CHELSEA DAVIS
Perkins&Will
SAY IT LOUD - North Carolina Exhibitor
North Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I get my inspiration from purpose. Doing work that I believe in is very important to me and is essentially what carries me. I do not know how well I would fare without it, so when I am given new opportunities, I search very hard to find it.
CHELSEA DAVIS
Bio:
The great designer, Chelsea approaches all projects and initiatives seeking purpose and possessing a mind set on understanding. For Chelsea, architecture is about discovering human natures and creating places for them to dwell in all their forms. She believes in embracing opportunities to learn how others see the world. Studying contexts and community identity―and how they relate to a project’s goals and attitudes―is an important aspect of her creative process.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
Like most, my decision was initially made by recognizing how my strengths aligned with the skillset needed for the profession. I enrolled in a drafting class my senior year of high school and subsequently studied architecture/engineering in college.
What do you do?
I currently work as an entry level architectural professional. A lot of what I do involves supporting my project teams with digital and physical modeling, diagramming, research, presentation prep and other production. I am also a storyteller.
What excites you in the work you do?
I am most excited by the opportunity to participate in history and productive change through the built environment.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I get my inspiration from purpose. Doing work that I believe in is very important to me and is essentially what carries me. I do not know how well I would fare without it, so when I am given new opportunities, I search very hard to find it.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
I am most proud of the ways I am helping to change the narrative of who can practice architecture and interrogate new ideas around what “good” architecture can be.
Featured Project Name:
Destination Crenshaw
Featured Project Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Featured Project Completion Date:
Summer 2022
Role in Featured Project:
Design Team
Featured Project Description:
Destination Crenshaw’s design was driven by a unifying theme—Grow Where You’re Planted, inspired by the African Giant Star Grass. Used by slave traders as bedding on ships, the grass thrives in alien lands despite inhospitable conditions. It remains a resonant reminder of African American history, the patterns of global dispersion and black resilience in the face of violence and racism. Like the Giant Star Grass, the Black LA community has irrepressible roots that have flourished and spread.
