A global thinker and creative thought leader, Mani Ardalan Farhadi’s experience spans three decades of design programming/planning. As Senior Facilities Planner, Stanford University, OFPM (Office of Facilities Planning and Management), School of Medicine, Mani combines her passion for education, with her extensive planning skills to conduct a variety of feasibility studies. Prior experience includes working at Taylor Design, Steinberg Hart, and Sasaki Associates. Using analytical skills, she is integral to campus projects, having collaborated with public and private institutions from K-12 to Higher Education. Described as ‘the client in the room', Mani’s keen ability to listen builds consensus with user groups. Her curiosity manifests itself with in-depth research, benchmarking and thoughtful solutions.
Mani’s leadership extends into a wide range of volunteering. Her roles include former Board of Trustee (Los Gatos Union School District), and Chair of Bond Oversight Committee, receiving ‘Citizen Architect’ award. She mentors for WIA (Women in Architecture) Silicon Valley, and serves on the Board of NICA (Niosha International Conservatory of Arts). She has presented on numerous panels at conference/speaking engagements, as well as served as moderator (SCUP, AIA, SPUR, EQXD, ACSA, CCFC, CCLC, A4LE, SF Design Week, GenARTS, in addition to speeches at Mills College, Santa Clara University, Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and Wellesley College) on subjects ranging from project Case Studies to Inclusivity and Fluidity. Graduating from Wellesley College (B.A. Architecture), and subsequently Boston Architectural College (B.Arch), her formal education was supplemented with SCUP Planning Institute (Step III), LEED AP and Leadership Los Gatos.
In this episode, we talk about:
Mani’s experience of growing up in Iran, and how she came to embrace her intersectional identity
On feeling in-between
Finding and meeting other Iranian-American architects
The duality of being a mother and working professional, and Mani’s advice for how to merge the two sides of yourself
How Mani made the transition from working at private architectural firms to becoming a Senior Planner at Stanford University School of Medicine
Mani’s volunteer work with the Women in Architecture Committee for the AIA Silicon Valley, and how organizations like WIA have evolved to become more than just about women’s issues.
Mani’s experience during COVID and having her two adult sons at home (they made a tik tok video!)
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