Inaugural “Design Like a Girl” Workshop Series Concludes


AIA Colorado’s J.E.D.I. Committee is proud to announce the successful conclusion of the inaugural Colorado “Design Like a Girl” (DLAG) workshop series.

The program, originally founded in Washington, D.C., by the Washington Architectural Foundation and was brought to Colorado through the inspiration and hard work of Sarah Goldblatt, AIA, and Britany Soler, Assoc. AIA, with the support of the AIA Colorado J.E.D.I. Committee. ‘Design Like a Girl’ aims to inspire the next generation of female-identifying designers by organizing full day design workshops for middle school students. Local architecture, design, and engineering professionals volunteer as mentors to guide, instruct, and inspire the young designers.

The first and second workshops in the three-part series focused on architecture and engineering. The final workshop, which focused on interior Architecture and sustainability, took place on Friday, April 19th at CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning.

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The day began with an introduction to the role of Interior Architects and designers and how they shape space through creative uses of building elements, furniture, color, and materials. Aided by a diverse library of materials donated by mentors, the girls crafted their own color palette.

Following the color exploration, CAP alumna, Jenny Arzberger of JARZ Design Studio, whose work focuses on creating safe and calming spaces for neurodivergent children and teens, shared her design process, from selecting inspirational imagery to conveying her ideas to clients, and gave the girls a sneak peek of renderings for an upcoming interior design project at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Claire Messer, a CU Denver CAP student and president of the school’s All for Women in Architecture (AFWIA) chapter, provided an engaging tour of the School’s studios and fabrication labs, providing a glimpse into the future if the girls decide to pursue a design education.

After a quick introduction to sustainable materials and biophilic design, the second half of the day was dedicated to a wellness space design project. The girls first created inspiration boards and then moved to carefully constructing models of their chosen wellness program, using material, color, and furniture to define space. Some models featured elements of biophilic design using materials the girls had brought in from their own backyards. A final presentation allowed the girls to present their work in front of the group.

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This workshop series would not have been possible without the collaboration of Sondra Osif and the whole team at the Spark Early Career Exploration Program at Denver Public Schools, who recruited students through an application process, organized transportation for the girls, and provided on-site support. 

Get Involved

Planning is already underway for next year’s round of workshops. If you, or your firm, is interested in getting involved with the program, please reach out to Brittany Soler, Assoc. AIA, or Sarah Goldblatt, AIA.

Thank you

The leaders of the workshop would like to extend their gratitude to the mentors who helped make this final workshop a success:

Special Thanks to:

About the Author

Anna Friedrich, AIA

Anna Friedrich, AIA, NCARB, is a Boulder-based Architect and AIA Volunteer. She is currently serving as the Associate Director of AIA Colorado and a member of the J.E.D.I Committee. She works on restaurant, mixed-use, and multifamily projects with Bray Architecture.

© AIA Colorado 2025
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