"What do you want to be when you grow up?" As young people advance in their education and contemplate their future careers, this question becomes more pressing. For youth from underrepresented minority groups, opting for a career in architecture remains statistically less likely; in the United States, the field remains largely dominated by white men.   

Project Pipeline, an initiative of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), aims to increase inclusivity, diversity, and equity in architecture and design by introducing young people of color to the field. Since 2016, Project Pipeline has served a diverse population of more than 10,000 students nationwide. The program includes a summer camp for sixth to 12th graders, in which students learn from professional volunteers and work on a design project, often rooted in their local community. 

In Philadelphia, Project Pipeline’s camp is facilitated through the regional NOMA chapter, PhilaNOMA, and housed at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. The camp has regularly taken place at Tyler since 2012.   

“Hosting the Project Pipeline camp is a highlight of the summer here at Tyler. The dedication of the professional community who participate in PhilaNOMA’s efforts is inspiring. The camp teachers are also mentors, encouraging students who might never have considered architecture and design as a pathway in their future,” said Kate Wingert-Playdon, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture and Environmental Design at Tyler. 

“All of this leads us to a future where our profession is led by a more diverse community, which in turn has a positive impact on building more equitable and sustainable futures in our cities and communities,” Wingert-Playdon continued. 

At the camp, students are guided through various stages of design using thought-provoking and fun exercises. Students participate in sketching and drawing, scale model building, diagramming, and other hands-on activities, and engage with architecture principles through site visits. Project Pipeline also connects students with mentors in the field to help guide their interests. At the end of the program, students present a fully realized design project that addresses an issue in their city.    

During this year’s Project Pipeline camp at Tyler, students learned about the concept of third spaces – communal spaces outside of the home and workplace where people can gather and connect with their community – and worked on designing third spaces of their own. They also toured buildings on Temple’s campus, including the Charles Library and the Tyler building.

Several weeks into the program, camp participants were abuzz with new knowledge and enthusiasm. 

“I'm interested in design in general, so I thought this would be a nice opportunity for me to learn something about architecture. I've learned a lot of new vocabulary, because we do that every day,” said Adori, a 15-year-old volunteer for Project Pipeline. “Because I'm going to college relatively soon, it's been nice to be able to tour around the Temple campus.” 

Thirteen-year-old Zakareeya shared that both his familiarity with architecture and overall interest in the field have grown because of participating in Project Pipeline.   

“At first, I wasn't sure if I was into architecture, but the more I was in this group, the more I realized that it’s interesting,” he said. “The best parts have been the hands-on activities like drawing and sketching. There are a lot of cool architecture terms that I learned, like elevation and perspective when you’re drawing objects.”  

Aman, age 12, is similarly proud of the new knowledge of architectural and design concepts that he has gained. 

“We've been learning about things like form and structure, and we've been building models and doing a lot of sketches,” he shared.  “After we learn all the terms, we play games like Jeopardy to help remember them. That’s probably my favorite part.”   

Amid the fun and enrichment, Project Pipeline’s overarching goal is to materially address stark inequities in the field by empowering students from minority and underrepresented backgrounds to envision themselves as future architecture and design professionals, civic leaders, and changemakers.   

“We’re hoping to bring the field of architecture to more students because what we've been finding out is that a lot of students, especially minority students or students who are in underrepresented neighborhoods, don't know that architecture and design is an option for them,” said Talcia Brown, the current director of Project Pipeline. 

As Brown explained, the camp also gives students a more expansive view of what a career in architecture and design can entail. 

“A lot of times, students think that they can only design buildings with an architecture degree,” she said. “This camp teaches them the fundamentals of what architecture is and what architects do, but we also show them that there's a wide range of things you can do with an architecture degree.” 

For example, “architects can be social justice leaders, creating spaces that everybody can be a part of with the different schemes and design choices that they make.”  

“Whether the students choose to be architects further down the line is completely up to them,” Brown continued. “We just want them to know more about what is available to them."

While the number of architects in the United States who identify as a racial or ethnic minority has increased in recent years, people of color remain underrepresented in the field. According to The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), a nonprofit that helps establish state guidelines for exams and licensure, 34% of new architects identified as a person of color in 2023, compared to just 25% in 2019. While new architect demographics have shown progress, the field is still predominantly male and white. In 2023, according to NCARB, nearly two-thirds (62%) of architects were white men.  

“We're trying to grow the number of licensed minority architects in the profession,” said PhilaNOMA president Kenneth Johnson, ESQ, AIA, NOMA, MCP, RA. “Minority architects only make up two percent of licensed architects in the whole country. A lot of minority children don't see architects, or know what architects do. We're here to expose them to architecture professions so they know it's an option. And when they grow up, they can choose.” 

Images courtesy of Project Pipeline staff.