A Conversation with Architect Dina Griffin
A Conversation with Architect Dina Griffin
Dina Griffin
Dina A. Griffin, FAIA, NOMA, IIDA, became president of Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) in 1999. Under her leadership, along with partners Charles Young and Robert Larsen, IDEA has successfully completed a multitude of projects for a variety of clients. Dina has been instrumental in bolstering the firm’s commitment to collaboration and the opportunity to create, learn and interact with other thought leaders in the profession. The firm has partnered with internationally renowned firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and Renzo Piano Building Workshop. In 2016, IDEA was awarded The African American Cultural Center project at Dina’s alma mater, the University of Illinois. That same year, IDEA was selected to join the team of Tod Williams|Billie Tsien Architects to design the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Dina’s belief that change is inspired through leadership has motivated her active involvement both within and outside the profession. In addition to past leadership and board positions with the National Organization of Minority Architects and the American Institute of Architects, Dina currently serves on the Illinois Architect Licensing Board as Chair and has served as treasurer for Region 4 of National Council for Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
Reaching aspiring students is fundamental to Dina’s mission to encourage and guide minorities interested in building valuable careers in architecture. She was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of her service to the profession, and to society, through her dedicated outreach to minority architecture students and emerging professionals.
Kathryn Anthony
Kathryn Anthony is a Professor at the Illinois School of Architecture, where she teaches, conducts research, and writes about how spaces and places affect people. Her expertise focuses on such topics as social and behavioral factors in design, gender and race in contemporary architecture, and entrepreneurship in design. She has also developed a new seminar on architecture, cinema, environment, and behavior. Her research has spawned award-winning books, Design Juries on Trial: The Renaissance of the Design Studio and Designing for Diversity: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Architectural Profession. She recently co-authored Shedding New Light on Art Museum Additions: Front Stage and Back Stage Experiences, with Altaf Engineer.
One of Professor Anthony’s latest books is Defined by Design: The Surprising Power of Hidden Gender, Age, and Body Bias in Everyday Products and Places. It demonstrates how design shapes our lives in ways most of us would never imagine—affecting our comfort, our self-image, and even our health.
She is the recipient of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from Chicago Women in Architecture. The award recognizes her 40-year career as educator, researcher and author who amplified the conversation about how spaces and places affect people—chiefly addressing issues of gender and diversity in design.