Honored as a champion of employee ownership within the first round of Ankrom Moisan’s rewards & recognition program, Stephanie Hollar sees the greater whole of our efforts and embraces teamwork to make a difference.
Stephanie Hollar’s headshot.
Stephanie first came to Ankrom Moisan at the behest of her then-boyfriend (now husband). It was over a decade ago, back in 2013. She was living in Washington state and wanted to make the move down to Portland “My husband recommended that I reach out to Ankrom Moisan because he knew Amanda Lunger,” Stephanie explained. “They were friends in college, and since he knew I was interested in housing, he thought this would be a good spot for me. I sent my portfolio to Amanda, and that’s how I got my foot through the door.”
When she started at Ankrom Moisan, getting through the rest of the door, Stephanie recalled that it was a really exciting time. “We were doing lots of projects in Portland, and there was a lot of hiring. We hired quite a few people who were just right out of college,” she said. “It was fun to start with a bunch of people who were in the same boat as me, carrier-wise.”
In addition to the excitement of starting her first post-grad job with a group of similarly aged coworkers, Stephanie found lots of stimulation in her work. She described her first project, Goat Blocks, as “cool, interesting, and exciting,” due to its location just a quick bike ride away from where she was living at the time. Now, over ten years later, Stephanie is still just as passionate about the work she does as a Technical Designer, doing CA (Construction Administration, AKA Administration of the Contract for Construction) work on affordable housing projects. “I just love the reason behind doing affordable housing,” Stephanie said. “There’s absolutely a housing crisis going on. Being able to feel like you’re doing something to help fix that is really nice.”
Stephanie’s recognition banner.
Having worked consistently to make an impact on the housing crisis with Ankrom Moisan’s affordable housing team, Stephanie knows that she’s grown a lot in her time at the firm. “I’ve become a lot more confident over the years,” she said. “Confident and more comfortable asking questions and stepping into conversations, especially as a woman. It can be hard to bring your voice to the table when it’s all just men, but that’s something I’ve become more comfortable and confident with, with age and experience.”
Stephanie is a groundbreaker in holding space for women in architecture, leading research into the consequences of gender disparity in the industry as part of Ankrom Moisan’s 2023 Do Good Be Well research scholarship program. Her collaboration with Amanda Lunger and Elisa Zenk, titled “Where are the Women,” revealed six key challenges faced by women within the industry, and proposed solutions to boost equity and support women in architecture.
Elisa, Amanda, and Stephanie together in the Portland office, from their Do Good Be Well research project feature.
It was that spirited drive and initiative that led to Stephanie being nominated as Ankrom Moisan’s Employee Ownership Champion. When asked what ’employee ownership’ means to her, Stephanie revealed that it means “taking responsibility and ownership not just for your work, but also for your team’s work.”
Making the point that a document set is not created by a single person on their own, but rather by a team of people, Stephanie looks at the bigger picture, seeing how each team member contributes to the greater whole of a project’s design. “It’s important to recognize that it’s all of us together. We need to own that. That’s how I think of employee ownership; what we produce is our work.”
Stephanie’s Employee Owner Champion Nomination Video
Stephanie found out about her acknowledgment when she received a ‘congratulations’ text from Amanda. “I didn’t understand what she was talking about,” Stephanie admits. “Then I saw it on the Insider. I was very flattered and honestly a little bit shocked. I don’t have a project team I’m working with, so I didn’t think that this was something I had a chance of winning. I’m very appreciating of the nice words from everyone who nominated me and recognized the kind of work I’m doing, even if it’s just me doing it right now.”
Once the shock of winning subsided, Stephanie began to think about the future of what the Rewards & Recognition honor could be. “I really hope that this program encourages us to acknowledge when people do a job well done. Having a culture that values employees who do a good job and a program to celebrate that is a good thing that we should keep moving forward,” she shared.
Called out in her nomination video by David Kelley for leading the first ‘Lessons Learned’ with the housing studio, Stephanie stepped up to share what different teams can do to support CA work. The studio wanted to have some informative discussions with groups that weren’t in the same studio, discipline, or practice as them to provide updates on what’s going on in the office. “I put together a list of dos-and-don’ts for construction administration (CA) and other things I found helpful for what I’m doing,” Stephanie said. “I was trying to provide knowledge about what I thought was good and what I thought could be worked on. I think it led to some good conversations, because everybody has their own opinions on the best ways to do certain things. It was a productive work session that I think everyone appreciated, since it was the first of its kind.”
