Why I became an architect and what the profession has taught me about being human.
Nearly 25 years ago, I walked into a newly renovated neonatal intensive care unit where my mom worked as a nurse taking care of premature babies. I couldn't tell you what color the walls were or how the rooms were arranged, but I can still remember exactly how that space made me feel.
Peaceful.
My mom had spent months telling me about the renovation. I was fascinated by how the architects worked with the nurses, asking questions about their daily routines, the challenges they faced, and what would help them better care for their patients. Until then, I hadn't really considered how much understanding people was involved in designing a building.
When I finally visited, I understood why those conversations mattered. The lighting was soft, the environment was calm, and the space offered a sense of peace in a place where families were experiencing some of life's most vulnerable moments.
Years earlier, I'd experienced something similar when my middle school moved into a brand-new building. On our first day, teachers lined the bright corridors, clapping and cheering as we walked inside. The building had beautiful natural light, large gathering spaces, and classrooms that felt welcoming. I remember feeling excited and valued, as though the entire community had come together to create something special for us.
These were two very different buildings serving very different purposes, yet both left an impression that has stayed with me for decades. Looking back, I can see how those experiences influenced my decision to study architecture, even if I didn't fully understand that connection at the time.
Architecture Is About People
When people find out I'm an architect, they often ask whether I'm good at math or whether I can draw. While those skills can be useful, neither is a prerequisite for being a successful architect. Critical thinking, curiosity, and people skills will carry you much further because architecture is ultimately about people.
Some of the most important work we do happens long before anyone starts drawing. We sit down with clients to understand what they're trying to accomplish, ask questions that challenge assumptions, and work through problems that rarely have one obvious solution. It's a collaborative process that requires understanding different perspectives and balancing competing priorities.
Of course, there's an enormous amount of technical work involved in designing a building. We navigate budgets, codes, schedules, and countless details that most people will never notice. Those things are essential, but they're in service of something larger: creating places that support the people who use them.
A school isn't successful simply because it has classrooms, nor is a hospital successful simply because it has patient rooms. The real measure is how well those environments support learning, healing, connection, and the many experiences that happen within them.
What makes that responsibility especially significant is how long buildings remain part of our lives. Decisions made during the design process can influence thousands of people over decades, often in ways they may never consciously recognize.
What Else Is Shaping Us?
The more I've learned about how our environments influence people, the more I've started thinking about the other things shaping our lives.
Our homes and workplaces certainly play a role, but so do our relationships, habits, routines, expectations, and the information we consume. These influences are constantly affecting how we think, feel, and behave, whether we're paying attention to them or not.
I've spent much of my adult life learning how to approach the design of physical environments with intention. More recently, I've become interested in how those same ways of thinking might apply to the other parts of our lives. We may not have control over every circumstance or environment we find ourselves in, but we often have more influence than we realize.
This curiosity is what led me to start Shaped by Design, a podcast exploring the many ways our lives are shaped by design and how we can become more intentional about the things within our influence.
At 40, I'm still learning what it means to build a life that reflects what matters most to me. I'm interested in the connections between beauty, science, our environments, personal growth, and well-being, particularly where those ideas challenge the way we've traditionally thought about living well.
I don't expect to find a single formula or a perfect way of doing things. I'm much more interested in asking thoughtful questions, exploring different perspectives, and sharing what I learn along the way.
Architecture has given me a particular way of approaching the world, one that starts with understanding people and the experiences we're trying to create. I'm curious to see what happens when we bring that perspective into the rest of our lives.
You don't have to be an architect to think like a designer. You don't have to design a building to shape the world around you.
Let's see what we can shape together.
This post accompanies Episode 1 of Shaped by Design, “What the Heck Does an Architect Actually Do?” Listen on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube.
