Kishani De Silva's guest appearances

Kishani De Silva

XX|LA Architects Podcast

WHEREING: A Podcast about Belonging and Design 

Phil Johnson

Barbara Bestor

Mina Chow

Renee Cohen

Elena Manferdini

Nina Briggs

Rachel Allen

Elizabeth Timme

Sarah Lorenzen

Deborah Weintraub

Audrey Sato

Karen Kubey

Abbi Naylor

Helena Arahuete

Sara Wookey

OwlTail

What might resolve the challenges of sheltering the homeless? Embedded into the Los Angeles County Development Authority,  Kishani De Silva envisions a pilot scheme to test a smarter, faster, cheaper methodology. Bridging government, design, technology, and community resistance, she speaks, with hope, to the urgent need for alignment, partnership and the intangible meaning of community and belonging.

What might resolve the challenges of sheltering the homeless? Embedded into the Los Angeles County Development Authority,  Kishani De Silva envisions a pilot scheme to test a smarter, faster, cheaper methodology. Bridging government, design, technology, and community resistance, she speaks, with hope, to the urgent need for alignment, partnership and the intangible meaning of community and belonging.

KISHANI DE SILVA: HOME AND HOMELESSNESS | BUILDING SMARTER

Kishani DeSilva has worked in the architecture and design industries for over twenty years in the project and major program management arena. Prior to her current appointment in local government, she worked as a management consultant following her time as a project manager at Foster + Partners in London. Her current work as an Executive Advisor with the executive office of the Los Angeles County Development Authority focuses on homelessness and the affordable housing shortfall in Los Angeles. Additionally, as adjunct faculty at Woodbury University, she taught a graduate level practice class focusing on a management, leadership and entrepreneurship segment.  Kishani’s work relating to housing innovation, sustainability and the business of design have been published in Next City, 2019; Metropolis, 2016 and DesignIntelligence, 2012. She has a MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford, England, an executive leadership certification from Cornell and a BArch from Woodbury University. She is also a Board member of Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena—an entity working for social and economic justice for marginalized populations in the developing world.  Kishani is former President and Board member of the Association for Women in Architecture + Design, and leads the 50:50 x 2020 Initiative for gender equity. Interested in finding out more about 50:50 x 2020 Initiative?  Two upcoming events: 50:50 x 2020 Celebration on Friday, March 27, 2020 AIA ’20 Convention Session: “50:50 x 2020: 10 LA Firms Commit to Gender Equity” on Thursday, May 14, 2020

Kishani DeSilva has worked in the architecture and design industries for over twenty years in the project and major program management arena. Prior to her current appointment in local government, she worked as a management consultant following her time as a project manager at <a href="https://www.fosterandpartners.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Foster + Partners in London</a>. Her current work as an Executive Advisor with the executive office of the <a href="https://wwwa.lacda.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Los Angeles County Development Authority</a> focuses on homelessness and the affordable housing shortfall in Los Angeles. Additionally, as adjunct faculty at<a href="https://woodbury.edu/program/school-of-architecture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Woodbury University,</a> she taught a graduate level practice class focusing on a management, leadership and entrepreneurship segment.  Kishani’s work relating to housing innovation, sustainability and the business of design have been published in <a href="https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/new-approaches-to-affordable-housing-southern-california-thinking-small" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Next City, 2019</a>; Metropolis, 2016 and <a href="https://www.di.net/articles/forces-to-reckon-with-in-an-evolving-landscape-of-change/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DesignIntelligence, 2012</a>. She has a <a href="https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/msc-major-programme-management" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford, England</a>, an <a href="https://www.ecornell.com/certificates/leadership-and-strategic-management/executive-leadership/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">executive leadership certification from Cornell</a> and a <a href="https://woodbury.edu/program/school-of-architecture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BArch from Woodbury University</a>. She is also a Board member of <a href="https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/pasadena#fndtn-home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena</a>—an entity working for social and economic justice for marginalized populations in the developing world.  Kishani is former President and Board member of the <a href="http://www.awaplusd.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Association for Women in Architecture + Design</a>, and leads the <a href="https://www.awaplusd.org/5050-iniative" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">50:50 x 2020 Initiative for gender equity</a>. Interested in finding out more about 50:50 x 2020 Initiative? Two upcoming events: <a href="https://www.awaplusd.org/new-page-2#!event/2020/3/27/50-50-x-2020-celebration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">50:50 x 2020 Celebration on Friday, March 27, 2020</a> <a href="https://conferenceonarchitecture.com/schedule/#poster-1216077" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AIA ’20 Convention Session: “50:50 x 2020: 10 LA Firms Commit to Gender Equity” on Thursday, May 14, 2020</a>

Interview with Kishani De Silva – XX|LA Episode 028