications, and furniture objects.
8. SARAH WOYNICZ
Cover Art for ‘Out in Architecture’
Sarah Woynicz, AIA, is a Project Architect and Vice President of HKS in Atlanta. As the founder of Pride by Design, her work brings visibility and perspective to the queer experience in architecture. She published ‘Out in Architecture’ in 2024, which brings together a collection of reflections by LGBTQIA+ individuals within and adjacent to the field of architecture.
9. JEANNE GANG
Populus | Denver, CO
Jeanne founded Studio Gang in 1997. Headquartered in Chicago, Studio Gang earned acclaim for the design of the Aqua Tower, and recently completed a carbon-positive hotel - Populus, which you can read more about here.
10. Mariam Issoufou Kamara
Hikma Community Complex | Niger
Mariam is the founder of Mariam Issoufou Architects in Niger, with satellite offices in New York and Zurich and a focus on intersectional sustainability, exploring new typologies, and social impact.
11. PASCALE SABLAN
Sycamore & Oak | Washington D.C.
Sablan is the former president of NOMA and the current CEO of Adjaye Associates in New York, where she emphasizes community engagement and advocacy initiatives. In 2022, Sablan was also a recipient of the Future Rising honor from Oprah as a celebration of Black Changemakers.
12. MAYA LIN
Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) | New York, NY
Lin rose to prominence with her winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. while earning her undergraduate degree at Yale. With the founding of Maya Lin Studio, she continues her work in memorials, art, and architecture.
13. SHARON JOHNSTON
Menil Drawing Institute | Houston, TX
Sharon Johnston is a design critic at Harvard GSD and the co-founder of Johnston Marklee. Based in Los Angeles, the firm’s work exudes simplicity and form making in the design of residential, cultural, and commercial architecture.
14. Raha Ashrafi
The Alley House | Qom, Iran
Ashrafi is the co-founder and director of Ashrafi & Zad Design, with offices in Tehran and Barcelona. Her work focuses on thoughtful residential and urban design.
15. Momoyo Kaijima
Canal Swimmer's Club | Bruges, Belgium
Kajima is a Japanese architect and co-founder of Atelier Bow-Wow in Tokyo. Practicing since 1992, Kajima’s work with the firm encompasses art installations and exhibitions, residential and cultural architecture, and publications.