Women have been practicing architecture in Philadelphia since 1889, yet it was not until the late twentieth century that they began receiving broad recognition. Today, according to the AIA, a dozen local architecture firms are led by women who are shaping both the city’s historic preservation landscape and its most forward-looking designs. You have likely passed their buildings and may even live in one, but do you know the women behind them? Allow us to introduce them.

Daniela Voith, Voith and MacTavish Architects

Daniela Voith is the Founding Partner and Director of Design at Voith and MacTavish Architects (VMA), the city’s longest continuously operating woman-owned architecture practice. She and Cameron MacTavish established the firm in 1988. What began as a two-partner office has grown into a 40-person team with a strong focus on social and environmental responsibility.

Voith earned her BA from Bryn Mawr College and an MA from the Yale School of Architecture. Her work spans historic preservation, including projects at Penn’s Carey Law School, and contemporary design such as Drexel University’s twelve-story LeBow Hall. She was the first female President of the AIA Philadelphia Chapter and has taught at Bryn Mawr since 1983, in addition to teaching at Yale, Drexel, and the University of Pennsylvania.

FIFTEEN Architecture & Design

Founded in 2017, FIFTEEN Architecture & Design is led by five female Principals: Mary Beth Di Figlia, Heather Hersh, Jill Lavine, Soha St. Juste, and Ximena Valle. Their team includes nine additional women architects and four men. Working regionally and nationally, they specialize in health and wellness, life sciences, higher education, and workplace strategy. Local projects include the Rowan University School of Dance, PHMC Health Campus at 4601 Market Street, Coriell Research Institute, and Oshun Maternal Health Center.

ALMA Architecture

ALMA Architecture LLC was founded in 2013 by Adrienne McKinney. She has led her team on major projects throughout the northeast, including work at Cornell University, Lafayette College, the State University of New York, and West Chester University. One of the firm’s most notable designs is Golaski Flats, a five-story mixed-use development in Germantown with 35 modular residential units, commercial offices, a makers space, and a community hub. McKinney has served as a guest juror for design reviews at Drexel University, Philadelphia University, Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, and Moore College of Art and Design.

Continuum Architecture & Design

Architect Judy Robinson is the Principal and owner of Continuum Architecture and Design, founded in 2005. A specialist in adaptive reuse, she is a member of the Sustainable Business Network and the US Green Building Council. She also served on the Design Review Committee for the Kensington South Neighborhood Advisory Committee. Her projects include La Colombe in Fishtown, Crane Arts, and the Gotham Building.

Converse Winkler Architecture

Miriam Winkler is the Founding Principal of Converse Winkler Architecture (CWA). The firm’s other two Principals are also women. Winkler earned her BA in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in Environmental Design from Yale. In 2024, CWA received an AIA Philadelphia Design Honor Award for the renovation of the Independence Hall SEPTA Station. Their work ranges from historic train station renovations to a Center City penthouse and senior living residences.

Purdy O’Gwynn Architects

Architect Linda O’Gwynn founded Purdy O’Gwynn Architects in 1994 with a focus on cultural, educational, and residential design. Three years later, architect Tom Purdy joined the firm after working with Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. Their projects together include Penn’s Center for Genetics, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, Drexel’s Business Incubator, and private homes across the region.

OLIN

OLIN began as Hanna/Olin, founded by Bob Hanna and Laurie Olin. After the partners split, the firm became OLIN, the name it carries today. Now recognized as a woman-owned design studio specializing in landscape architecture and urban design, OLIN is led by Design Partner and President and CEO Lucinda Sanders. She contributed to the 30-year master plan for the 30th Street Station District, which received the AIA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design.

Partner Susan K. Weiler, who joined the firm thirty years ago, holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where she now teaches. Her notable projects include the Anne d’Harnoncourt Sculpture Garden at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the design and construction of Dilworth Park at City Hall.

Taheri Architecture

Taheri Architecture Inc. is a certified Woman-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, originally founded in the United Kingdom in 1997 and established in the United States in 2007. President Dr. Roya Taheri earned her Master’s Degree in Architectural Design and her Doctorate in Building Environmental Engineering in Japan. The firm’s work centers on sustainability and energy efficiency. Local projects include the restoration and renovation of Motivation High School, formerly John Bartram High School.

Daroff Design

Karen Daroff is the President and Design Principal of Daroff Design, an interior design and architecture firm celebrating nearly fifty years as a certified Woman Business Enterprise. The company is best known for its interiors, and projects include the Temple School of Medicine, Children’s Seashore House, the Rittenhouse Hotel, Loews Hotels, Murano Condominiums, and the Comcast Center.

Mahan Rykiel Associates

Mahan Rykiel is a women-owned, certified WBE landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm headquartered in Baltimore with a Philadelphia office that opened in the Wanamaker Building in 2024. President Jingpeng Gu holds dual degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Her notable work includes the redevelopment of Baltimore Penn Station and the 660,000 square foot American Greetings headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ramla Benaissa Architecture

Ramla Benaissa, Founder and Principal of her namesake firm, holds a PhD from the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s Degree from McGill University. She lectures at Penn, Drexel, and the University of the Arts. Her practice works across residential, educational, commercial, institutional, and hospitality design in the United States, Europe, and Africa. Local work includes the community hub at Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square, renovations at the Municipal Services Building, and improvements to the Autopark Stairs at Independence Mall.

In March 2025, AIA President Danielle Kim wrote, “The future is female.” Philadelphia’s women-led architecture firms continue to prove she is right.

Philadelphia’s Next Chapter: Women Leading the Way

The growing presence of women in architecture is reshaping Philadelphia one thoughtful, community-centered project at a time. These leaders are expanding what is possible in preservation, planning, and design, proving that the profession is stronger when more voices are heard. Their dedication also hits close to home for us. Our very own Deborah Solo holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, a background that continues to inform Solo Real Estate’s commitment to honoring the city’s past while planning for its future. As the AIA has said, the future is female, and Philadelphia is already living proof.