#Interview #Podcast w/ Mahya Salehi, AIA of Mahya Salehi Studio

March 15, 2024

#Interview #Podcast w/ Mahya Salehi, AIA of Mahya Salehi Studio

Mahya Salehi, AIA of
Mahya Salehi Studio

This blog and podcast are sponsored by:

https://www.integrumgc.com

Listen here to podcast w/ Mahya Salehi, AIA of Mahya Salehi Studio

Mahya Salehi

Mahya Salehi is a licensed architect based in California and the founder of Mahya Salehi Studio, established in January 2020. Prior to residing in California, Mahya spent her early childhood in Iran before moving to the U.K for the second decade of her life. Mahya's multi-cultural background informs her diverse design language. Her design philosophy is rooted in the belief that architecture could enhance the human experience through intentional, curious, and deeply collaborative design processes. Beyond her professional pursuits, Mahya is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the architecture and design industry. Actively involved in mentoring and supporting emerging designers and architects, she is dedicated to creating a more inclusive future for the profession.

Contact:

Mahya Salehi

Mahyasalehistudio.com

510 631 4680

Mahya Salehi

Principal Architect

(510) 631 4680

mahya@mahyasalehistudio.com

mahyasalehistudio.com

To schedule a call or meeting, please use: https://calendly.com/mssarch

I first met Mahya at the AIA CRAN Forum at the AIA Conference in San Francisco this last June. I am on the AIA CRAN AG (American Institute of Architects Custom Residential Architects Network Advisory Group) as I was trying to document the event via iphone video and photos as I was one of only a few of us who were on the CRAN committees that was at the conference.

Carolina St. House

The AIA CRAN Forum was focused on five different architecture firms that did custom residential at different stages of their careers and Mahya was representing "the new firm" though her work is not typical of a newly started firm, she has managed to do some really great projects with what I assume to be really great clients.

After the presentation of everyone's work, which included three women-owned firms, I was with one of my women architect friends talking to the other women presenters and we all firgured out that we had all been practicing architecture in Los Angeles in the 90's, which was really an excellent time to be there, but also a time when being a woman in architecture was not really something that you talked about in order to not really attract too much attention to one's gender as if it was something that was not to be celebrated but to be hidden with gender neutral clothing and hairstyles and of course everyone probably wore eyeliner (not really, but truth be told Perry Ferrell's studio was up the street from mine on Abbott Kinney (back when it was Washington), painted all black and nobody ever saw anyone come and go but, you know Jane's Addiction...

So anyways... as we all talked about how we were in L.A. working for these different L.A. architecture firms (I was the only one who had worked for two women-owned ones: the late Diane M. Caughey (three plus years), and Corey Buckner (five days, that's a story that has been told on my other podcasts, etc, lol!) as well as working for Marc Appleton and Ralph Mechur, Lewin Wertheimer, Michael MeKeel & Fran Offenhauser and the structural engineer, Gordon L. Polon, where I drafted structural drawings by hand for projects for Gwathmey Siegel, Marmol Radziner and Bestor Architecture.... and then I had a baby and started my own firm... my life was focused more on my children than architecture and they are truly still my greatest projects.

So afterwards was when I met and spoke to Mahya and I said, "Oh, we were all talking and apparently we were all in L.A. at the same time and Angie Brooks and Jolie Wah and I were all working together but we didn't know about all of these other women architects who were also there....

And Mahya said to me:

"Thank you for helping to pave the way"

And I was floored. So much so that when I was going to be interviewed for the AIA Future Focused Video, I mentioned the conversation with Mahya that I had and I started crying...

Because I just have never really thought of myself as paving the way, though I realize that I have and it hasn't always been an easy drive down a clear freeway, it has been more like a winding road that is full of obstacles, roadblocks, potholes and

Hope.

Hope that someday Women won't have to be judged on their looks, their personalities, their "feminist attitudes", their lifestyle, or have to speak louder or talk over other people in a zoom call just in order to be heard.

And I am so glad to have her on the AIA CRAN AG with me :)

Mahya's Three Classic Buildings: