Architecture & Environmental Design Librarian
...................
Chase Hall (Bldg. 115)
Room 111
805-756-2640
jvesterm@calpoly.edu
Welcome!
This guide has been created by
CAED Librarian Jesse Vestermark
to serve all at Cal Poly who are studying
architecture ("plus" related disciplines).
Feedback is welcome and encouraged:
jvesterm@calpoly.edu
Click here for links to our
24/7 Live Chat Help, our Research Help Desk, and other key Kennedy Library services.
Pictured: Plaza of the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking (2020) at Yale University by Weiss/Manfredi, New Haven, CT. Photo: Jesse Vestermark (2022)
Architectural Resources Focused on Black, Indigenous and People of Color
Corporate search engines like Google and databases such as those provided by Kennedy Library will, to varying degrees, return results that reflect the dominant whiteness and hetero-centricity of American and western culture. This problem can appear in the articles and images themselves, in skewed rankings from biased algorithms (formulas that decide the relevance of results) and in outdated or offensive keyword filters or subject terminology. In an effort to counter this problem, this box contains a working list of references to resources that promote information on architects and firms featuring people identifying as black, indigenous or people of color.
- Beyond the Built EnvironmentFrom their website, "Beyond the Built Environment celebrates the contributions of diverse designers and advocates for equitable built environments and communities."
- BIPOC StudiosThis is a dynamic list of over 400 BIPOC design studios, mostly created for the purpose of job-seeking and recruiting.
- BlackPast ArchitectsFrom their website, "BlackPast is dedicated to providing reliable information on the history of Black people across the globe, and especially in North America. Our goal is to promote greater understanding of our common human experience through knowledge of the diversity of the Black experience and the ubiquity of the global Black presence."
- Directory of African American ArchitectsFrom their website, "The Directory of African American Architects is maintained as a public service to promote an awareness of who African American architects are and where they are located. The sole qualification for listing is licensure in one of the fifty US jurisdictions and their territories."
