Architecture in the Den with Lira Luis: the Joy of Networking

Lisa Raynes, Pride Road Founder and CEO, chats to Chicago based Lira Luis RIBA.

Both Lisa and Lira – the former based in Manchester, UK the latter based in Chicago, US – are joyful networkers and members of the RIBA which in 2020 was acknowledged as a Superbrand. Hear them chat about how networking skills – used both in online and offline communities – have helped them to develop their own practices and what they enjoy about the process. When you have a high-energy career or you run your own business it can be difficult to understand where to focus your time. It starts by thinking about where you can add and also gain value as you make strategic decisions about which memberships to join, events to attend and people to engage. 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. Pride Road is building its network of franchisees across the UK with the aim of providing rewarding careers for ambitious architects who can’t find the right role for them and in opening their own business want to retain the support of a team. A key element of Pride Road business model is to ensure that each Franchisee has the self-confidence and skills to effectively market themselves and their businesses. Lisa Raynes got started in business by necessity after being made redundant for the second time as her family grew. 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.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Lira Luis FRIBA, FRSA, NCARB, CEM, LEED AP, formed an architecture career for the benefit of others through research and innovation. As Taliesin Fellow she revived Frank Lloyd Wright’s underutilised System-Built Homes, a precedent to Jacobs House (UNESCO site) — resulting in reduction of blight in a disadvantaged NJ city block. Her Leapfrog Project’s “Living Ball” enabled self-sufficient empowerment of extreme climate survivors through geodesic constructions. She developed new architectural solutions to help island nations overcome rapidly rising sea levels in her Magnetic Levitation Experiment. In 2020 both the RIBA and Royal Society of Arts elected her as Fellow.