Celebrating Women in Architecture, Planning and Design
March is a time to celebrate the contributions women have made to our profession. We are all standing on the shoulders of the female architects, planners and designers who came before us. While design and architecture have historically been dominated by men, women have made crucial contributions to our built environments that have defined where we are in the profession today. We are proud that Sizemore Group has benefited from the leadership of groundbreaking female professionals for decades. Each of our departments is led by a female director. As the popular saying goes: at Sizemore Group, “the future is female.”
This Women’s History Month, we are celebrating the outstanding contributions of these women by spotlighting some of their favorite projects.
Lily Berrios, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, President
Memorable Project: City of Smyrna Town Center and Library
“A memorable project is City of Smyrna Public Library and town center. The library is one of two jewels that frame the new town green, all created together to give the people of Smyrna a new town center and identity. The library’s iconic form was carefully fitted to meet its function as a beacon of access to information. The exposed wood structure provides the right warm and inviting setting for learning and community events.”

City of Smyrna Public Library
Deanna Murphy, AICP, Principal and Director of Planning
Memorable Project: City of Atlanta District 12 Blueprint Plan
“My favorite project is the City of Atlanta District 12 Neighborhood Blueprint Plan. I enjoyed the neighborhood level planning which allowed us to get to know the residents at a more personal level. This scale also allowed us to find fun and creative opportunities to add art, play, signage into the community in small pockets throughout, providing a more detailed, small scale creative placemaking experience.”

City of Atlanta District 12 Blueprint Plan
Tulia Scott, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Architecture
Memorable Project: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
“My favorite project is the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. The rich history and cultural infusion of the people and liturgy into the conceptual design process has led to a design that resonates with the parishioners. As an architect and parishioner, I am excited about the development of the design and the ability of the spaces created inside and outside to be vessels for the next century of the church community and its memories to come.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Angel Kauffmann, IIDA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal and Director of Interiors
Memorable Project: Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church
“Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church. It was an incredible experience to work with a group with such a rich culture that embraces their past, present and future. From the beginning, the members of this church wanted a building that captured not only the congregation’s catholic faith, but also their Vietnamese heritage and American life. One memorable moment, in particular, was participating in programming sessions with every child in Sunday school; a process the building committee was passionate about as they wanted the children to be a part of the dream of the new church that they would soon be leading.”

Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church
Jonné Smith, LEED Green Associate
Memorable Project: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
“My favorite project is also the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. I love that the project is invested in its culturally dynamic and historic neighborhood context – which speaks to my own background. It really bridges the gap between wanting a project to serve its functional purpose, but also speaking to the heart of the neighborhood it will serve. It’s truly the making of a ‘place’ rather than just a ‘space’.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church