Part W is an action group of engaged and proactive women working in architecture and design, planning, engineering, policy, infrastructure, construction, operations and sustainability.

The group is campaigning for gender parity across the built environment.

Founded by architect Zoë Berman (pictured above) in 2018, the intergenerational collective is formed of women from diverse backgrounds who are working together to call time on gender inequality in the built environment.

Park W and Moda are calling for action across the built environment sector to address the systemic gender equity challenges that exist in the sphere and ask others to join them in supporting Part W.

The partnership will launch with a mini film, which will outline the spectrum of careers across the built environment sector, accessible for 16-to-24-year-olds across social media channels, including Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, as well as being shared among student influencers and distributed to design colleges, schools, colleges and universities.

Zoë said: “Together, Part W and Moda share an aspiration to see more built projects being instigated, planned and delivered by women.

“We are impatient for equality, and our work includes us calling out instances of gender discrimination in an industry that routinely excludes, alongside developing positive and proactive solutions that can support bringing about change.

“We are pushing for intersectional thinking and are developing a series of actions intended to support women from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, across generations and with different experiences.

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“We are excited to launch this project — our first formal step in UK-wide educational outreach work this year.

“It will make a significant contribution to supporting young women to create a future role in the built environment and property sectors.

“We want to see more women joining the sector in the future, and this first project, supported by Moda, will help us to engage with and support young people’s learning.”

Lydia Eustace, director at Moda Living, added: “The Moda team is passionate about the role our female colleagues play in the success of the business, and 40% of the Moda workforce are women, a figure we intend to keep growing.

“However, we recognise that there is still a long way to go in our business, and the sector more widely, before women are headhunted for senior leadership roles in high-profile corporations.

“We believe that the solution is education, and we are so excited to be working with Part W in driving an educational outreach programme targeting young people. 

“There are not enough females looking to build careers in the property space currently, and to keep gender equality at the forefront requires a continued effort in changing this.

“It is our duty to empower the next generation of female leaders with the exciting opportunities that can be seized within this sector and, in BTR specifically, acknowledgement of the meaningful impact women can make to the way that residential neighbourhoods are created and operated.”

Phase two of the outreach programme will include digital Q&A sessions spanning the UK with leading representatives from across the property, design and construction sectors covering (but not limited to) construction, design, architecture, planning and operations.