INTERVIEW:WALTERS & COHEN
Cindy Walters (left) and Michál Cohen (right).
was amember of the CABE Schools ReviewBoard. Shewas responsible for the award-
commercial projects in both the public and private sectors, including the RIBA award-
“We should be supporting good design and good architects and encouraging bright young people regardless of their gender.”
winning projects at Redbrook Hayes School in Staffordshire and Towers Junior School in Havering. And she is currently leadingwork for the education element of the Chapelton of Elsick project, a new sustainable community in Aberdeenshire. Throughout her career,
Walters hasworked on a diverse range of education, leisure, cultural and
winning projects for Bedales School in Hampshire and the Wakehurst Place Visitor Centre, and the Civic Trust award- winning Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens.Walters is also an external examiner at the Bartlett School of Architecture, the University ofWestminster and Cardiff School of Architecture. She has been involvedwith the RIBA awards
since 2007, as a regional jury chair and currently as a member of the Awards Group. Here,Walters and Cohen
discuss their strong design ethos, talk about the need to look beyond gender, and share whatwinning the AJ ‘Woman Architect of the Year’ Award reallymeans to them.
Q
Howdo you feel about topping the likes of
Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete and Debroah Saunt to be named ‘Women Architect of the Year’?
We were delighted to have been selected. Receiving the AJ ‘Woman Architect of the Year’ Award was an honour for us and our practice, and a celebration of our belief in good design,
supportive partnerships and enjoying what we do.
Q
What is your experience ofworking
in amale dominated profession – do you see it as a challenge, an advantage, or is it not something that’s not even on your radar?
We have worked with and been supported by staff, clients, contractors and industry observers of both genders. The most commonmisconception is that women have got a problem in the industry.We should be supporting good design and good architects and encouraging bright young people regardless of their gender. If you do your job to the best of your ability, sexismis rarely an issue in the UK.
ArchitectNews.co.uk | Architects Choice | 11
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