Sebastien’s Take: Inclusivity & Diversity in Architecture
A passionate advocate for social change, Sebastien Coles discusses his near decade-long career, journey to MdeAS and experience as a queer, black architect.
Tell us a little about your background.
I was born in Miami but lived in Port Au Prince, Haiti for the first six years of my life. I moved to Miami in 1994 and spent my younger years there up until high school.
Sebastien in Haiti, age five
Sebastien’s childhood home in Haiti, designed by his mother
How did you get started in architecture?
I have always been surrounded by design, especially when my mom was studying architecture in Montreal, Canada. In Haiti, building your own house is a part of the way you live and at the time, my mom was designing the house that I would eventually grow up in. At three years old (so my mother has told me), I was offering design advice on the house, where the windows should go- things of that nature. I always knew I would be an architect and it felt natural that it was my path forward.
After moving to Miami, I attended visual art based “magnet” schools at a very young age and eventually went to a design-oriented high school (DASH). I was in the Architecture program and went on to start the Architecture club at the school. I was using CAD at 14 years old. I later on attended Syracuse University where I completed the 5-year architecture program.
Did you always want to go into Commercial Architecture?
When I was in school, everything was theory-based and we were exposed to a lot of different facets within the field. I then moved to New York and discovered MdeAS. I liked the firm’s work and was interested in knowing more. MdeAS really opened up my eyes to commercial architecture. I’ve always been interested in socially impactful design and many of MdeAS’ projects permeate New York City’s social fabric.
Can you elaborate on that?
As designers, we have power and say in the built environment. Spaces are so important to how we feel and the way that we engage with them is hugely impactful. Take for example, right now I’m sitting in my apartment and it affects my mood, my experience, my attitude, etc. My apartment’s contextual placement, the neighborhood, the demographic all speak to each other simultaneously and as architects, we lend a helping hand in curating the language between these different elements.
I remember when we completed Herald Center (one of my first big projects with MdeAS), it entirely re-energized the area. With my own two eyes, I was able to see a tangible change that MdeAS brought on by repositioning this building in the mid-town landscape. The work we are doing at Penn 1 is similar; we are revitalizing a building to better serve the community. I find it to be really inspiring to see a project that is not just about making something pretty, it’s also about how it effects its context, how it effects people using it, how it leads to any future social changes.
In today’s climate, what can the industry do to be more inclusive?
Right now, with the current racial issues we are undergoing, I am asking myself how do we as architects help? We have stake in the power for change. Obviously, it’s dictated by other agencies but at the end of the day we are part of the holders of what the built environment’s future can look like.
What do you take into consideration when designing an inclusive space?
Where is a mother going to feed her child? How is the person in a wheelchair going to navigate the space? Is this space going to promote spontaneous interactions between racially diverse people? Public spaces help to promote that. New York City is an ethnically diverse city, so there is no room for exclusive design.
As a queer, person of color, do you see yourself accurately represented in the field?
Being a black, queer and first-generation immigrant within the field has its challenges because it’s rare to see others like me. The percentage of black architects in the field is very low and I am always aware of that. I don’t have the option to not think about it.
What’s your take on inclusivity in the industry?
When it comes to acceptance of the LBGTQIA+ community, I feel as though the design world is a plush place to exist in. We have a huge community of queer people in design and architecture. Generally, I feel a wide range of acceptance amongst my peers.
Though there are times when I find myself much more aware of who I am and that’s usually driven by certain individuals small mindedness. When it comes to racial and ethnic diversity, our office is essentially a small melting pot which isn’t necessarily the case for all architectural offices nationwide. I have colleagues from all over the world and that’s a pretty exciting thing. With all that’s been going on these days surrounding race in America, it’s allowing for more space to have open and honest conversations around what progress needs to be made in order to have a future that truly is inclusive and equal. Historically, this has been an ongoing issue and change needs to happen.
How can the industry improve?
We have to ask ourselves: How do we change this? How do we make “space” equal for everyone? We have a duty as architects and there’s no better time than now.
Contributor
Sebastien Coles
Senior Associate
