Leers Weinzapfel Associates will be presenting at the Boston Society for Architecture, Womxn in Design (WiD): Four Generations of Women Challenging the Status Quo.

Principal Jane Weinzapfel, FAIA, Principal Ashley Rao, AIA, LEED AP, Phius CPHC, Associate Zhanina Boyadzhieva, AIA and Architect Maryam Karime, AIA will be presenting their “Four Generations of Women Challenging the Architecture Status Quo” presentation at the BSA Space on May 27. They will each be sharing personal insights on navigating career milestones and cultural shifts – through motherhood, licensure, health, and more.

“Four generations of women in architecture—a pioneering firm founder, a next-generation principal, a mid-career design leader and equity activist, and an emerging professional—come together for an honest conversation about identity, leadership, and defining success on your own terms. Each panelist will share personal insights on navigating career milestones and cultural shifts—through motherhood, licensure, health, and more. Representing a broad spectrum of identities and lived experiences, the speakers will reflect on what it means to lead with authenticity in an evolving profession. This powerful session offers real stories, practical strategies, and fresh perspective on building flexible, values-driven careers that reflect the full complexity of life and leadership.”

The event is free and open to the public, RSVP Here

Auburn University Environmental Education Building has been selected as a Finalist in the Architizer A+ Awards Higher Education & Research Facilities category! Each year, the online public chooses the Popular Choice Winner and voting will be open until May 15 at midnight PT. Popular Choice Voting is now open, please vote & share here

Auburn University Environmental Education Building Finalist Link here

Category Link here

The Leers Weinzapfel Associates team celebrates the Ribbon Cutting of the newly completed SPHHS HUB at UMass Amherst! On April 30, 2026, University, local and state leaders gathered for a ribbon cutting for the new SPHHS HUB, celebrating the school’s six departments under one roof for the first time.

“Today we celebrate an investment not only in a building, but in the future of public health,” says Chancellor Javier A. Reyes. “By bringing students, faculty, staff and partners together in a space designed for connection, collaboration and innovation, we are strengthening the ties between our campus and the communities we serve—and preparing the next generation of public health leaders to make a lasting impact.”

LWA’s design of the SPHHS HUB creates a unified gathering place for the school—a new core where students can learn, collaborate, access support and advising services, and foster a stronger sense of community.

Learn more about the project here

The recently completed Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science at Cornell University can now been seen on the campus map. Located at the southern gateway to the Ithaca campus and adjacent to one of its world-famous gorges, the new Bowers CIS shapes a precinct of continuous building and open space. The angled “L” configuration of the new building connects to Gates Hall, completed in 2014 by Morphosis, forming an outdoor room for daily use, small gatherings and large ceremonies.

Learn more about the project here

Wood in Architecture Magazine features Auburn University Kreher Preserve & Nature Center Environmental Education Building in an article “Built from the land it stands on”, highlighting the project’s design philosophy and layout, conscientious details and sustainability features, taping into regional forestry and mass timber, and the broader vision beyond recognition.

“The mission of the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center is to promote harmony between nature and human beings, and to teach our youngest children to respect and protect the environment. The whole idea is to defer to the landscape and what is already there.”

– Tom Chung, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C as quoted in Wood in Architecture

See article here on pages 38-40

LWA’s Layla Ni & Maryam Karime, AIA, joined the METROPOLIS inaugural Arch30 Circle event in NYC, speaking with like-minded individuals celebrating innovation, collaboration, and professional growth.

Principal Ashley Rao, AIA, LEED AP Phius CPHC joins the Texas Society of Architects 2026 TXA Design Award Jury!

“The Texas Society of Architects Design Awards program recognizes outstanding architectural and urban design projects by architects practicing in Texas to promote public interest in design excellence. The competition focuses statewide attention on the quality of our built environment while highlighting the important role architects play in every community.” – Texas Society of Architects

Learn More

Think Wood features National Museum of Forest Service History Conservation Legacy Center as a Project Case Study, “Leers Weinzapfel’s Conservation Legacy Center Showcases Sustainable Forestry and the Building Products Derived From It” in their New + Now March Newsletter.

“This case study, developed in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, explores the new home for the National Museum of Forest Service History. Opening this summer, the museum is a living showcase for sustainable wood building products housed under a pleated wood roof in Missoula, Montana.” – Think Wood

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Four Generations of LWA Women – Principals Jane Weinzapfel, FAIA, and Ashley Rao, AIA, LEED AP, Phius CPHC, Associate Zhanina Boyadzhieva, AIA, and Architect Maryam Karime, AIA – shared their professional and personal journeys, highlighting moments that challenged the status quo. The presentation prepared for AIA WLS 2025 provoked an empowering and empathetic discussion in the office and sparked ideas for future collaborations. 

Architectural Record features Principal Andrea Leers’ “Requiem for a Building: Romaldo Giurgola’s South End Branch Library”, a reflection on Romaldo Giurgola’s South End Branch Library. The article captures the history and the charm of the library featuring Peter Vanderwarker photography.

“The architecture of the library is proudly modern; it is based on simple geometries, abstract wall planes, and large expanses of glass. References to bow windows, cornice detailing, and decorative elements are nowhere to be found. At a time when renewal and reinvestment in community looking to the future were the top priorities, the city welcomed the library’s thoughtful adjustment of scale, material continuity, and a profound sense of fit without imitative forms and historic gestures.” – Andrea P. Leers, FAIA

Learn More