Born: Unknown, Liberia (assumed)
Died: NA
Country most active: Liberia
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Women Architects Worldwide: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Canon by Aubree Tillett, edited by Aubree Tillett and Jess Ilias, an open-access Pressbook designed to uplift the names of women architects from almost every country and territory around the world. This entry is shared in line with the Creative Commons licensing.
Karen Richards-Barnes is a founding partner, vice-president, and principal architect at Pan-African Engineering Group (PAEG), an architectural and engineering consulting firm located in Liberia. She holds a bachelor’s of architecture from the New York Institute of Technology in New York City, New York. Richards-Barnes, a member of the Liberian Chamber of Architects, was selected as the local architect on an all-women team responsible for the design of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development in Monrovia, Liberia.
References
“Atelier Masōmī Designs Raw-Earth-Brick Presidential Library in Liberia,” Dezeen, April 17, 2023. https://www.dezeen.com/2023/04/17/liberian-presidential-library-mariam-kamara-sumayya-vally-ellen-johnson-sirleaf/.
“Atelier Masōmī Designs the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development in Liberia.” Arch Daily, April 20, 2023. https://www.archdaily.com/tag/karen-richards-barnes.
“Liberian Centre Celebrates Women.” Design Indaba, May 8, 2022. https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/liberian-centre-celebrates-women-0.
“Liberia: Women Architects to Design EJS Presidential Center and Library.” Liberian Observer, accessed February 29, 2024. “https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-women-architects-design-ejs-presidential-center-and-library”>https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-women-architects-design-ejs-presidential-center-and-library. [Link unavailable as of March 9, 2026].
“Mariam Kamara and Sumayya Vally to Design World’s First Presidential Center and Library in Liberia.” Liberia Architecture News, April 20, 2022. https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/emnhe/mariam-kamara-and-sumayya-vally-to-design-world-s-first-presidential-center-and-library-in-liberia.html.
Quirke, Joe. “Designs Unveiled for First Presidential Centre for Female Head of State. Global Construction Review, April 21, 2023. https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/designs-unveiled-for-first-presidential-centre-for-female-head-of-state/.
Ravenscroft, Tom. “Mariam Kamara and Sumayya Vally to Design Presidential Library in Liberia.” Dezeen, April 20, 2022. https://www.dezeen.com/2022/04/20/ellen-johnson-sirleaf-presidential-library-mariam-kamara-sumayya-vally/.