In what is still considered a male-dominated industry, half of the principals at two Spokane architecture firms are women, defying a longstanding industrywide trend.

“I feel like we’re seeing shifts in the industry, in terms of leadership and women being elevated in architectural professions,” says Kandis Larsen, a principal at Integrus Architecture PS.

Three of the six principals at Integrus are women.

“When I started at Integrus, there were only two or three of us in the architecture group,” says Becky Barnhart, president and principal at Integrus. “In my 22 years here, that has grown tremendously.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, 31% of architects, not including landscape or naval architects, were women. Ten years prior, just 25% of architects were women.

Despite the gradual growth of representation, challenges persist for women in the industry.

“I’m just constantly defining who I am,” says Jenny Cox, a principal and business manager at MMEC Architecture & Interiors LLC. “It’s just always the assumption that I’m just a receptionist, whereas I’ve been essentially managing and running the firm for a good 20 years.”

Two of the four principals at MMEC are women.

Heidi Pierce, also a principal at MMEC, says some of the challenges arise while working on projects with other companies, although there have been improvements over the course of her career.

“Twenty years ago, if you had to go to a construction site, it was very obvious that people would talk to the men, but not to me,” Pierce says. “Even now, sometimes I’m the only woman in the meeting, but I think that’s coming around, so I don’t feel that nearly as much now as I did then.”

Integrus' Barnhart and Larsen have had similar experiences while working on projects throughout their careers, they say.

“We still go to job sites or meetings, and (Barnhart) and I will be the only women there,” Larsen says. “We’re adjacent to construction and engineering, and you see and feel it across those fields too.”

Larsen says she’s felt more challenging dynamics when working with contractors or people from other industries that operate closely with architects.

“You’re the one running the project, but the contractors talk to the other project manager, and they won’t talk to you even though you know more about the project,” Larsen says. “They just default to talking to the older gentleman that you’re with.”

Age may also be a factor in how women in the field are viewed, says Barnhart, who notes that she experienced these types of challenges more often while she was a young intern at Integrus than she does now in her leadership role.

“It was a novelty that I was there, in my role,” Barnhart says. “You definitely had to prove your value.”

Networking at events also can present a challenge for women in the architecture industry, Cox says.

“Our industry has grown a lot where we have relationships with all kinds of people, but that initial push is just a little bit harder to break into the conversation,” says Cox.

Whether at job sites or networking events, the various challenges can damage a person’s confidence, Larsen says.

“There’s that seed of self-doubt that’s always kind of there, and it’s a common trait that I think we all grapple with and have to overcome,” says Larsen.

Finding mentors throughout her career and transition into a leadership role has helped Larsen build her confidence, she says. Barnhart is among the mentors that she’s connected with, she adds.

“It doesn’t have to be women necessarily, but sometimes there’s a different conversation you can have with another mother that’s in this profession,” Larsen says. “It’s different things that you talk about with your different mentors.”

Strong mentorship at Integrus has empowered both Larsen and Barnhart on their paths to leadership roles, Barnhart says.

“People have looked at us at very early stages in our careers and just seen qualities that they recognize as being good leadership qualities,” says Barnhart. “The firm has been really amazing at mentoring us.”

Mentors and supportive peers have helped Pierce overcome some of the challenges she’s faced as well.

“Especially working here, I’ve always had people backing me up,” Pierce says. “So even if there was a situation, somebody would make it clear that I’m the one to be contacted, or I’m the one to ask questions to.”

Self-confidence is key for women starting out in the industry, Cox adds.

“Know what you know, and know what you don’t know, especially when you’re young,” Cox says. “Step up, have an opinion, join the conversation, and be part of everything.”

Men and women face different challenges and have different experiences throughout their careers, Pierce says. For example, the responsibilities associated with parenting often are handled more by women.

“A lot of husbands are supportive now and do just as much, but sometimes it’s just the moms who end up doing that stuff,” Pierce says. “Working at a firm that lets us have that flexibility is great.”

Barnhart echoes that observation.

“It’s a hard profession to be a working mom in,” Barnhart says. “It’s not an 8 to 5 job.”

In addition to having different experiences, men and women also bring different qualities to their workplaces, Barnhart says.

“As a woman, I can bring something different,” she says. “There are very distinct things that I think women can excel at, and men are good at excelling at other things.”

Barnhart says women typically bring an empathetic nature and listen well, which are traits that are helpful in determining the needs of clients.

While Integrus and MMEC have created balance, at least at the leadership level, the same may not be true at every firm in Spokane.

“We can’t say for sure, but we hear rumors of other people with very different experiences from our office,” Cox says.

The leaders from both firms say they hope to see more women enter the architecture field going forward.