MEGAN FEENSTRA WALL
Mathison|Mathison Architects
SAY IT LOUD - MICHIGAN Exhibitor
Michigan Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
The women who came before me inspire, like Ida Annah Ryan who studied architecture before she was allowed to vote! Would I have had their strength, determination, and courage? Their existence inspires me to stay hopeful, optimistic, and persistent.
MEGAN FEENSTRA WALL
Bio:
Megan Feenstra Wall is an architect and firm principal in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is passionate about creating spaces that matter to people and that work for everyone, from designing for the breadth of human ability to driving change in the profession around the lack of women and diversity. Active in her community, Megan founded a women in architecture group, served on a national task force to rewrite the AIA’s F4DE and as AIA-GR board president, and was named AIA-MI Young Architect in 2016.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
A favorite high school art teacher, knowing I also excelled in math, suggested architecture. I didn’t know anything about it, but in my research, I grew excited about the way it bridged the practical and the conceptual, turning ideas into built form.
What do you do?
I create meaningful spaces that allow people and groups to lean into their missions and visions, while being mindful of the impact on the community and the environment. As a principal, I now strive to create a meaningful workplace for my team, too.
What excites you in the work you do?
I love learning how other people live, work, play, and think, and I love when we challenge assumptions and push the boundaries in a way that unlocks entirely new possibilities, and a client excitedly shares, ‘oh, I never thought about it that way!
Who or what inspires you professionally?
The women who came before me inspire, like Ida Annah Ryan who studied architecture before she was allowed to vote! Would I have had their strength, determination, and courage? Their existence inspires me to stay hopeful, optimistic, and persistent.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
I became a principal and co-owner of my firm in 2021. The 3-year process took tenacity, tact, firmness, empathy, ambition, drive, strength, and gentleness and is my most hard-fought professional achievement. I am grateful for the opportunity!
Featured Project Name:
Traverse City Whiskey Co.
Featured Project Location:
Traverse City, Michigan
Featured Project Completion Date:
Estimated 2024
Role in Featured Project:
Project Manager, Principal
Featured Project Description:
Traverse City Whiskey Co transforms a 34,000 sf former cherry processing facility into a state-of-the-art distillery production center with a large addition for offices, tastings, tours, and retail. A roof deck overlooks outdoor tasting and gathering areas and the new still tower, the heart of the company’s spirit production. A new public entry to the distillery features a long, horizontal canopy, facilitating a true indoor/outdoor experience that embodies the values of the whiskey of the North.
