Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA) and the Foundation (CWAF) will award three Chicago women architects for their contributions to each organization and to the architectural profession at their annual Spring Brunch this May.

Today, CWA and CWAF are honored to announce the recipients of the 2022 CWAF Lifetime Achievement Award, and the inaugural Broken Glass Award and Emerging Leader Award. Each program honors Chicago women architects at different stages in their careers who have played pivotal roles in advancing the profession through resolute leadership, mentorship, design excellence and advocacy.
“Our awardees are outstanding architects who represent the best in our field. These highly talented women architects exemplify the positive power of design, both locally and globally,” says CWAF Board Chair Patricia Saldana Natke, FAIA.

Established in 2017, the CWAF Lifetime Achievement Award honors distinguished architects who have profoundly impacted the profession, positively contributed as members of CWA, and have supported issues faced by women architects throughout their career. This year, the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Awardee is Diane Legge, FAIA, ASLA, NCARB, an architect, landscape architect, and urban planner with over 50 years of experience across the United States and Asia.

Legge was trained at Wellesley College, Stanford University School of Engineering, and Princeton University where she received her Master of Architecture degree. She joined SOM Chicago in 1976 and became the first woman partner of SOM in 1982. From 1990-2010, she was the owner and principal of DLK Civic Design, a woman-owned design practice. In 2010 Legge joined CallisonRTKL in Shanghai, China and later opened the CRTKL office in Hong Kong, before returning to the US in 2019. Legge’s projects in Chicago include the reconstruction of Wacker Drive, Arlington International Racecourse, McCormick Place North, and the Harold Washington CTA Station.

The inaugural Broken Glass Award honors established architects who are changing the face of the profession through their achievements and design excellence. The 2022 Broken Glass Awardee is Jackie Koo, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, IIDA, Founding Principal of KOO, an award-winning integrated architecture, interior design and urban design firm based in Chicago. Koo’s diverse practice is grounded in hospitality and the desire to create a specific identity for each project. Notable work includes theWit Hotel, the Sable Hotel, located on Chicago’s historic Navy Pier, and the Altgeld Gardens Family Resource Center. She is currently designing a new Esports stadium to be located on Chicago’s near south side.
In 2020, Koo was named “Chicagoan of the Year in Architecture” by the Chicago Tribune for her contributions to the adaptive reuse of Old Cook County Hospital. She currently serves on the City of Chicago’s first Committee on Design and on the Board of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Koo received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and her Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The inaugural Emerging Leader Award recognizes early career architects who have had an impact through an innovative project or initiative. The 2022 Emerging Leader Awardee is Ingedia Sanchez, AIA, NCARB, LEED, Associate Architect at SOM and Director and Past President of Arquitectos – The Society of Hispanic Professional Architects. As Director, Sanchez supports members on their path to licensure to increase licensed Latino and Hispanic architects, collaborates with professional organizations to bring the architectural community together, and advocates for the elevation of Latino and Hispanic designers into leadership positions. Sanchez is also a passionate mentor for university students and young professionals, and frequently guest lectures, leads project critiques, and coordinates firm tours and portfolio reviews.
Since joining SOM in 2003, Sanchez has been involved with several distinct projects in the US, Middle East, Europe and Asia, including the Burj Khalifa, 401 Wabash Tower, Tower 535, Roche AMF, Hangzhou Gate, and the O’Hare International Airport Expansion. Sanchez is motivated by sustainability and high-performance design, which she incorporates into her building enclosure expertise and holistic design approach.

“CWA is excited to honor the achievements of our three awardees. As CWA continues our almost 50 year mission of supporting and advancing women in architecture, it is important to continue showcasing the diverse career opportunities in our profession,” says CWA President Elizabeth Schneider. “Each of the awardees have forged a unique path and it is our hope that highlighting their work will inspire existing and future architects of all genders.”

Awardees will be honored at CWA and CWAF’s Annual Spring Brunch, which will be held both virtually and in-person on Saturday, May 14. The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will provide a keynote presentation, and separate programs in the summer and fall will showcase the work of the other honorees. Information regarding the event, ticketing and sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.cwarch.org. Proceeds from the Spring Brunch will support CWA membership events and related programming.

CWA Annual Spring Brunch
Saturday, May, 14, 2022
10 am – 2pm CDT
RPM Events, 317 N Clark Chicago
www.cwarch.org

About CWA and CWAF
CWA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1974 to establish community, mentorship, visibility, and advocacy for women working in the field of architecture and related professions. Through the ongoing efforts of the entirely volunteer-led organization, this mission is realized by offering educational, professional, and social networking events; organizing and sponsoring lectures in partnership with like minded organizations; and awarding annual scholarships to undergraduate women architecture students in their final year of study.
In 2003, CWAF was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit private foundation. Today, CWAF continues its support of CWA initiatives by raising funds to expand scholarship offerings as well as fundraising for events and special projects that further the careers for women in and around the field of architecture.

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