Get to Know a Member in 5 Questions

I believe that I embody the mind of an architect, the hands of an artist and the heart of an activist. As founding principal of Accent Architecture+Design, I’m engaged in a research based practice with sustainable design at its core that serves a diverse clientele through a range of project scales. A graduate education in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley and a background in the global history of architecture enable my work in conservation and climate responsive architecture. I have advocated for these concerns as a board member of Docomomo (Northern California chapter) and in my writing on Le Corbusier and Julia Morgan’s architecture.

1. How has someone’s mentoring made a difference in your life or career?

Adele Naudé Santos took a special interest in me when she was teaching at UC Berkeley. Our conversations over lunches and design critiques helped develop my unique understanding of housing design, one of the project types that I continue to practice with a passion. Adele went on to become the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT and was honored with the 2009 Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. I was indeed fortunate to have crossed paths with her.

I also remember my first OWA retreat more than a decade ago when I met the light hearted Phoebe Bressack. Her wisdom as a seasoned architect became a wonderful sounding board for me at the time. Through contributing to a renewed sense of clarity in the lives of two architects, I have passed on the legacy of mentoring.

2. What is your next big goal for yourself, personally or professionally?

I’d like to deepen my meditation practice and learn more ways of using its benefits in my work. Mindful meditation focuses on building a vital connection with oneself and holds the potential to create thoughtful interactions with others, including, I believe, our clients. This heightened sense of awareness can assist in recognizing the many aspects and challenges of a client’s life, whether financial (access to resources), physical (limitations of body) or emotional (their passion), from a perspective of empathy, leading to identification of valuable goals for the project.






3. In a parallel life, what would be your line of work?

As a Gemini I can think of seven different parallel lives! Although I’ve dabbled in visual art and poetry, I carried a particular soft spot for the performing arts. That led to a few years of training in classical dance, although architecture prevailed.

4. What has changed since you started in your field?

Sustainable design has come a long way in being integrated with building codes and the concept of human wellness. However, as prescribed products and certifications infuse the industry, making green labels accessible to small scale projects and affordable to all strata of society is still a challenge.

On another note, the discourse on social sustainability is rather refreshing. It points to resolving issues of social justice and preserving diversity in our communities within the larger context of conservation.

5. Has your career path been shaped by being a woman?

One of my first independent projects as a young architect in my twenties was a passive solar house built with earth filled stone masonry walls in the foothills of the Himalayas. Besides dispelling gender assumptions, the project became an exercise in hands on design thinking and problem solving at a remote site with no running water or electricity. Of the many memorable hurdles that I crossed in that forest, I’ll share a couple.

Whenever the stone masons questioned my construction technique, I would climb over scaffoldings and demonstrate by building a full scale prototype, despite their assertion that it could not be done. Challenged by the microclimate of the site, I sat under an ancient oak tree to figure out how to counteract the unpredictable wind thrust. And then, Nirvana! By using the concept of a flying buttress, I braced the reinforced concrete roof structure with beams “flying” into the adjoining hill. Cement concrete was mixed by hand with my prescribed ratio and poured into the shuttering to cast roof slabs.

I realize that the many challenges I faced as a (tiny) woman playing the unusual role of master builder enabled me to be inventive and push through the status quo with remarkable success. The project not only became a lesson in self reliance early in my career, it also fueled my interest in site specific design-build projects that conserve their natural setting and, of course, slimy snakes.