Built by Women DC / BxW DC is a crowd-sourced competition organized by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) to recognize and support the diverse women working in design and construction in and around Washington D.C. BWAF works to change the culture of the built environment professions through “documenting women’s work,” “educating the public,” and “transforming the industry.” On March 19th and 20th, view the projects that are on display in the Museum’s Great Hall. 

Learn more about Carol Shapiro, executive director of BWAF.

Jurors judged each site with the final criteria that a woman was directly responsible for leading the design or construction, and that the project has already started or is finished. The winning sites included projects from Civic, Commercial, Cultural, Institutional, Landscape, Mixed-Use, Residential, Transportation, and Urban Design categories. On Saturday, attend a tour of a one of the projects that will be included in the BWAF’s BxW archive.

Featured Tour Site

R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, designed by Heather Daley Rao, AIA, LEED AP, associate principal at Cunningham | Quill Architects.

R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center is the adaptive reuse of the historic St. Elizabeths East Chapel to create an interim innovation hub and community gathering space. A new entry and adjacent public spaces transform the Chapel’s relationship to the community from that of an isolated visual landmark to a community space directly accessible from Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Heather Daley Rao, AIA, LEED AP, Associate Principal with Cunningham | Quill Architects and additional project team members will lead a tour of the original chapel spaces, which have been reconfigured to create flexible meeting, classroom, and conference spaces as well as a ‘Digital Inclusion Center,’ a state-of-the-art computer lab offering education opportunities.

Tour Registration

The tour will take place on Saturday, March 19th, 10 am - Noon. Open to anyone 18 years and up. $25 Museum Member | $35 Non-member. Registration begins February 16, by calling 202.272.2448 from 10 am–5 pm, Monday through Friday, and will be assigned based on space availability. On-site registration is not available. To become a Member, please contact the Membership Office at 202.272.2448.

2.0 LU HSW (AIA)

Check out BxW at the Museum Shop! This line of merchandise helps to highlight and encourage the role of women in the building arts and is available in both the Museum and the Online Shops. 

Top photo: Photo by Bob Narod. Copyright Cunningham | Quill Architects. Middle photo: Photo by Greg Powers.Bottom photo: Photo by Anice Hoachlander.Copyright DLR Group | Sorg.