Being able to communicate to different studios how to support the CA work she does was huge for Stephanie. As the only one doing CA for the Shea project she is working on, she has a lot on her plate. She revealed that one way she’s supported in her role is by checking in with Don Sowieja, her direct manager, every other week. “He has a lot of trust in me. It helps me be successful, knowing I can come to him,” she shared. “He provides me with guidance but doesn’t overstep. He allows me to do work that maybe I haven’t done before, but he trusts I can do it well. That’s something I find very supportive – having trust as an employee.”
Outside of work, Stephanie continues spreading support by volunteering for ACE, and Architecture, Construction, and Engineering after-school mentorship program for high school students in the Portland area. “It helps me feel rejuvenated and excited about where architecture is going,” Stephanie said. “It’s fun to see students get excited about what we do. They come up with some very cool designs and ideas, so seeing the next generation really inspires and excites me.”
Stephanie with the ACE group in the materials library at Ankrom Moisan’s Portland office.
Her advice for the next generation of architects and interior designers is simple, yet impactful. “There are no dumb questions,” she said. “When you’re so young and first starting your career out, you think that school prepares you for everything in the real world, but it really doesn’t. It gets your mind ready to absorb all the information that you can’t learn in school.” Stephanie encourages young professionals to ask questions and absorb all the knowledge they’re receiving. “Don’t pretend you know everything right off the bat, because that’s not true,” she emphasized. “Every day I’m learning new things. Be open to always learning more.”
Going back to the idea of employee ownership, Stephanie’s second lesson for young professionals just starting out in their careers is that architecture – at least here at Ankrom Moisan – is a team effort. She emphasized being open to collaboration, saying “It’s not just one person doing everything. I really encourage everybody to have a mindset where they’re working as a team and being a team player.”
Working together as a team means many challenges are overcome quicker, and with less difficulty. That doesn’t mean that there will be no challenges, though. For Stephanie, the biggest challenge she’s faced in her position is leading a team that’s constantly changing. “Trying to keep things moving forward while everything in the background is shifting around you is really difficult,” she said. “To overcome that, being able to rely on other people in the office for guidance was huge. I had to come up with a work plan so that even if my team is changing, I still have a path to move forward.”
Just over the horizon is a new challenge for her, though – motherhood. “I’ll be confronting another big challenge moving forward, which is balancing both motherhood and working. I’m really curious to see how that will work out, moving forward,” Stephanie said. She plans on using her recently earned sabbatical to take an extended maternity leave, adjusting to her new life as a mother before coming back to work. Though this challenge will be one she must face herself, without a team, Stephanie knows that all of Ankrom Moisan is supporting her in her journey through this new stage of life. As the Employee Owner Champion, she knows that she is never truly alone here.
Indoor / Outdoor Air Quality
The Do GOOD / Be WELL scholarship encourages Ankrom Moisan employees to research an open-ended topic of their choosing and share the practical results of their findings with the firm, industry, and community at large. The scholarship, started in 2017, is sponsored in memory of former AM employee Carolyn Forsyth, an inspirational leader and unyielding force for change. Intended to honor her legacy of sustainability, equity, innovation, advocacy, education, and leadership, the DGBW scholarship elevates and empowers new and inspiring ideas within Ankrom Moisan and the broader field of architecture, pushing us all, as the name implies, to do good and be well.
As the recipient of the 2022 Do GOOD / Be WELL scholarship, Cara Godwin encouraged Ankrom Moisan employees to not only learn about air quality but to measure their own. Cara implemented a program that provided home air kits, consisting of a HEPA filter and an air sensor, to be checked out and taken home.
By using air sensors that provided a real-time air quality score, participants were able to better understand how opening windows, cooking, and running exhaust fans impact indoor air quality. The program also encouraged people to be Citizen Scientists by gathering data in their own respective environments and automatically sharing it to the Purple Air network map in real time, increasing the pool of scientific knowledge that design decisions can be made from.
Kaiterra Egg air sensor utilized in Cara’s research study.
The (Overlooked) Importance of Air Quality
Designers of the built environment are deeply familiar with energy scores and water scores, but air quality has been less defined and is often left unconsidered—Cara hopes to change that.
Cara has lived in the Methow Valley for twelve years now, an area which often deals with wildfire smoke. Cara and her husband had indoor air quality at the front of their minds when they built their home in 2011. Their son has had respiratory issues since birth and asthma since just before his second birthday, which led the pair to learn more about indoor and outdoor air quality. “We are a ‘Clean Air Methow Ambassador,’ we have been interviewed on a podcast, interviewed by a health reporter, and often my son’s photo and story are used in discussions about air quality,” Cara stated. “This scholarship seemed like a natural way to share this information with coworkers and hopefully have a positive impact on future building designs.”
