The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine are teaming with nearly 30 leading women AEC professionals to launch the first annual Women in Design+Construction Conference (WiD+C), November 9-11, 2016, at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, Calif.
The inaugural event, themed “Building Together,” will bring together more than 125 women from multiple disciplines of the commercial construction market—architects, engineers, contractors, developers, owners, marketers, business development professionals—to address the difficult issues that women face in this fast-paced, competitive industry.
"Women in the AEC industry face similar issues and need an empowering environment to address, discuss, learn, and network," says Tony Mancini, Publisher of BD+C and Group Director and Principal of the SGC Horizon Building Group. "We listened to the feedback of our readers and partners, which is why we felt it was an ideal time to create an event for women by women."
‘Based on demographics, we are entering a war on talent the size of which we’ve never seen before. Companies that are able to tie into the untapped potential of women in the AEC industry will not only survive, but will thrive for years to come.’ —Ann Truair, an WiD+C Advisory Board member
The 2.5-day event will feature inspirational speakers and thought leaders, takeaway-focused educational seminars, multiple networking events, and team-based workshops, including a high-energy AEC Business Hackathon facilitated by leading “Hackathonist” Paul Doherty.
“Having this opportunity to learn from pivotal experiences of women in the AEC marketplace—in such a concentrated manner—is very rare and much needed,” says Krista Phillips, AIA, NCARB, Principal with RIM Architects, and one of 29 AEC women on the WiD+C Conference Advisory Board, which is working with the BD+C editorial team to plan the event.
The WiD+C Advisory Board includes leading women from a range AEC firms: Balfour Beatty, CannonDesign, DeSimone Consulting Engineers, Gould Evans, Granite Construction, Haley & Aldrich, KSQ Architects, Leo A Daly, Mortenson Construction, RSP Architects, and SmithGroupJJR to name a few.
“The inclusion of women in companies and leadership roles is not just about doing the right thing, it’s about smart business,” says Ann Truair, an WiD+C Advisory Board member, Marketing and Knowledge Management Leader with Granite Construction, and Co-founder of Above Glass Ceilings, a women’s leadership firm. “Based on demographics, we are entering a war on talent the size of which we’ve never seen before. Companies that are able to tie into the untapped potential of women in the AEC industry will not only survive, but will thrive for years to come.”
“We are extremely excited to be working with such a high-powered group of AEC women leaders to plan this event,” says David Barista, BD+C’s Editorial Director. “This conference is going to be something special.”
WiD+C Conference attendees are eligible to earn up to 10 AIA CES Learning Units or Professional Development Hours.
For more on the Women in Design+Construction Conference, visit the website or contact Erica Mileo, BD+C Events Manager, at emileo@sgcmail.com.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment shrinks in 319 of the nation's 336 largest metro areas in July, continuing months-long slide
Construction workers in communities across the country continued to suffer extreme job losses this July according to a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. That analysis found construction employment declined in 319 of the nation’s largest communities while only 11 areas saw increases and six saw no change in construction employment between July 2008 and July 2009.
| Aug 11, 2010
Leggat McCall/Commodore Builders/O’Hagan “15 Days” earns LEED Platinum
The ambitious “15 Days” project that teamed up Leggat McCall Properties, Commodore Builders and Audrey O’Hagan Architects, LLC last September has just been certified LEED-platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) – the first and only commercial interior work in Boston to earn that distinction.
| Aug 11, 2010
Harvard Public Library
Harvard, Mass.
Five years ago, the town of Harvard, Mass., which lies about 30 miles west of Boston, faced two problems. First, its iconic public schoolhouse, known as Old Bromfield, which was built in 1877, had become outdated. So, too, had its public library, which had no room to grow on its site.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green consultant guarantees LEED certification or your money back
With cities mandating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for public, and even private, buildings in growing numbers, an Atlanta-based sustainability consulting firm is hoping to ease anxieties over meeting those goals with the industry’s first Green Guaranteed.
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska, Turner most active in U.S. hotel construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Hotel Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
An American perspective: skyscraper architecture goes modular in the UK
At 25 stories, Victoria Hall, a new modular high-rise in the city of Wolverhampton, England, is the world’s tallest building constructed principally off-site. The ground floor is site-built, but the other 24 stories are assembled from 383 individual modules shipped over from Cork, Ireland. The mixed-used complex, designed by O’Connell East Architects of Manchester and developed by Victoria Hall Ltd., will house students at the University of Wolverhampton.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index bounces back after substantial dip
Exhibiting a welcome rebound following a 5-point dip the month prior, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) was up almost 6 points in July. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI rating was 43.1, up noticeably from 37.7 the previous month.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Whiting-Turner among nation's largest university contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 University Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
70% of Qualified Trade Association Members Attain “Green Brick Specialist” Designation in Comprehensive Training Program
The Brick Industry Association (BIA), the national trade group representing distributors and manufacturers of clay brick and suppliers of related products and services, has announced that 70% of its eligible members have passed the industry’s first-ever online training program, “Sustainability/Green Building Design and Brick.”
