CAROLINE SHANNON
Howeler & Yoon Architecture, LLP
SAY IT LOUD - NOW Exhibitor
Massachusetts Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
The people who speak truth to power to make a difference, to make change - even when it is slow, and hard, and risky. The hope that I can be a part of making the design disciplines more diverse, inclusive, and impactful.
CAROLINE SHANNON
Bio:
The great designer, Caroline Shannon is an Associate at Howeler + Yoon Architecture in Boston. Her practice as an architect and researcher is focused on health, equity, and social justice in the design of the built environment. Prior to joining HYA, Caroline worked at Shepley Bulfinch, +D Studio (Rio de Janeiro), nbbj, and MASS Design Group. She completed her MArch I at the Harvard Graduate school of Design and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I started studying architecture and art history in college. I had wanted to become a doctor, then an art historian, but I found architecture as a way of integrating my interests in both art and science to improve people’s lives.
What do you do?
I’m an Associate at Howeler + Yoon Architecture in Boston. I work as a Project Architect on a range of project types. I’m pursing my Masters in Public Health part-time with the intention of integrating design and public health research and action!
What excites you in the work you do?
Seeing how people use the spaces we create and how we can create a positive impact through design. We know that space matters and design matters - and I hope to use my capacity as a designer to advance equity, sustainability, and health.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
The people who speak truth to power to make a difference, to make change - even when it is slow, and hard, and risky. The hope that I can be a part of making the design disciplines more diverse, inclusive, and impactful.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
I am extremely proud of having been on the team of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers project for its construction. This project was incredibly complex - and was executed with both technical precision and incredible thoughtfulness and care.
Featured Project Name:
Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia
Featured Project Location:
Charlottesville, VA
Featured Project Completion Date:
2020
Role in Featured Project:
Project Architect
Featured Project Description:
The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers (MEL) at the University of Virginia honors the lives, labor, and perseverance of the community of enslaved African Americans who built UVA and sustained daily life at the University. It consists of concentric granite rings with a water table featuring a timeline honoring the enslaved, a sweeping wall of memory marks with names of the enslaved community and a textured stone surface inscribed with a portrait of Isabella Gibbons, an enslaved domestic worker at UVA.
