2024 Women in Construction: Jeelan Shaker, Margulies Perruzzi

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months?

My most notable project was converting a sports club into a cGMP facility for a life sciences company. I worked as a process architect on the master planning for 75,000 s/f of manufacturing space with a very complex program including clean rooms and cold storage. The project team jokingly called it the “Rubik’s cube” project. I had to be very flexible to work around issues that arose during design and construction. It’s a cliché, but we had to think outside the box in order to meet the client’s important program needs.

What has been the driving force behind your success in the AEC industry?

 I listen more than I speak. That way, I can provide a thoughtful response. I teach this value of listening to my children. Every day, I share with them what’s happening on my projects and that sometimes I have to explain the reasons behind my design decisions to the project team or client. I always listen first and accept all the feedback, but I am not afraid to provide reasons for why I designed the program the way I did. I remind myself that I am a talented architect who brings value to the project.