How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

I was always interested in new buildings and houses in construction. Wood framed houses always caught my attention. In high school I traveled to Paris in a study program and I was hooked. During high school, I also did a NASA program in material forensics- how materials fail. I could incorporate this stuff into building? Architecture was the perfect mixture of a love of art, science, history and materials. I had a teacher who told me I could take it as far as I could imagine. I was always fortunate to have family and teachers who pushed me to stay curious. 

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What do you do?

I am an architect. I design, collaborate, consider, agree, disagree, research, make plans, write contracts, detail, make presentations and run a small practice/business with my partner.

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What excites you in the work you do?

I am excited by the collaborative process. Really, the process itself is always different according to the unique conditions of every project. That excites me. Exploring to find the Architecture is not a repetitive task but a challenge in every project. We believe in searching at all scales and that means making the details and choosing the materials that can speak for the project. 

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Who or what inspires you professionally?

I am inspired by a myriad of things I see in the world. Travel has always been inspiring for me. It is one thing to experience Architecture as the image, but it is another to experience it in person. History inspires me- seeing the Spanish Steps in Rome, Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok or Machu Picchu in Peru. Landscapes are also a source of inspiration - the plains and mountain plateaus in Tanzania, or the classical French garden. Art also inspires and reminds me to think outside the bounds of the normative. I enjoy the work of William Edmondson, Martin Puryear, Donald Judd and Mel Chin. Observing allows us to access a creative space and gives context to our design thinking. 

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What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

My proudest moment was becoming licensed. It seemed to be the culmination of a long journey I started back in high school, that carried me to college, into offices, to grad school and back to the office. I also feel a fortunate fulfillment by working with amazing clients, many I call friends. We are currently working with a non-profit, Follow the Honey and a NGO in Tanzania, National Beekeeping Supplies. They are wonderful clients and we are working hard to build a project for them in Dodoma, Tanzania. That project is the source of pride and keeps getting better, as it gets harder to bring to fruition. 

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Featured Project Name: 

Tanzania Beekeepers Asali & Nyuki Sanctuary

 

Featured Project Location: 

Dodoma, Tanzania

 

Featured Project Completion Date: 

2016

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Role in Featured Project: 

Architect

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Photography Credit:

Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects