By Nigel F. Maynard

Architecture has a diversity problem, but it has a perception problem that’s just as stubborn. The thinking, among many, is that only white males design great buildings. A forthcoming book by architect Pascale Sablan, FAIA, LEED AP, seeks to establish that great designers come in all colors and genders.

Set to be released in early 2025, GREATNESS: Diverse Designers of Architecture (ORO Editions) “showcases the exceptional contributions of women and bipoc architects, highlighting their resilience, creativity, and impact on the built environment through inspiring stories and

stunning designs,” the intro states. “This book uniquely explores the underrepresented contributions of women and bipoc designers in architecture, filling a significant gap in architectural literature.”

The book is a blend of essays, project case studies, and designer profiles, exploring the work of 47 contemporary architects, designers, and urban planners. Through innovative, sustainable, and community-centered approaches, their work is reshaping residential, cultural, institutional, and master plan design, the publisher says.

In a sit down conversation with Metropolis at the National Organization of Minority Architects  conference in October as well as a follow up Zoom interview, Sablan says the book is the culmination of four years of work but is timely for our politically charged times.

“It really was a culmination of my lived experience in terms of people telling me that I couldn’t become an architect because I was a woman and person of color,” says Sablan, the CEO of Adjaye Associates’ New York office and the outgoing president of NOMA. “And hearing the issues that our NOMA members were having in terms of getting jobs and getting projects. ‘Oh, we can’t find you. We can’t find you, we can’t find you.’ And I’ve heard the narrative, like, ‘I’m not a black architect, I’m just an architect.’ Never heard that before. And that’s, and it’s valid. But at the same time, I want us to not just elevate a person’s identity, like who they are, how they identify, but also their work. So the book to me was important to come out in terms of showcasing diverse talent, not just that they exist in the profession and where they’re located, but their impact on the built environment.”

The book, in some ways, is a continuation of Say It Loud, Sablan’s series of traveling exhibitions that elevate the work and identity of women and people of color. In all, she curated 50 of these exhibitions. “Through these exhibitions I’ve created that repository, the website called Beyond the Built Environment that has everyone who’s ever been featured in an exhibition. This process is a self submitting process. So every time I do a Say It Loud in this particular state location, people from that location fill out a portal.”

Sablan says the Say it Loud exhibit contains more than 800 architects, so she had plenty of material and people to review.

The book is organized by project typology–cultural, urban planning, institutional and residential–and the great designers who practice in those categories. It includes such names as Phil Freelon, Jeanne Gang, Ashleigh Walton, Michael Marshall, Gustavo Rodriguez, Toshiko Mori, Siboney Diaz-Sanchez, Zena Howard, and more.

The publisher says GREATNESS confronts the challenging realities of architectural history while celebrating the transformative potential of the built environment. It underscores the importance of diverse perspectives, highlighting how architecture can foster dignity, well-being, and belonging. The book “serves as a call to action to embrace a more inclusive and equitable future.”

But the future for diversity in architecture is in a precarious position right now. The percentage of U.S. architects that identify as “people of color” hovers around 16 percent, while the number for those who identify as Black is stuck at about 2 percent. The hostile climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion makes the outlook bleak.

“From a NOMA presidential standpoint, our members are struggling,” says Sablan, who recently turned overNOMA presidential duties to Bryan C. Lee Jr., AIA, founder and director of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit architecture + urban design practice. “Whether it be in office, a lack of promotion and opportunities when it’s time, and as the economy is kind of slowing down, our members are part of the first that are being let go.”

But Sablan is hopeful. Reflecting on her two years as the NOMA president, she believes there are solutions to help minority architects find their place and their voice in the profession. The book is another chapter in her advocacy work, especially in helping those black architects forge out on their own.

“What I’m thinking and what we’ve been hearing is a lot of more NOMA members want to get back into the idea of starting their own practice, but it’s hard to kind of break in when people don’t know or have acknowledgement of their work,” she says. “Having them featured in the Say It Loud exhibitions, or even featured in the book, provides another opportunity of notoriety and kind of excelling and leaning into that.”