Why Architecture

It was a beautiful day during summer vacation in 2014. My younger brother was outside playing basketball on the trampoline with our dad and neighbor. My dog was sitting in her spot in our backyard, basking in the sunlight. I, however, was sitting in the living room, waiting for my mom to come type in her password so I could play on my favorite website, Homestyler, and design my dream home. I didn’t know as an eight-year-old that my dream home was riddled with design flaws, including bathrooms without doors, rooms without windows, and a kitchen with only one doorway from a bedroom.

My interest in Homestyler continued for years, and during the early days of quarantine I was able to put my skills to work in real life. A friend’s parent mentioned that the nurse’s office at his school needed to be quickly redesigned to be covid compliant with no money in the budget. I offered to give it a try because it seemed like a fun activity and I had time on my hands. I was given the original floor plans of the space and played around with some design ideas. The project quickly turned into reality when I started talking to the school over zoom, reviewing design iterations I had come up with. Eventually we chose the best one, and a few weeks later I saw real pictures of the space that I designed. I was so excited about the whole process and I realized that I really wanted to pursue more architecture experiences.

The following year I learned about an opportunity to join a group called ACE, which stands for Architecture, Construction, and Engineering. It is a free program in Boston where local practitioners volunteer to mentor students through proposed design project simulations. In my first year at ACE we designed a student center for Northeastern, and in my second year, we created an emergency response proposal that would react to the hypothetical situation of the city getting flooded. We went through the complete design process; investigating the chosen site, conceptualizing the plans, and finally designing, even considering all the details such as acoustics and material choices, circulation of visitors, and atmospheric creation. It was a new experience for me to see everything that goes into a project and it only made me even more passionate, so I sought out my first architecture internship that summer.

Since then I have delved more into the world of architecture with various internships and studies. I have realized that I am passionate about architecture because it combines the best of both sides of me. I have always known that I’m a “STEM person”, filling my school schedules with the challenges of math and science classes, but my interest in the field of architecture has helped me discover my passion for art as well. Architecture is the perfect blend of both worlds, bringing innovation and technology into a creative science that has affect over peoples lives. As I go through my college career at CU Boulder, I am becoming increasingly excited and passionate about my future in architecture, and continue to seek out bigger and better opportunities for myself. I am excited to make an impact on the world through the built environment, where art and science combine.