Representation in architecture is not a side issue. It affects who feels welcome, who gets supported, who is visible and who can imagine a long-term future in the profession.
Savannah Williams’ work with POC in Architecture is important because it turns that conversation into something practical: stories, mentoring, community, visibility and support for people of colour moving through architecture.
Watch: Savannah Williams on POC in Architecture
Savannah Williams talks about POC in Architecture, representation, mentorship and why support structures matter for people of colour in the profession.
Listen: representation, mentoring and inclusion
The full audio gives more space to the story behind POC in Architecture, its mentoring work and the wider need for practical change.
What POC in Architecture adds
The original idea started as a way to surface voices and work that were not being seen enough. Over time, that grew into a more structured platform, including mentoring and support for people at early career stages.
- It gives visibility to people and projects that may otherwise be missed.
- It creates practical mentoring routes, especially for early-career students.
- It makes representation feel active, not just symbolic.
- It connects with wider collectives and initiatives pushing for change.
- It gives practices a reminder that inclusion needs infrastructure.
Why mentoring matters early
Early architecture careers can be hard to read from the outside. If you do not know what a Part 1 role looks like, what to ask, how portfolios are judged or how office culture works, mentoring can make the profession less opaque.
What practices should take from this
A practice cannot solve inclusion by saying it values diversity. It has to look at how people are found, interviewed, supported, promoted and listened to once they are inside the organisation.
- Review where candidates are being sourced from.
- Make early-career expectations clearer.
- Pay attention to mentoring and line management.
- Notice who gets visibility and responsibility.
- Work with community groups in a way that is useful rather than extractive.
Common mistakes
- Treating representation as a marketing image rather than a lived experience.
- Expecting underrepresented people to carry the work of change alone.
- Talking about inclusion without changing hiring, mentoring or progression.
- Ignoring early-career support, where many people first decide whether the profession is for them.
- Using polished language without practical action behind it.
Useful next routes
If this topic matters to you, use the episode as a starting point and then look at the practical routes around careers, community and support.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that good intentions are not enough. If practices want a wider range of people to thrive, they need clearer routes in, better mentoring and more honest conversations about what progression actually looks like.
Make inclusion practical
Whether you are a candidate, mentor or employer, turn the conversation into one useful action.
- Candidates can look for mentors and ask clear questions early.
- Mentors can share practical context, not just encouragement.
- Practices can review how early-career people are supported.
- Community groups can help surface stories, gaps and routes forward.
Next step
Watch or listen to Savannah’s episode, then choose one practical action: follow the work, support mentoring, review your hiring process or share a useful resource with someone earlier in their career.
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