When architect Gail Sullivan isn’t at work, she still likes to focus on design, just in a way that’s a bit messier.
The founder and managing principal of Boston-based Studio G Architects, Sullivan says she uses her free time to garden or make ceramic make women’s figures.
“I love getting my hands on clay,” Sullivan said. On top of that, she appreciates that she can finish a project promptly, as opposed to the years it takes to deliver a building.
A lot has changed in the 35 years since she founded her firm, which aims to design sustainable, people-focused projects.
Here, Sullivan outlines her career path, why she ended up in architecture and what she has seen change for women in the building industry since she started.
The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
CONSTRUCTION DIVE: What initially attracted you to the building industry?
GAIL SULLIVAN: As a 5-year-old, I stole my brother’s building blocks to build all kinds of things. The craziest one was a ski resort. I don’t know how I knew that ski resorts existed. Nobody in my family had ever skied, but I built a ski resort complete with a chairlift.
I’d say I had an early inclination about making buildings, but I didn’t pursue it at first. I did a lot of work in nonprofit organizations for about a decade after I got out of college. One arena was around domestic violence, violence against women and children. Then I went to Greenpeace New England because I was very interested in the environment.
From there, I went to architecture school. In a lot of ways, I’d say those experiences influenced what I wanted to do in architecture. I wanted to create highly ecological buildings and I wanted to do it in service of people who needed them most. That’s what I wrote on my application and my mission statement when I started Studio G.
What does it mean to you to be a woman in construction?
A friend of mine sent me an article that said that 2.6% of registered architects were women in 1983 when I was going to MIT. And that was shocking.
I was lucky enough to have a great cohort of women in my class, and we made an agreement that we would all go after our licenses as quickly as possible in order to change that number.
Gail Sullivan
Permission granted by Studio G Architects
I was working with nonprofits, and many of those were led by women. So my clients were women. But on a construction site, I was the only woman for miles around for a very, very long time.
And so when I think about women in construction, there are now a lot of women, but still, I don’t see very many women on site. And that disappoints me.
When I do see a woman on a construction site, I get so excited I go up and chat with her because I was the only one for so long, and it’s not very comfortable.
What have you seen change in the industry over your career? Has it improved?
I think it’s improved a lot. And it’s improved in part because of the women who were pioneers. I have friends who started their own electrical companies, plumbing companies, et cetera. They’ve made their mark and they’ve trained people who’ve gone out and continued that work. There’s been a general social attitude change and, as a result of that, you see more women.
It used to be the only women I saw on a construction site where either hanging the window shades or doing the cleaning, right? Those were the two jobs.
Now I see women who are there as plumbers. I see them as carpenters. I see them as construction managers, as superintendents. That’s a big change. That’s great.
And the more there are, the more there will be.
What advice do you have for other women in construction?
In general, I don’t give advice unless somebody asks for it. But it’s really about acknowledging someone and having that connection. I want them to know they aren’t the only one.
I’d say to young women who are considering going into construction, do it. Women can be highly successful in all of the construction fields. You have to find your peers, you have to find your support group. I’m part of a small group of women entrepreneurs who get together once a year and we support each other. Having peer support, whether it’s exactly in your industry or across industries, I think is really important.
