Faculty Spotlight: Kathryn Anthony

By Meghan Dufresne, News Editor

Professor Kathryn Anthony regularly explores the intersections of architecture and psychology, and studies the effects of the built environment on users. She is the author of Design Juries on Trial, which was one of the first studies on the culture of architectural education, and Designing for Diversity, which is an in-depth look at the contemporary role of minorities in American architecture. Designing for Diversity has been recognized as a primary impetus for the AIA National Diversity Committee. Based on her work in this area, Anthony received the 2003 Collaborative Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which referred to her as “a scholarly activist, a courageous advocate addressing the critical issues of diversity.”

Anthony just returned from Vancouver where she received the Achievement Award from the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) for her pioneering work on designing for diversity, the theme of EDRA's annual conference. The award was given “in recognition [of] her contribution in advancing the field of environmental design research through the generation of knowledge, public service and professional practice.” In presenting the award, EDRA focused on Anthony’s work on “vulnerable groups including single parent families, meanings of home for divorcees, women and diverse ethnic groups.” They also recognized her “groundbreaking contributions to the environment and behavior field” and her recent research which “has revealed the gender and ethnic imbalances in the architecture profession today.”

For the past three spring semesters, Anthony has run a studio in which students conduct research for an important building type, the healthcare facility. She also regularly teaches a seminar focusing on gender and racial issues in architecture and the built environment.

This year, Anthony’s healthcare studio project is an ambulatory care center and a physician office building. The healthcare design firm Cannon Design, of St. Louis, Missouri, participates in the development of project assignments, attends design reviews, and hosts a class office visit and fieldtrip. Anthony stresses the importance of healthcare facilities in the wake of the recent tsunami disaster. She also explains that at the recent American Institute of Architects / Academy of Architecture for Health (AIA/AAH) Convention, speakers urged that educators expose students to healthcare design. One student, Lisa Thompson, feels that “It has been the most valuable experience I have had at the University of Illinois because it has solidified my career path. I plan to continue in healthcare design after completing my degree.”

Anthony directs seniors and graduate students on strategies to tackle this highly complex building type. She emphasizes the importance that health facilities serve the needs of many different users, such as patients, visitors, and medical and administrative staff. In this studio, students have the chance to develop research skills and create spaces that respond to user needs. Graduate student Richard Lyew was happy to have this research experience. He said, “I’ve learned a lot of things this semester, way over my initial intentions of diversifying my portfolio. The biggest lesson I learned in this healthcare studio was the importance of research. I am really glad that I was exposed to this way of approaching architecture, from an evidenced-based perspective. I think the decisions my group made came a lot quicker because they were based on concrete findings.”

The goals of the course are to give students valuable experience in healthcare design; to study emerging theories, trends, and issues; to apply some of these theories; and to work in a team environment. According to one student, Nathan Funk, “The material choices in healthcare projects have become increasingly interesting to me, and I will be more keen to the implications that they have on healing and the psychological well-being of patients, staff, and visitors in the facilities that I visit. I will also be considerably more aware of the effects that the landscape (namely the “healing garden”) has on a patient’s ability to heal or recover quickly.” Anthony has work from her previous studios available online, as well as examples of relevant built projects. Students must visit and study local healthcare facilities, go on a fieldtrip to St. Louis, participate in interactive design reviews, and develop a class Web site.

This past fall, Anthony taught a seminar entitled “Gender and Race in Contemporary Architecture.” The purpose of this course is to highlight the work of both women architects and architects of color as consumers, critics, and creators of the environment. Diversity is an important topic in architecture considering that only 11 percent of the AIA are licensed female architects, 3 percent are licensed Hispanic American architects, 2 percent are licensed Asian American architects, and less than 1 percent are licensed African American architects.

Students enrolled in the class really enjoyed it. Graduate student Rodney Howlett said, “Professor Anthony truly helped to open my eyes to the significant impact that societal issues have on architecture. She presents a sea of information.” The course consisted of a series of seminar discussions, and had several guest lecturers and a field trip to Chicago. According to graduate student and teaching assistant, Altaf Engineer, “the format of the class was mostly assigned readings followed by class discussions. People said what they felt and sometimes there were interesting debates.” Guest lecturers included female and minority architects, professors, and architectural consultants. Last year, the class visited the offices of Ross, Barney & Jankowski, Urban Works Ltd., and Smith & Smith Associates, Inc.

According to Anthony, the course material is new and evolving. Graduate student Andrea Probst explained that “this course allowed me to investigate why the diversity in architecture was so different than other professions. I took the class because I was interested to see what kind of research is being conducted concerning minorities and the architectural profession.” Some of the issues covered in the seminar were housing, restroom design, and architecture education. Students also profiled successful women architects and architects of color. Rodney Howlett feels that “being an African American, I walked away from the class with pride in my people’s architectural heritage and hope for our future in the field.”