Gabrielle Bullock

A lecture by Gabrielle Bullock with response by Juan Herreros, Professor, Columbia GSAPP.

Gabrielle Bullock is a Principal and Director of Global Diversity for Perkins+Will, has shaped an architectural career that focuses on her two passions: design and social justice. She is the recipient of the 2020 AIA Whitney Young Jr. Award for her commitment to social justice. As designer and principal, she has been a key player in Perkins+Will’s success for more than 25 years, leading numerous complex and high-profile projects, including the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, one of the largest building projects ever completed for the University of California system. As the firm’s global diversity director—a position created for her and one of the only such roles at a large architecture firm—she is transforming their work culture to foster an environment rich in diverse talent and fresh ideas.

She has worked in both the New York and Los Angeles offices, serving as Managing Director of the Los Angeles office, the first African-American and the first woman to take on that role.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Gabrielle became interested in architecture at age 12 as a way to improve living conditions for persons of color. She graduated in 1984 from the Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in fine arts and architecture, becoming only the second African-American woman to earn an architecture degree from the prestigious university. In 2014 she was elected by her peers as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. As a member of the American Institute of Architecture’s Equity in Architecture Commission Gabrielle is transforming the profession to be more equitable and diverse.

A frequent guest speaker on panels and symposia around the world, Gabrielle is also a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), a past board member of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, and a board member of the Center for Architecture and Urban Design Los Angeles and the International Interior Design Association.