When architect Gail Sullivan isn’t at work, she still likes to focus on design, just in a slightly messier way.
Sullivan, founder and managing director of Boston-based Studio G Architects, says she uses her free time to garden or make pottery to make female figures.
“I love getting my hands in the mud,” Sullivan said. In addition, he appreciates that he can finish a project promptly, unlike the years it takes to deliver a building.
Much has changed in the 35 years since he founded his company, which aims to design sustainable and people-centered projects.
Here, Sullivan explains her career path, why she ended up in architecture, and what she’s seen change for women in the construction industry since she started.
The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Construction Immersion: What initially attracted you to the construction industry?
GAIL SULLIVAN: When I was 5 years old, I stole my brother’s building blocks to build all kinds of things. The craziest thing was a ski resort. I don’t know how I knew ski resorts existed. No one in my family had ever skied, but I built a ski resort with a chair lift.
I would say I had an early inclination to make buildings, but I didn’t follow it at first. I worked a lot in non-profits for about a decade after I got out of college. One of the areas was around domestic violence, violence against women and children. Then I went to Greenpeace New England because I was very interested in the environment.
From there I went to architecture school. In many ways, I would say that these experiences influenced what I wanted to do in architecture. I wanted to create highly ecological buildings and I wanted to do it at the service of the people who needed them the most. This is what I wrote in my application and mission statement when I started Studio G.
What does being a woman in construction mean to you?
A friend of mine sent me an article that said 2.6% of registered architects were women in 1983 when I was at MIT. And that was shocking.
I was fortunate to have a large cohort of women in my class and we agreed that we would all seek our licenses as soon as possible to change that number.
Gail Sullivan
Permission granted by Studio G Architects
I was working with non-profit organizations, and many of them were run by women. So my clients were women. But on a construction site, I was the only woman for miles around for a long, long time.
And so when I think about women in construction, there are a lot of women now, but still, I don’t see a lot of women on site. And that disappoints me.
When I see a woman in a play, I get so excited that I go up to chat with her because I was the only one there for so long and it’s not very comfortable.
What changes have you seen in the sector throughout your career? Has it improved?
I think it has improved a lot. And it has improved in part because of the women who pioneered it. I have friends who started their own electrical, plumbing, etc. companies. They have left their mark and trained people who have gone on and continued this work. There has been a general change in social attitude and as a result you see more women.
They used to be the only women I saw on a construction site where they hung the blinds or did the cleaning, right? These were the two jobs.
Now I see women who are there as plumbers. I see them as carpenters. I see them as construction managers, as superintendents. This is a big change. This is great.
And the more there is, the more there will be.
What advice do you have for other women in construction?
I generally don’t give advice unless someone asks for it. But it’s really about recognizing someone and having that connection. I want them to know that they are not the only ones.
I would tell young women who are considering going into construction, go for it. Women can be very successful in all fields of construction. You have to find your peers, you have to find your support group. I am part of a small group of female entrepreneurs who meet once a year and support each other. I think it’s really important to have peer support, whether it’s your exact industry or all industries.