The Godwins: Cara, her husband, and her son.
Even if you have not personally noticed issues with air quality, you are likely being affected by air pollutants. More and more research talks about PM2.5 – fine inhalable particles with diameters that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller – and their long-term effect on our lungs. PM2.5 sources include chemical exhaust from industries and automobiles, wildfire smoke, pollen, dust, and hundreds of other chemicals. EPA and other clean air groups are focusing on education for people to understand air scores and sources. This study helps expand those efforts.
The Findings from the Air Sensors
The most common response from kit recipients was about cooking. It is uncommon for range hoods to be used every time a cooktop is utilized, though that is the recommendation. After receiving their results, many participants noted they will use the hood more often. One participant noted that their charcoal recirculating exhaust fan was not adequate on its own and required a window to be open for proper ventilation.
Another finding was that pets do not seem to have a negative impact on air quality. Running the HEPA filter had noticeable positive impacts for participants with seasonal allergies and asthma.
In a survey filled out after using test kits at home for a few weeks, participants were asked what they might do differently in future designs after receiving their own personal air quality scores. Several responded by advocating for electric cooking over gas. A few mentioned advocating for operable windows and making operable windows open further. There is a desire to avoid using charcoal recirculating fans for kitchen exhaust. Others mentioned trying to design for air changes above code minimum and running the whole house exhaust longer.
Awair air monitor in use.
Swapping Cooktops to Improve Air Quality
During this time, Cara was looking into replacing her propane cooktop with an electric induction range and took the opportunity to tie her search in with her research proposal, using the information gathered from the use of the HEPA filter and air sensor to guide her purchase decision, and sharing the results with the firm. This choice was supported by Cara’s experiences with indoor air quality monitors, as they have demonstrated that cooking has the greatest impact on air quality in a home. Cara swapped out her propane cooktop for a gas one, as well as her exhaust hood in hopes that a quieter exhaust hood would be used more. Finding the right induction range was the tricky part. The options seem limited, and costs vary greatly.
Her research found that the difference in cost is dependent on the size of the magnet, and that the size of the magnet, or burner, should match the size of the pan being used. This is because a pan too large for a burner will not heat up efficiently, and food will not be evenly cooked. The main obstacle in sourcing a new cooktop was related to finding black appliances, which have even fewer options. In the end, Cara switched to black stainless steel. For the exhaust hood, quieter options require an 8” exhaust duct. Cara’s pre-existing duct was only 6”, meaning it was not feasible to replace the exhaust duct in the roof assembly, so the new hood is only slightly better in terms of noise level.
For the actual experience with induction cooking, Cara states that “it has been a real pleasure to cook with. The cooking is more even, and water does boil as fast as everyone says. There is also peace of mind with all the recent news of harmful chemicals coming from gas cooktops.” The original concern with the propane cooktop had to do with CO2 levels rising during seasonal times of wildfire smoke when fresh air is closed off, but the benefits of an induction range have expanded to all year round. Cara recommends induction over gas to anyone building new construction, and in her case, with someone with respiratory issues in the house, switching is a great option.
Cara’s new black stainless steel induction range with hood.
Applying the Research to our Designs
If you have not experienced it yourself, you probably know someone who has had to alter their plans or take medication due to allergies to pets, perfume, or wildfire smoke. At Ankrom Moisan, we talk about designing for all users and that should include designing for respiratory sensitivities.
This study will hopefully help influence future building designs to take user sensitivities into account, and therefore create buildings that are a haven from pollutants and irritants during times of poor outdoor air quality. And in times of good outdoor air quality, our spaces should reduce known contributors to poor indoor air quality.
One example of how we can design more inclusively is to consider air quality and pet allergies. Many residential communities today allow dogs but that can exclude people with allergies from living there—unless the air quality improves and the building, as well as furnishing, is designed to minimize pet dander. Our designers, armed with the findings from Cara’s research, can also advocate for features that will benefit everyone such as electric induction ranges, quieter exhaust hoods and operable kitchen windows
Though indoor and outdoor air quality is a consideration that is often forgotten, Cara’s DGBW research program illustrates the importance of bringing all aspects of wellness into a building’s design, and redefines how we explore beyond, changing what designing for inclusiveness can mean.
By Cara Godwin, Practice Manager