Women in Design (WiD) serves to promote the professional development and advancement of women at PAYETTE through regular dialogues that encourage teamwork, collaboration and learning in an atmosphere of collegiality. The group includes women professionals with all levels of experience, in all roles, who come together for discussion, fellowship and exchange of design and professional ideas. The primary goal of the group is to provide a forum for professional interests and common concerns in order to advance the professional careers of women in the firm.
Meet Yoko Furuya and Elisabeth Machielse, our current WiD Co-Chairs.
yoko furuya
Yoko holds a Master of Architecture and a Master of Construction Management from Washington University in St. Louis. Since joining PAYETTE, she’s contributed to impactful projects including Harvard University’s Goel Quantum Science & Engineering Building, Wesleyan University’s Science Library Master Plan and Tulane University’s School of Nursing.
Beyond project work, Yoko has been deeply involved in initiatives led by women at PAYETTE—Women in Design, the Life Cycle Analysis Research Group and the IIDA Fashion Show. These efforts have driven remarkable achievements, from launching the Kaleidoscope tools to presenting at national AIA conferences and earning multiple awards.
These experiences have strengthened her appreciation for PAYETTE’s vibrant and collaborative culture. Communities like Women in Design, the Young Designers Core and our Mentorship Programs foster knowledge-sharing and mutual growth. Reflecting on Women in Design’s recent accomplishments—from cross-disciplinary collaborations to empowering workshops—she felt a renewed responsibility to contribute more intentionally.
Now, as co-chair of Women in Design, she is committed to supporting, learning from and uplifting her peers. Her goal is to help cultivate a culture where every voice is valued, and where individuals are empowered to lead, grow, and advocate for themselves and others.
elisabeth machielse
Lizzy joined PAYETTE in 2022 after completing her Master of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. In that time, she worked on several of the firm’s science projects, including a core-and-shell project in the Boston area, and several complex office and lab buildings for large research institutions.
Outside of project work, Lizzy is a part of the Life Cycle Analysis Research Group that develops the Kaleidoscope/Embodied Carbon Reduction Tool. She is passionate about sustainability and eager to help facilitate the implementation of healthy and low-carbon materials in our building projects that will benefit the building users and surrounding communities. In sharing our research efforts, they have presented to various university groups, CLF forums and conferences.
In her time at PAYETTE, Lizzy has worked with many incredible mentors and teammates and learned so much from them. She became co-chair of the Women in Design group to help facilitate more opportunities for mentorship such as those she had on her project teams, and to highlight the experiences and accomplishments of people in our office to empower, teach and uplift our co-workers.
We are honored to share PAYETTE has received two 2026 Green Good Design Awards from The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies—Land’s Sake Farm and The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard.
“Green GOOD DESIGN identifies and emphasizes the world’s most important examples of sustainable design and works to develop a public awareness program that informs the general public about which global companies are doing the best job in ecological and sustainable design for our world. Architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning projects, as well as product, packaging, and graphic design projects from over 30 nations were honored with the 2026 Green GOOD DESIGN Award.”
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