Leers Weinzapfel Architects:
Women of the Year
Andrea Leers and Jane Weinzapfel are gutsy pioneers in the still-male-dominated world of architecture, as bold as Kate Hepburn’s Tess in the classic film “Woman of the Year.” But they’re no mere celluloid heroines. In the 25 years since they founded Boston-based Leers Weinzapfel Architects (LWA), they’ve (literally) built a stellar reputation for jobs as diverse as community centers and courthouses.
LWA has earned kudos by turning gritty projects other firms didn’t care to take on — such as power plants and maintenance facilities — into design statements they would do well to aspire to. “Initially we took them on because we had no choice,” says LWA partner Josiah Stevenson. “They were ‘Mission Impossible’-type challenges — a way to get our foot in the door. Now we do $80 million courthouses, but we still do smaller, harder-to-achieve projects, too.”
University of Pennsylvania Gateway Complex, Philadelphia, PA
Photo: ©Peter Aaron/Esto
Recently the American Institute of Architects gave Leers Weinzapfel the 2007 Firm Award, its highest honor, which recognizes a practice that has consistently produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years. It’s the first time the award has gone to a woman-owned firm.
Mac-Based from the Early Days
Since shortly after LWA’s founding, Apple technology has formed the foundation on which its innovative design solutions grow. Twenty-two of the firm’s 25 employees are architects (a bookkeeper, receptionist and marketing specialist round out the team), and except for accounting, all computerized functions (hand sketching still plays an important role) are Mac-based.
The entire LWA design workflow — from concept to 2D and 3D drawing, graphics, rendering and construction documents to project management and backup — takes place on the iMacs, MacBooks, PowerBooks and XServe RAID that constitute its technology infrastructure.
“We made the decision early on to adopt the Mac as our platform,” says tech-savvy architect Joe Raia, who serves as strategist and troubleshooter on hardware and software issues.
Mac Lets LWA “Stay Architects”
Raia researched the options back in the late 1980s, when architecture firms were starting to use computers. “Most of the big firms had front-room designers and back-room CAD operators,” he recounts.
“But our office is very collaborative. We wanted to make the computers and software accessible to everyone, so they would enjoy using them to design and draw. And the Mac was the natural platform to do that. It’s so user-friendly, we didn’t have to have a split between the techie people and the designers. Everyone has their own Mac.”
Nowadays LWA does use a consultant for specialized networking and storage questions, but Raia is pleased they don’t require full-time IT staff. The Mac, he feels, allows the firm to be more self-sufficient. “People are on their own computers, and everyone can do everything — we don’t have to have a dedicated group just for CAD.”
And they don’t get bogged down with computer issues. “The Mac is just easier to use — its plug-and-play nature is less complicated,” Raia emphasizes. “So it lets us stay architects.”
VectorWorks and FormZ
LWA’s main software tools are VectorWorks, FormZ, Photoshop and Illustrator. On the Mac platform, these tools allow the firm to work easily with the many contractors who contribute to projects. Explains Raia, “Every building involves lots of drawings from people besides us: landscape architects, civil and mechanical and electrical engineers, and so on. You’re constantly sending drawings back and forth. And now, with the Mac, the interactions are seamless.”
Raia and his teammates appreciate the sophisticated capabilities — especially in relation to reference files and dealing with multiple scales — in the newest version of VectorWorks, their main design and production tool for construction documents. They use it to create models and entire 3D documents in which elements are tagged to enable the creation of spreadsheets. These give LWA the flexibility to beef up a project team with additional staffers before a big deadline and to create designs that integrate the work of outside consultants.
LWA also makes extensive use of FormZ. “It has been our default program for a long time now,” says Raia, “because you can draft with it fairly precisely to create 3D models.” FormZ renderings may end up as part of a Photoshop or Illustrator montage, or be shared with colleagues like lighting designers who can transfer them into their own specialized programs for fine-tuning.
Raia adds, “Our profession is becoming increasingly graphics oriented. People do all these beautiful 3D studies and renderings. That’s just one of the reasons why I’m glad we’re on Macs — the environment is just ideal to support these more visually oriented programs.”
