Barbara Sestak, FAIA
PSU Professor of Architecture and President of the National Architectural Accrediting Board
Being asked to write this article had me reflecting over the transitions in my life and the people along the way that influenced who I am today and what I do. I’ll tell you about a few.
I grew up on the east coast and attended the University of Pennsylvania to major in architecture, not knowing much about it but it sounded intriguing. There were 48 students who graduated with a major in architecture, 2 of us were women. In order to get my professional degree I moved to the west coast to attend the University of Washington. What a change in cultures! At both schools I had some wonderful experiences and a few that weren’t. Fully focused on being in practice, I did think that if I ever had an opportunity to teach, that I would…….
I was in practice for several years in Seattle and Portland primarily doing multifamily housing, commercial and industrial work, and planned unit developments. I was very fortunate that I was working in smaller firms where I was doing everything from initial design all the way through construction management. I loved it. Then a “recession” hit, interest rates went sky-high, construction stopped, and architectural firms were laying off their staff. There was a 9-month full-time teaching position open at Portland State University that I was interviewed for and was hired. This was an opportunity to try out some ideas that I had about teaching, and then I fully intended to go back into an architectural firm. 35+ years later, I am still teaching.
One of the most exciting things about being an architect is seeing your designs come to fruition and walking into spaces that you envisioned. I love to build whether it is a physical environment, an academic program or an organization. Since joining PSU as the only full-time faculty member in architecture, I helped guide and develop the program over the years from a 2-year transfer program, to a 4-year BA/BS major in architecture to a fully accredited 4+2 Master of Architecture degree. I certainly did not do it alone, and skills in building and working as a team were definitely influenced by work done in school and in practice.
For all that I enjoyed teaching and developing the architecture program, I did miss practice.
Staying connected with the profession was important to me and I started to get involved in AIA Portland through the Architects in Schools program, which was originally run by the chapter before being taken over by AFO. I served on the AIA Portland Board and became the first woman President of AIA Portland. Nominated by AIA Portland and selected by the Governor, I served 12 years on the Oregon Board of Architect Examiners. Each connection led to more. During that time I was on several AIA NW & Pacific Region committees, did 12 accreditation visits, including two internationally, and was on a series of NCARB committees ranging from Education, Practice Analysis, IDP and ARE, each area having some impact on practice. The breadth of service and connections with different architectural organizations was a reason why NCARB nominated me to be on the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). I joined NAAB in October 2017 and am currently the NAAB President.
Through its Conditions and Procedures, the NAAB influences architectural programs in what they teach and how they operate. The Conditions and Procedures are revised every 6 to 8 years. Starting in October 2017, ARForum19 was a totally different approach to revising the Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation by involving other sister organizations over two years of collaborative work culminating with the Board of Directors of ACSA, AIA, AIAS, NAAB, NCARB and NOMA coming together for several days to finalize the direction of the Conditions and Procedures. Not only was this the very first time that all the Boards got together, but each organization influenced, accepted and approved the Shared Values that we all espouse. These Shared Values became the cornerstone of the NAAB Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation.
Topics and research during that time included the direction and needs of the profession, the lack of diversity within our profession, the cost of education and debt for students, studio and teaching culture, the breadth of what the curriculum needs to include, and how we assess ourselves, our programs and our students. All of this is reflected within the final NAAB 2020 Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation approved in January 2020, which has some major differences from the previous documents. NAAB’s focus shifted to implementing these new documents through training on the new changes with programs and visiting teams. And then COVID-19 hit…..
We all have been impacted in a variety of ways. As for me, our program went to remote teaching and is continuing to do so. The NAAB went to a remote office and changed how the Board worked. Accreditation visits and timelines were revised, virtual accreditation visits for the next three years were mandated starting this fall, and information on COVID-19 is highlighting its disproportionately high impact on communities of color and systemic racism that we need to grapple with. All of this requires new ways of operation and thinking.
What I learned along the way:
It is rare that anything can be done alone; connections with others is critical
Get out of your comfort zone and try something
Be flexible
Get involved
None of this is easy but doing it is important
There are a variety of ways to make a difference. Take the step to get involved at whatever level you are in your career: in AIA Oregon serving on committees or as participants at events; as mentors, crit reviewers, guest speakers and in an advisory capacity at the universities; find your passion within your communities and let your voice be heard.
I plan to join the October 2 AIA Oregon Virtual Happy Hour to discuss the NAAB and the future of the profession. Click here to register and join me!