BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.
BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.
We are honored to have Lemay host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022.
Join us as we hear from Lemay Associates, Senior Project Director Gail Shillingford, Principal Design Director Patricia Lussier, and Regional Director and Associate Grace Coulter Sherlock as they discuss what it takes to navigate the architecture and design world in a position of leadership, as women. Each speaker will be sharing their respective personal career trajectories and experiences navigating motherhood while balancing leadership roles across Lemay’s pan-Canadian studios. Gail, Patricia and Grace will discuss their impact, challenges and opportunities as leaders in their respective studios and how they are making room for the next generation of women in architecture and design
About Lemay
Lemay has been imagining new ways to create spaces that engage users and bring people together since 1957. Over 450 architects, designers, industry leaders and change-makers work tirelessly to cultivate innovation in their own backyards and in communities around the world. Inspired and strengthened by transdisciplinary creativity, the firm has also developed its very own Net PositiveTM approach to guide teams towards sustainable solutions that shape a better future. With the human experience at its heart, Lemay strives to design with empathy and create spaces to grow.
Gail Shillingford
With over 20 years of experience, Gail Shillingford has a strong background in urban design and landscape architecture, a combination that has allowed her to create successfully integrated and balanced built form and open space environments. As an Associate, Senior Project Director, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture at Lemay, her focus on all projects is entrenched in building community and creating attractive high-quality public realm spaces that foster socialization, inclusivity, cultural diversity, and healthy living. In each of her designs, the role of the public realm is heightened beyond creating notable destinations, to also revitalizing communities, incorporating sustainability and resiliency, and positioning open spaces as catalysts for social and economic vitality and viability. In addition to her experience, Gail leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion conversations and pursues Indigenous education and knowledge building to respond to and enable Truth and Reconciliation.
Grace Coulter Sherlock
As Lemay’s Regional Director for Western Canada and an Architect with Lemay, Grace oversees all stages of the design process, providing the team with guidance, creative direction and support. An exceptional design strategist and communicator, she is often called upon to lead and inform the development of challenging typologies. Her diplomatic approach and relentless creative drive inspire the creation of sustainable, human-focused places. Grace has designed a wide range of award-winning architecture and interior design projects across Canada, with her work centered on the research and dialog surrounding inclusive design models. Grace teaches at the University of Calgary, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape and is part of the leadership team on a joint research project between FLDWRK +SAPL exploring Climate Havens and Climate Resiliencies in Canadian cities. She is a registered Architect in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with work ongoing across the country.
Patricia Lussier
Lemay associate and principal design director Patricia Lussier has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and design leader. She brings a unique sensitivity that highlights qualities within the space she creates. Commemoration and interpretation are at the heart of her approach, integrating both social and environmental engagement. Her wide-ranging experience in multidisciplinary projects and competitions of all scales enriches her overall vision at every project stage. She has always worked to refine her expertise in expressive signature development, both in terms of design narrative and specific compositional elements such as furniture, paving patterns and the use of materials and plants with a sense of identity. Often a pioneer in her practice, Patricia Lussier has always had an interest in integrating sustainability in a simple, efficient and creative way. She is the winner of national and international awards, for such high-profile projects as Espace 67, Place des Montréalaises, Belvedere du Chemin-qui-Marche, Gatsby Condos and the Hypernature 066 contest in Montreal.
BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.
Tickets are now available here: