Do you know this Filipino American Architect?
/October is Filipino American History Month (FAHM), commemorating the month the first Filipinos arrived in the continental United States in the late 1500s. This month brings awareness to the role Filipino people have in American history and honors the unique cultures from the 7,000+ islands that make up the Philippines.
Filipino people have enriched American life and culture through their contributions to the healthcare, agriculture, and technology industries, allyship in wars, presence in modern art and music (we stan Bruno Mars), their delicious food, and so much more. However, one area of contribution we rarely hear about is in the built environment, so in honor of FAHM, we’re sharing a story of one Filipino-American woman who’s making a difference in the world of Architecture.
lira luisa / www.usgbc.org
Anna Lira Luis (who goes by Lira) is a Chicago-based Architect and firm owner, with work and licensure globally, and prioritizes the environment, benefit of community, and social impact through the work she does using research and innovative technologies. Luis’ architecture education began in the Philippines at the University of Santo Tomas and holds a Masters of Architecture from the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, where she became the first Taliesin Fellow from the Philippines in 2000.
Through her work as a Taliesin Fellow, she implemented a revival of System-Built Homes (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), an affordable housing solution that transformed a blighted and disadvantaged city block in New Jersey into a space where people can live and thrive. In 2010, Lira received the AIA Athena Young Professional Leadership Award for “contributing time and energy to improving her community’s quality of life,” and “actively assisting others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential.”
Luisa’s living ball / alll.liraluis.com
Another incredible initiative of Luis’ is her extensive research and development of an experiment called “Living Ball,” a self-sufficient geodesic installation that is powered by bioluminescent plankton and the sun. This ball is intended to protect survivors of natural disasters from the elements and provide WIFI, lighting, and other services to those affected, until they can be restored.
Other notable work includes pioneering an energy-saving analysis process for passive solar daylighting in the Phoenix Crime Lab, which was later replicated in other crime labs, and her Magnetic Levitation experiment and architectural solution to help island nations overcome rapidly rising sea levels. Lira’s groundbreaking work earned her the honor of Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2020. RIBA is a global organization that drives excellence in architecture to deliver better buildings, stronger communities, and a focus on sustainable environment. Fellow members are recognized for having made a real contribution to architecture and the community.
We are grateful for the life-changing approach to architecture and design that punctuates all of Lira Luis’ work, and we are excited to see how her innovations impact the built environment for generations to come.