Architexx is an organization for gender equity in architecture transforming the profession by bridging the academy and practice. The group was founded by Nina Freedman and Lori Brown who met at one of Lori's roundtable book events at the Van Alen Institute in the spring of 2012. They are a cross-generational group of academics and practitioners, and their organization is dedicated to the advancement of all women-identified, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and allied individuals.

They encourage and promote the leadership and retention of women in the discipline. They are redefining what contemporary success is, how value is understood and compensated. They work to increase diversity. They facilitate and support open dialogue, content, conversations, that will inspire a new generation of design professionals to see themselves as agents of change by looking at the past to see new ways forward.

Funders and Partners

Lori Brown is co-founder of ArchiteXX, a group dedicated to transforming the architecture profession for women. She is an architect, author and associate professor at Syracuse University. Lori Brown's design, speculative work, and teaching all engage with the larger idea of broadening the discourse and involvement of architecture in our world. Focusing particularly on the relationships between architecture and social justice issues, she has currently placed emphasis on gender and its impact upon spatial relationships. She fervently believes there should be just as many women as men in positions of leadership within the discipline of architecture however her experiences in both the profession and now in academia demonstrate we are nowhere even close. For these reasons, she was interested in creating an organization that would foster, mentor and create opportunities to bridge between the academy and practice for women architects, designers and students of all ages.

She curated, organized and participated in Feminist Practices, an international group of women designers and architects whose work engages feminist methodologies which was published as an edited book, Feminist Practices: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Women in Architecture by Ashgate in December 2011. Her most recent book Contested Space: Abortion Clinics, Women's Shelters and Hospitals investigates how legislation affects politicized and securitized spaces was published in June 2013 by Ashgate. Brown received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she spent her final year studying at the Ecole d'Architecture in Paris. Following, she received a Master of Architecture degree from Princeton University. Prior to teaching, Brown was working as an architect in New York City for several award-winning firms including Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Gwathmey Siegel Associate Architects and Hali Weiss Architects. She is a registered architect in the state of New York, a member of the American Institute of Architects and an associate professor of architecture at Syracuse University.

As of January 2016, co-founder, Nina Freedman, transitions from the Architexx Leadership and Board of Directors in order to focus on her new practice, Dreamland Creative Projects and teaching commitments. Nina will remain as an external advisor to Architexx in areas of mentorship, and alternative practices.

Other partners are Victoria Rospond (CDR Studio Architects), Andrea Merrett (PhD candidate at the Columbia University), Sarah Rafson (editor at the Point Line Projects), Jen Grosso (Senior Architectural Professional, SOM), Olga Chernomorets (Senior Planner for Infrastructure and Development Services at the Town of Addison), Kate Reggev (Architect and architectural historian; Associate at the Beyer Blinder Belle), Lauren Greer (Architectural Professional SOM).