The Women In AEC And BIM Construction Services

Taking a look back at the AEC industry over the past decades, it is fairly easy to notice the skew towards men. And whether you call it being politically correct or socially conscious, the AEC industry has started accepting women into authoritative roles, trying to rid the bias of yesteryears. As women take by right, a more central role in BIM construction services, it is important to recognize and honor the contributions of women throughout the history of the AEC industry.

Since as early as the 1800’s, the AEC industry has seen female thought leaders shape the world we live in today, culminating in the present representation of skilled women in BIM construction services and design engineering disciplines. While we are only able to cover an infinitesimal contribution of these women, let us first begin by taking a look back.

Some Historically Significant Women in AEC

Julia Morgan
Born in 1872, Julia Morgan dreamt of a career in architecture. She was the first woman admitted to École de Beaux-Arts in Paris, reputed as the best school for architecture in the entire world! During her career, she designed more than 700 buildings in California, the most famous of which is the Hearst Castle. Designed for the famous American publisher, William Randolph Hearst, the Hearst Castle still stands as an architectural marvel today.
Edith Clarke
Edith Clarke, born in 1883, made her mark in history with her patent for a graphical calculator for power transmission lines, in use till date. She was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT as well as the first female electrical engineering professor at the University of Texas. Her electrical design engineering prowess is in full display in the textbook, ‘Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems’.
Emily Roebling
Born in 1843, Emily Warren Roebling leads a fascinating life. Her husband, Washington Roebling was chief engineer of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. However, soon after work began, he became fatally ill. Emily took matters into her own hands, taking notes from her then bedridden spouse and studying up on design build construction. After her husband’s death, Emily managed the construction process, seeing to the successful completion of the bridge.
Nora Stanton
A civil design engineer through and through, Nora Stanton was born in 1883. She holds numerous ‘firsts’. She was the first female member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the first woman to graduate from Cornell and in fact, amongst the first women that graduated with an engineering degree in the USA! She served as chief draftsman for the Radley Steel Construction company and an engineer for the New York Public Service Commission as well.

Modern Women in AEC & BIM Construction Services

Kath Fontana
Managing Director of ISS Technical Services, Kath Fontana manages over 1000 employees to provide energy management, compliance services, and design engineering using BIM implementations. Recently, she was elected as Senior Vice President of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Rebecca Hodgson-Jones
Head of BIM at Sir Robert McAlpine, Rebecca Hodgson-Jones started her career in the company as a manager for construction designers. Her exceptional BIM design strategy for the organization earned her the post of Head of BIM.
Jill Guthrie
BIM Manager for Willmot Dixon Construction Limited, Jill Guthrie has been at the forefront of BIM adoption, helping BIM service providers bring their benefits to supply chains and public sectors.
Rebecca DeCicco
Director of Digital Node and Chairperson for Women in BIM, Rebecca DeCicco has been making huge waves in the AEC industry, spreading the word on the many advantages of BIM integration. Besides helping supercharge the construction industry, Rebecca is also an integral part of Women in BIM a support group that has been working to bring to light, the small population of women in BIM roles across the AEC industry. Women in BIM has also launched a confidential database of women in BIM to provide support and present detailed statistics.

Technostruct believes in a non-biased work atmosphere, and as a global BIM service provider, we would like to salute the contributions of all women in Building Information and Modeling (BIM) and BIM construction service roles globally. You can find us at: https://www.technostruct.com/