Architecture in the Den: the power of listening with Catherine Davis

Tune in to hear Lisa and Catherine reflect on how their careers have developed, and their tips on getting the best out of working with colleagues and for clients.

 

Listening is a crucial ingredient for building healthy relationship which nourish strong leadership and thriving organizations. If you think this is an overstatement, just think of a recent time when you felt like no one was listening. How did that make you feel? Did your engagement increase or decrease?

 

Host Lisa and her guest Catherine would argue that in the architecture profession, women are ahead in respect of this skill.  In their experience female architects instinctively set pride aside, face clients and colleagues with openness, and are more able to adapt their designs = successful architecture.   Put simply, a happy client is one whose views have shaped their build.  And a happy client is going to ask you to do more work for them and recommend you to their friends. 

 

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life.  She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into.  She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival.  A key focus of the Pride Road business model is to ensure franchisees have the confidence and skills to effectively develop client relationships.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

 

Catherine Davis is a registered British architect whose work spans the US and UK. She has led developer and architect teams on a variety of new-build and conservation initiatives, including mixed- use greenfield and brownfield planning, design and permitting. She founded and leads her own practice, CED and Associates.

 

Catherine Davis is a registered British architect whose work spans the US and UK. She has led developer and architect teams on a variety of new-build and conservation initiatives, including mixed- use greenfield and brownfield planning, design and permitting. She founded and leads her own practice, CED and Associates. 

 

Catherine Davis moved to England with her family when she was 12. She is a graduate of Westminster University, the Architectural Association and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. 

 

Catherine began her career working for the US Department of the Interior as an Historic Architect on projects such as Death Valley, Fort Moultrie, York Town Battlefield, and the Quincy Adams Homestead. Catherine developed new methods and specifications in these projects by incorporating the prior experience she gained as an apprentice architect working on Victorian buildings in London. 

Catherine returned to Cambridge MA where she launched her own practice, CED and Associates, specializing in all aspects of the built environment and the underlying business and financial considerations of real estate development and environmental stewardship. 

 

Catherine pioneered the concept of a portfolio career and considers herself a “re-entrepreneur,” having carved out a unique path pursuing multiple business ventures. Inventive, pragmatic and agile, Catherine exemplifies her exploratory approach in all her professional choices. 

 

As planners, public health officials, developers and municipalities have begun to emphasize the integration of natural and constructive green spaces into the built environment, Catherine is uniquely qualified to apply both her expertise and career-long professional commitment to restoration, preservation and the prominence of parklands in our cities. 

 

8 Mason Street Cambridge MA 02138 +1 617 314 0999 catherine@cedandassociates.com