Blending art and architecture.

• Author: Johnson, Kaylene
• Position: Architect Jessica Cederberg

Jessica Cederberg, 31, never had the chance to develop stereotypes about women's roles. She was too busy welding, along with her brother and sister, at her father's steel fabrication business in Anchorage. The training has paid off. Not only is she competing in the male-dominated field of architecture, but Cederberg says that if she had to, she could weld a muffler onto her car. In high school she gave up soldering tools for a draftsman's table. She wanted to build things, to create space and shelter that would reflect the needs of the people who lived and worked within the buildings. Architecture seemed just the ticket to achieve her goals.

The only woman in a class of 18 at the University of Oregon, Cederberg graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture. Currently working on obtaining a license from the American Institute of Architects, she is the only woman architectural designer on staff at USKH in Anchorage, where she designs schools, military housing and airports. Some of the projects she has worked on include the renovation of housing at Elmendorf Air Force Base and space planning for Parker Smith & Feek Inc. at Aleut Plaza.

Being female in the field of architecture has its challenges, Cederberg says. "Women have to work harder to prove we're equal, whether on campus or in the workplace."

While she has worked hard to earn credibility in the field, Cederberg resists what she calls "cookie cutter" design. In the classic struggle between form and function, she insists that form should not be sacrificed for economics.

"It's not about money," she says. "It's about art."

Cederberg and other architects, designers and artists formed the Alaska Design Forum a year ago to address the need for better urban planning. With a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the group invites six speakers a year to address artful community development as well as cold climate design in Alaska.

"We're trying to educate the community and get them active in their city," Cederberg says. In 1994, the Alaska Design Forum will host Rem KoolHaas, an internationally known architect from Amsterdam, and Andy Goldsworthy, a British artist.

New Life for Downtown

In 30 years, Cederberg would like to see residential space built back into the heart of downtown Anchorage. She would like to see the quick construction of Anchorage boom-days evolve into a stronger city core.

"We have all these holes in the urban fabric of the city," she says. "Downtown needs...