She Built This: The Hidden History of Women in Residential Architecture
VirtualGābl Media presents this exclusive, virtual event, hosted by She Builds Podcast,featuring architectural historian and preservation expert, Kate Reggev. As part of the Gābl Media All-Access Series, this event is eligible for AIA-approved Continuing Education, exclusively to Gābl Media members. How is it that women have designed renowned homes, shaped communities, and led the development of large-scale residential projects, but have largely been excluded from the history books? What happens to the way we build housing today when we ignore the people who shaped it from the beginning? The profession has spent decades refining standards, perfecting typologies, and debating design philosophies—without ever fully acknowledging whose ideas were erased along the way. The result? The perception of the built world lacks context, credit is misplaced, and unique lessons are left behind. What gets left out of history quietly defines the boundaries of what feels possible—and acceptable—today. In this exclusive Gābl Media All-Access event, the hosts of She Builds Podcast—architectural professionals Norgerie Rivas, Elizabeth Raar, and Jessica Rogers—sit down with featured guest Kate Reggev for a one-hour discussion, exploring the erased legacy of women in residential design and construction. This is not a passive conversation. It’s a necessary exposure. And a step toward realignment. From early neighborhood planning and single-family housing to large-scale developments and affordability advocacy, women have long shaped the physical and social fabric of American life. But their impact has been left out of the story—and that absence affects how we design housing today. If those voices shaped the foundations of what works, ignoring them doesn’t just distort history—it limits the future. This conversation will explore: The hidden roles women played in the development of housing typologies, policies, and spatial norms—and why acknowledging them reshapes how we teach, practice, and preserve design today Why many “modern” affordable housing models mirror solutions pioneered by overlooked women decades ago—and how learning from that lineage can unlock smarter, more just solutions now How today’s professionals, educators, and firm leaders can repair the record—and start building homes with a clearer view of who helped shape the standards we live by This live, virtual event is part of the Gābl Media All-Access Series—a premium, limited-seat experience for building industry professionals seeking meaningful continuing education that goes beyond the surface. Attendance is capped at 100 seats to ensure direct access and real dialogue. The event is eligible for Continuing Education credits, 1 AIA LU | Elective, exclusively to Gābl Media members. If you design or build housing, influence policy, or teach history—this event will change what you see, who you credit, and what you carry forward. Register now. Learning Objectives: By the end of this event, participants will be able to: Identify the historical roles women played in shaping American residential architecture, including design, construction, and planning contributions that were omitted from the architectural canon. Analyze how the erasure of women’s work in housing history has influenced current design standards, teaching frameworks, and professional credit structures in the built environment. Examine the parallels between contemporary affordable housing models and past innovations led by women, and understand how these forgotten strategies can inform today’s housing challenges. Explore actionable steps architects and educators can take to restore these legacies, incorporate them into modern design discourse, and use them to reshape inclusive housing practices going forward. Who Should Attend: This event is designers, builders, and educators who care about what gets built—and who gets credited. Residential designers and builders looking to expand their understanding of housing typologies, spatial standards, and historical context Firm and team leaders committed to diversity, inclusion, and correcting historical blind spots in professional practice Educators and students in architecture or design history programs who want to bring accuracy and equity into their curriculum Affordable housing advocates and developers exploring the origins of today’s models and who helped shape them Emerging professionals seeking AIA-approved CEUs that challenge conventional narratives and strengthens design literacy Anyone who believes the future of the built environment starts with knowing who helped build the past Why It Matters: Building professionals make decisions every day that affect how people live—what they can afford, how they move through space, and what a neighborhood becomes over time. But those decisions are often guided by models built on incomplete stories. Generations of women shaped residential construction, development, and design—but their ideas were hidden, dismissed, or absorbed into someone else’s story. That gap doesn’t just distort our understanding of the past. It weakens the profession’s ability to respond to the present. Housing inequities, affordability challenges, and design blind spots aren’t new problems. They’re symptoms of a system that’s never fully recognized where some of its best thinking came from. This event is a contribution to the growing discourse aiming to change that—not just by honoring the people who’ve been left out, but by putting their work back where it belongs: in the hands of today’s practitioners, educators, and leaders.
