Coffee with Fellows is an ongoing series centered around a conversation between one Fellow and one emerging professional, interviewing each other. This session will feature Lori Brown, FAIA, Distinguished Professor at the School of Architecture Syracuse University and Emily Leu, Assoc. AIA, Designer at GPD Group. Their conversation centers on inclusive design, designing for all abilities and the intersection of gender and the built environment. This virtual program is coordinated by AIA Cleveland and hosted by Hallie Crouch, Assoc. AIA and Josh Myers, Assoc. AIA.

This session explores ADA considerations in design as one of many methods of inclusive design. The session also shares approaches to creating safe, healthy places for all genders that can be applied across project types.

Lori Brown’s creative practice examines the relationships between architecture and social justice with particular emphasis on gender and its impact upon spatial relationships. She is the author of Contested Spaces: Abortion Clinics, Women’s Shelters and Hospitals, the editor of Feminist Practices: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Women in Architecture and the forthcoming Bloomsbury Global Encyclopedia of Women in Architecture, 1960-2020 co-edited with Dr. Karen Burns. She is the co-founder and leads ArchiteXX, a gender equity in architecture organization in New York City. Brown is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a Distinguished Professor at the School of Architecture Syracuse University, and a registered architect in New York state.

Emily Leu is a design professional who discovered a path to architecture through her late father, the President of his own commercial plumbing and heating company. She graduated from Kent State University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Minor in Construction Management. Emily worked with Sandvick Architects, which fostered a love and appreciation for historic structures and uplifting cities through preservation. She presently works with GPD Group where she grows a greater appreciation for creating spaces that are more inclusive.

Emily is a certified yoga instructor and continues to instruct and coordinate AIA Cleveland’s popular Yoga and Wine series. She is a proud queer woman who has found her voice and confidence in our profession, and in life. Emily resides in Olmstead Falls with her husband, cats, and dogs, who all enjoy travel and camping.

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1 HSW