About Arkitex
Vision and Mission
ARKITEX envisions a future where youth from all backgrounds have the opportunity, resources and guidance to pursue a career in architecture. We are increasing equity and accessibility to architecture education for youth by increasing visibility of the architecture profession, creating resources that nurture curiosity and spark creativity, and providing guidance from architecture professionals. Through our partnerships with parents, schools and organizations, we help create a path to success in architecture.
Our Story
The story of ARKITEX originates with the story of our founder, MOA Architecture, Inc. CEO/Architect Michael Allen.
Michael is from Conway, South Carolina, a smaller city of 25,000 people just outside of Myrtle Beach. As a young boy, Michael was very creative and loved to draw. He also loved to play football.
As Michael progressed through school, his football talent was developed through coaching and encouragement from athletic staff. He also continued to pursue his passion for art. It wasn’t until later in high school that he realized his passion for art could lead to a career in architecture.
“You just didn’t see architects coming in for career day. There weren’t that many architects that I saw in my hometown growing up, especially not any architects that looked like me,” Michael said.
Michael received a football scholarship from Clemson University and chose to attend because he loved the campus, the football program, and it offered an architecture degree that could be completed simultaneously with his football career. After graduating from Clemson, Michael played football professionally in the arena league. He ultimately made the choice to focus solely on his architecture career.
Michael had built 19 years of successful experience in the architecture industry before starting his own firm MOA Architecture, Inc. headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Now, Michael looks back on his earlier years and believes more youth from all walks of life would become architects if they knew it was an option for them.
“I believe more widespread visibility for the profession, as well as resources, guidance and encouragement will create the opportunity for a more diverse group of young people to see and choose architecture as a career path. That is why I founded ARKITEX.” Michael said.
Did You Know?
Racial and ethnic minority representation in the architecture profession
The community of licensed architects in the U.S. is less racially and ethnically diverse than the country’s general population and labor force, particularly when it comes to Black and Hispanic or Latino architects. While there are some promising trends in earlier career stages, the makeup of the existing architect population is slower to shift.
1.9% identify as Black
Only 1.9% of licensed architects are Black, while 14.2% of the total population and 13% of the labor force is Black. The percentage architects who are Black increased just 0.1% from 2017 to 2021, which is the slowest growth among all underrepresented racial groups in the architecture profession.
6.4% identify as Asian
6.4% of architects are Asian, which is an increase of 0.8% from 2017 to 2021. Approximately 7% of the overall population and 7% of the labor force is Asian.
5.4% identify as Hispanic or Latino
People of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, who may be of any race, make up 5.4% of architects, which is a 1.1 percentage point increase from 2017 to 2021. This group makes up 18% of the total labor force and 19% of the overall population.
3.7% identify as some other racial or ethnic group
3.7% of architects who identify as “some other racial or ethnic group,” which is an increase of 0.8 percentage points from 2017 to 2021.
Sources: Architecture statistics: NCARB, 2021 ; Labor force statistics: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021 ; U.S. Population statistics: Black Population, Pew Research Center, 2021, Hispanic and Latino Population, Pew Research Center, 2021, and Asian Population, Pew Research Center, 2021.
Women in the architecture profession
24% of licensed architects in the U.S. are women, and that number is on the rise. The percentage of women architects increased 3.6 percentage points between 2017 – 2021, and the proportion of women opening an NCARB Record rose across every race and ethnicity category. Yet, women are still underrepresented in the architecture profession.
Women constitute 57.2% of the labor force and 50.8% of the total population.
Sources: Architecture statistics: NCARB, 2021; Labor force statistics: Department of Labor, February 2023; and U.S. population statistics: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2021.
Why is representation important in the architecture profession?
Architects quite literally shape the world around us. When certain groups are not represented in the profession, built environments are missing the rich diversity of experiences and perspectives of the general population.
ARKITEX believes that underrepresentation in the architecture profession is partially the result of a lack of access to architecture education and resources. We also believe that making resources and education more visible and accessible will help encourage underrepresented groups to see architecture as an exciting and rewarding career path.