EMMA STEPHENS
SAY IT LOUD - NOW Exhibitor
New York Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I’m inspired by all of the people coming up behind me in school. I met a lot of students fighting to make the profession more equitable and accessible and I’m excited to work alongside them and see what they do.
EMMA STEPHENS
Bio:
The Great designer, Emma Stephens recently graduated from Pratt Institute with a Bachelors of Architecture and a minor in Sustainability. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY and works with Amie Gross Architects to design Affordable and Supportive Housing.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I learned about architecture as a profession while visiting a trade school in middle school. The complexity of the issues faced by the built environment and the creative nature of design appealed to me and I’ve wanted to be an architect ever since.
What do you do?
I recently graduated from Pratt Institute and I am now working with Amie Gross Architects in Long Island City to design affordable and supportive housing.
What excites you in the work you do?
I love designing housing. It comes with its own sets of complexities and issues that you could spend a lifetime trying to unravel. Mostly I love how close it is to the people who will be using the space.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I’m inspired by all of the people coming up behind me in school. I met a lot of students fighting to make the profession more equitable and accessible and I’m excited to work alongside them and see what they do.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
I’m proud of this thesis project, it wasn’t always easy to explain to our professors why we wanted to design a burial ground and the importance of creating a new approach to something so macabre and avoided.
Featured Project Name:
CommonPlace: Bodies as Ground
Featured Project Location:
Miami, FL
Featured Project Completion Date:
N/A
Role in Featured Project:
Designer
Featured Project Description:
Death is a natural process that people have distanced themselves from in comparison to the past when death was much closer to home. People often spent time in cemeteries, enjoying the outdoors and being close to loved ones. With the rise of public parks and the lowering of death rates, people have ceased this practice. We propose an alternative mortuary process, active with public participation. This project aims to change and strengthen the relationship between people and death and nature.
