LYSSA WASHINGTON
4RM+ULA
SAY IT LOUD - Minnesota Exhibitor
Minnesota Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Seeing what platforms like this are doing to promote excellence and pride. I admire the entrepreneurial spirit and path that some have taken, while admiring others kicking doors and ceilings from within. I have even more hope for those behind me.
LYSSA WASHINGTON
Bio:
The Great designer, Lyssa has participated in all facets of project progression, from master planning through construction administration. She has also lead numerous Community Engagement processes often reaching audiences that are typically underrepresented. She leverages relationships and community-building to meet and exceed project goals. Lyssa is the immediate Past President for the MSPNOMA and a LEED-AP. She also serves on the Hennepin County designer selection committee.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
As a kid I drew my fair share of house plans, and half of the Barbie experience was designing her house! I met two design professionals at a school career fair; shortly thereafter I designed a duplex for an infill lot in my neighborhood;I was hooked!
What do you do?
Working at a small firm, one does a little of everything! I lead community engagement, I’m a project manager, a marketer, a designer, a collaborator.
What excites you in the work you do?
The variety and types of opportunities presented -I’m not an owner but my opinion and value matter. I get to work with and for people and communities that don’t necessarily get to do this everyday. There is a real impact made in everything we do.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Seeing what platforms like this are doing to promote excellence and pride. I admire the entrepreneurial spirit and path that some have taken, while admiring others kicking doors and ceilings from within. I have even more hope for those behind me.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
My proudest moments come when I drive by a project and know all of the hard work I put into it. I love seeing construction in action -- I love putting the pieces together, whether it be people or projects; I’m naturally a connector.
Featured Project Name:
Rondo Commemorative Plaza
Featured Project Location:
St. Paul, Minnesota
Featured Project Completion Date:
August 2018
Role in Featured Project:
Project Manager
Featured Project Description:
The Rondo Commemorative Plaza is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Rondo community, St. Paul’s once prosperous African American community. The design merges memory with modernity and incorporates a mixture of landscaping and on-site interpretative spaces in a quiet escape from freeway noise and traffic. The space is fit for play, contemplation, education, and inspiration. It sits overlooking the freeway that decimated the neighborhood at the site of the last original commercial building.
