Building a Solid Foundation: Nancy S. Weinman, AIA, on Why Every Young Architect Needs a Mentor

For almost every sector, mentorship has become a sought-after asset for ambitious professionals. According to surveys, more than 75% of business leaders say they’ve had a mentor who significantly influenced their success, while 90% of them are now more than satisfied at work. That guidance can mean the difference between stagnation and accelerated growth, between struggling alone and having a trusted voice who has already faced the challenges you’re about to encounter.

When it comes to architecture, however, mentorship is still a little rare. Many young architects complete their degrees, step into a firm, and then find that their only ‘professional development’ might be an occasional in-house seminar or a once-a-year team-building workshop. That might check a box, but it doesn’t provide the personal feedback, the tailored advice, and the deep confidence that come from having an experienced mentor on your side.

Veteran architect and principal at Weinman Architectural Services, Nancy S. Weinman AIA, knows this first-hand. When she started in school, only a small percentage of architects were women. She not only navigated the design world but also went on to lead in construction and project management, often as the only woman on a job site.

“You can learn a lot from conferences and classes,” Weinman says, “but every once in a while, you just need somebody to hold your hand and say, ‘Yes, you’re doing this part right,’ or ‘No, let’s try a different approach.’ Until someone gets to know you personally, they can’t point out the strengths you should double down on, or the gaps you might not even realize are holding you back.”

For Weinman, a good mentor isn’t just someone who has more years in the industry. They’re someone who’s been through the fires, solved real-world problems, navigated client conflicts, managed budgets under pressure, and can pass those lessons on so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. That’s especially important for women in architecture, where confidence can be harder to come by simply because there are fewer role models to look up to.

Weinman believes architecture is where math meets art, where precision and beauty have to co-exist. “You have to have a lot of attention to detail. You can’t be casual about anything. There’s the technical side, the ability to visualize in 3D, and then there’s the aesthetics. Some of that can be taught, but some of it really comes from within.”

But even those two aren’t enough on their own. Weinman says the third, often underestimated, pillar is communication: “Architecture is all about people. You have to guide clients through decisions, sometimes big financial ones, so they end up with something that works for their life and budget, not just something that looks good in a magazine.”

When it comes to residential design, Weinman shares how there is a difference between a ‘house’ and a ‘home.’ She shares, “A good home has qualities that last. I always ask my clients what they remember from their childhood home that made it special. That’s the starting point. You build for the person, not the portfolio, and when you do that right, the portfolio takes care of itself.”

Through her one-on-one online mentorship program, podcasts, and talks, Nancy S. Weinman is determined to prepare the next generation of architects, particularly women, to approach their careers with confidence, competence, and pride. “If I can help our group be better, more skilled, more respected, then we all win,” she says. “I want female architects to go into the world representing all of us in the best possible light.”