Antonia M. Devine

“Architecture and the built environment is a lifetime profession - a marathon, not a sprint.”

#GirlsWhoBuild, meet Antonia M. Devine.

Antonia is a native New York who is shaping the cities skyline. She currently works for JDS, the Development Group behind The American Copper Building, The Walker Tower, and 111 West 57th Street. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton, a Master of Architecture from Yale, and years of industry experience with architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Antonia sat down with ArchNative to discuss her transition from the singular profession of architecture to a hybrid career in architecture, development, and construction, what her usual day looks like on a construction site, and her advice for women entering the field.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey in real estate. What was your first introduction to the field?

I am a licensed architect working in the real estate development and construction industry in New York City.

I have always been fascinated by the built environment. I grew up in Chelsea, Manhattan, an area which witnessed particular growth in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to the arrival of art galleries, Chelsea Piers, the High Line, and all the halo-effect buildings that followed. It was amazing to see my neighborhood grow so quickly: the real life counterpart to my bedroom Lego cities. Not only did I play with blocks (as all young architects probably do), but I also brought pencil and paper with me everywhere to draw the floor plans of any building I visited.

After undergrad at Princeton, and internships at Deborah Berke and Partners, and Platt Byard Dovell White in New York City, I got my M.Arch at the Yale School of Architecture. It was there, and particularly at a class called Introduction to Planning and Development, taught by Alexander Garvin, that I realized there were many external forces - politics, economics, zoning and site limitations - that influenced the design of buildings as much as architects did. I decided I was interested in a hybrid career in architecture/development/construction that would allow me to engage with these multi-faceted influences.

After a few years at Kohn Pedersen Fox where I gained my architecture license, I made my way over to this hybrid side, joining JDS Development Group in 2016.

While here, I've worked across multiple projects in different phases of acquisition, design and construction; I wear many hats on a daily basis ranging from architect to construction manager to interior designer to market analyst. There is never a dull day.

What about the industry enticed you to make it your career?

I think many architects would say that you don't find architecture, it finds you. And that was true for me - I have always wanted to build. But I mean, come on - Who wouldn't want to help shape and define the places in which people live and interact? Who wouldn't want to see their ideas become physical and permanent reality?

What has been your biggest challenge in your career?

I am one of very few woman on my construction site of 300 people. My team is great and everyone is supportive, but every stereotype about men in the wild is true. The language I hear, the jokes I hear.. its more than enough to make you blush.

Being the only woman in my role has required me to make extra effort in communicating what I need that is different from what the men on site need. For example, I was pregnant with my daughter on my first construction site. When I came back from maternity leave, I needed a clean and quiet place to pump - definitely not something men have asked for. It was so awkward (but necessary) to discuss breastfeeding needs with my boss, but we found a space for me to use and it worked out fine.

Beyond that, it takes a little extra time on each site and project for the people around me to realize that I am not an assistant, a real estate broker or in marketing - I'm an architect and I'm on site to make decisions. I typically just ignore those initial interactions as much as possible, but I do wonder what it would be like to arrive on site and never be doubted or questioned as it always seems like is the case for men.

What does your usual day look like?

No such thing as a usual day. But on any given day, I'll likely be doing a combination of: coordinating with our design consultants (architects, engineers, etc), sketching design changes, reviewing shop drawings and mock-ups from our contractors, specifying FFE with our interior designers, overseeing a model unit installation, developing a construction schedule, walking and reviewing a construction site, writing contract scopes, negotiating a change order, studying project precedents and inspiration images.

What is one piece of advice you have for women entering the field?

Architecture and the built environment is a lifetime profession - a marathon, not a sprint. And its also a broad profession - there are lots of jobs in the built environment, and lots of types of projects. They are all complementary. I think its important to take time to inhabit different roles to round out a wide skill set that you can use over the course of a long career. My time on construction sites, in the weeds of finish schedules, and concrete pours, has helped inform and reinforce my architectural skills by clarifying how to build the things I am designing.

So, in short: be patient, be thorough, and take advantage of a wide variety of opportunities.