Gold Medals and Gender Imbalances: Architecture Industry Insights from Dr. Liz Walder

Architecture industry culture is shaped by education, recognition, working habits, public responsibility and who gets heard.

Stephen Drew speaks with Dr Liz Walder about architecture education, research, awards, gender imbalance, diversity, remote work, home offices, public safety, community and the future of Architecture Social.

The conversation covers:

• How education and research shape confidence and professional identity
• Why awards and recognition affect what the industry appears to value
• How gender imbalance and bias show up in architecture culture
• What remote work and home offices changed during the pandemic
• Why community spaces can make difficult industry conversations easier to start

Read the episode on Architecture Social: Dr Liz Walder on Architecture Industry Culture

Watch the video on YouTube: Gold Medals and Gender Imbalances

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
• 00:32 Joining the Royal Society of Arts
• 01:10 Dr Liz's Teaching Experience
• 01:52 How Dr Liz Discovered The Architecture Social
• 03:08 Current Projects and Initiatives
• 05:47 Dr Liz's Laboratory
• 06:35 PhD Journey and Research
• 15:01 Gender Imbalance in Architectural Awards
• 23:23 Subjectivity and Bias in Architecture
• 25:33 Equality and Diversity in Architecture
• 28:03 Exploring the Four-Day Work Week
• 29:19 Adapting to Remote Work
• 30:16 Home Office Trends
• 31:38 Future of Office Spaces
• 33:22 Personal Workspaces and Routines
• 40:19 Balancing Work and Personal Life
• 45:46 The Architecture Social Community
• 49:40 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

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• (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Introduction
• (00:32) - Becoming Dr. Liz: The Journey
• (01:52) - Joining The Architecture Social
• (03:08) - Current Projects and Initiatives
• (08:05) - The RIBA Gold Medal and PhD Insights
• (15:01) - Gender Imbalance in Architecture Awards
• (23:23) - Subjectivity and Bias in Architecture
• (25:33) - Diversity and Inclusion in Architecture
• (28:03) - The Shift to a Four-Day Work Week
• (29:19) - Adapting to Remote Work
• (30:16) - Home Office Transformations
• (31:38) - The Future of Office Spaces
• (33:04) - Balancing Work and Personal Life
• (40:19) - The Role of Pets in Remote Work
• (45:46) - The Architecture Social Community
• (49:40) - Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans