Throughout my career, these key elements have remained consistent:
* Providing unique designs that integrate functionality and creativity.
* Ensuring client needs are met and quality standards maintained.
* Emphasizing sustainability, resiliency, adaptability, and community.
My background includes architectural and interior design work in the
commercial, educational, hospitality, and residential sectors. I am
experienced in the selection of furniture, fixtures, and equipment
(FF&E), architectural design and renovation, construction
administration, feasibility studies, and space planning. I excel at
managing projects and budgets and sourcing and procuring materials. I’ve
also overseen vendor teams, trades, service providers, and contractors.
I am technically competent, highly knowledgeable, and a consistent
over-achiever with a drive to succeed and produce architectural designs
that change communities for the better.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
☞ Owning an architectural and interior design firm.
☞ Providing interior and exterior designs for non-profits in the US and overseas.
☞ Establishing interior design departments for 2 companies.
☞ Producing architectural designs for a variety of building types.
☞
Designing a multi-story waterfront museum that included an adaptable
building concept, geothermal heating, stormwater mitigation, and
rainwater harvesting.
☞ Preparing designs for adaptable buildings
within resilient communities, which integrated landscape, ecology and
biophilic elements.
MY PHILOSOPHY
I am a creative problem
solver who believes in approaching issues from multiple angles to
deliver unique solutions others might not consider. I believe that the
keys to success are adaptability, continuous learning, teamwork, and
emotional intelligence. I’m attuned to my team's perspectives and
emotions, which helps maximize effective communication, build trust, and
facilitate efficiency and employee satisfaction. I do my best to
support my team members and promote a culture of value, innovation, and
exploration.
HOW I GIVE BACK
I believe our future depends on
today’s youth, who will be tomorrow’s designers, leaders, and
innovators. I have created a community outreach educational program in
architecture for teenage students, through which I teach topics of
design, research, fabrication, and installation. I’ve also assisted with
the instruction of community practice and impact, sustainable systems,
and other subjects at Boston Architectural College.
Boston Architectural College, Boston, MA, US, MArch, Architecture
Program Emphasis: Community Engagement and Social Justice through Architecture.
Courses: Architecture Studio 1-4, City Lab, History of Architecture & Design, Visual Thinking, Community Practice, Sustainable Material Assemblies, Spatial Thinking, Structures 1 & 2, Sustainable Systems, Practice Management, Project Management, Building Systems, Construction & Evaluation, Contemporary Architecture, Detail Construction Documents, Cultural Heritage Tourisms: Preservation
Awards & Recognition: Gateway Fellow, Practice Distinction Award, The Edwin T. Steffian Centennial Award for Overall Excellence in Practice.
Fellowship Program: Invited to participate in a special program focused on research and community practice leadership. Worked with non-profit organizations to develop program initiatives and effective strategies to foster greater community connections and impact. Trained in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Project: Studio 1. Performed site analysis for an existing waterfront parcel. Developed a 19,000 sq. ft. community-centric mixed-use commercial waterfront building. This design prioritizes human experience while maximizing interaction, observation, views, privacy, and sunlight.
Project: Studio 2. Created building models that integrated tectonics research and the design styles of Kengo Kuma. Developed joints through intersecting lines and planes, creating rhythmic patterns and massing. This approach resulted in a cohesive visual language harmonizing with the surroundings, including Boston's Mission Hill area.
Project: Studio 3. Produced designs for adaptable buildings that contribute to creating resilient communities, with an emphasis on enhancing community mental health in the aftermath of the pandemic. Integrating landscape and ecology into the proposal to address rising sea levels and devasting flooding. Prioritized biophilic elements and included programing for nature therapy, education, enrichment, and multi-sensory experiences.
Project: Studio 4. Designed a multi-story waterfront museum that utilized an adaptable building concept and included special features to counter the challenges posed by rising sea levels and water intrusion. Utilized a raised platform and cantilever design to create a dynamic effect with a meticulously engineered steel frame structure to ensure stability, safety, and longevity. Design included the selection and analysis of building assemblies, evaluation of building code compliance, and energy analysis. Project encompassed passive and sustainable design strategies such as design rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating, and stormwater mitigation.
Architecture Thesis: Carried out research and authored a paper on strategically integrating planning principles of triangulation and linkage to explore the transformative potential of repurposing underutilized urban spaces into a network of interconnected civic environments to address the factors that contribute to social isolation. These civic spaces will be dynamic, welcoming, thriving spaces for the community where shared experience is the foundation of deeper social connection and an enriched community identity.
California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, US, BArch, Interior Design
The Edwin T. Steffian Centennial Award for Overall Excellence in Practice, Award
This award is given each year to a member of the graduating class from the School of Architecture, School of Interior Architecture, School of Design Studies, and School of Landscape Architecture for exceptional work in Architecture Practice.
