Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, NOMAC, on Destination Crenshaw

AIALA Urban Design Committee presents:
Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, NOMAC, on Destination Crenshaw, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Important Event Update: If you registered for this event you will receive a confirmation email from tibby@aialosangeles.org by 4PM on 10.22.20. If it is 4PM or later, and you do not have one in your inbox, contact steve@aialosangeles.org

How can we as architects, landscape architects, interior designer and urban designers meet the needs of communities of color and specifically Black communities? Can we be champions of truly equitable design?

Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, NOMAC, IIDA, LEED AP will lead this session featuring Destination Crenshaw, designed by Perkins and Will, as a vibrant example of what is possible and how we can celebrate Black LA.

During planning of the LA Metro Rail extension connecting LAX to central LA, the decision to route the underground line above ground at Crenshaw Boulevard could have negatively impacted the Crenshaw community, the heart of Black LA. Instead, an opportunity emerged to foster the area’s strong arts culture.

Imagine a captivating and memorable experience of sound, color, energy, and the arts. This outdoor gallery will be the nation’s largest art and cultural celebration of African American contribution to world culture. Anchored by permanent and rotating art installations, ten new public parks, exhibits, and entirely new streetscapes, this public art and cultural experience will run along Crenshaw Boulevard and celebrate the long-standing reputation of the neighborhood as a creative incubator as well as Black LA’s impact on popular culture and social change.

About Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, NOMAC, IIDA, LEED AP
Principal, Director of Global Diversity, Perkins and Will

Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Gabrielle knew from the time that she was twelve years old that architecture would be her calling. Her motivation to enter the profession was a direct response to the design of public housing and her strong desire to positively impact the lives of African Americans and people of color living in her community. Her career path was driven by a passion to design for others and foster access to the design industry for all genders and racial backgrounds.

As the second black female to graduate from the architecture department of the Rhode Island School of Design, Gabrielle has been a key player in our firm’s success for over three decades, working in both the New York and Los Angeles studios where she became the first African American and first woman to rise to the position of Managing Director. Over the course of her career, she has led numerous complex and high-profile projects, including the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.

Her unique role as the firm’s Director of Global Diversity and an award-winning principal, enables her to combine her passion for architecture and social justice to effect positive change.

Breakout Group Facilitators:
Team Members from Perkins & Will:
Drake Dillard – Project Manager on Destination Crenshaw, Past President of SoCal NOMA
Jorge Mutis – Project Designer on Destination Crenshaw
Martin Leitner – Urban Designer on Destination Crenshaw

Joshua Foster – Co-Chair of AIALA JEDI Committee, Member of SoCal NOMA and designer at KFA.

Image: Destination Crenshaw designed by Perkins and Will