Celebrating the Future of Design With BWBR's 2023 Scholarship Winners

If our latest podcast discussion is any indication, the future of design is in excellent hands. We were honored to sit down with the recipients of this year’s BWBR equity scholarships for an inspiring discussion about inclusion and diversity in design, the recipients’ incredible submission projects, and what’s next for them.

Hosted by: 
Matt Gerstner - BWBR Podcast Host and Producer

Guests:
Valerie Lange - M. Arch/BAA Interior Design Student - University of Washington
Mariam Elizabeth Jacob - M. Arch - Columbia University

Music provided by Artlist.io
Siberian Summer by Sunny Fruit
DuDa by Ian Post

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Transcript

Matthew Gerstner  

This is Side of Design from BWBR. A podcast discussing all aspects of design with knowledge leaders from every part of the industry. 

Matthew Gerstner  

Hello and welcome to sided design from BWBR. I'm your host Matt Gerstner. Today, we're so excited to recognize the achievements and talent of the recipients of BWBR's third annual equity scholarships. Each award is designed to support equity in the built environment by providing a $2,500 prize to a student of architecture, interior design or graphic design. Applicants submitted both a personal statement and a sample design project. And we were blown away by the caliber of submissions we received. 

Matthew Gerstner  

The Scholarship for Gender Equity in Design is awarded to a woman gender non-conforming or trans applicant studying architecture, interior design or graphic design. This year's recipient, Valerie Lang, is an MArch/BAA interior design student at University of Washington. Her submitted project, "Transcendent Flow", imagines an aerial acrobatics center for the circus community focused on promoting gender equity by creating an accessible "environment for people to feel peace and power in themselves and surpass their limits by achieving what they thought was impossible." 

Matthew Gerstner  

The Scholarship for Diversity and Inclusion in Design is offered to a BIPOC students in graphics, interior design, or architecture. This year's winner, Mariam Elizabeth Jacob, is an MArch student at Columbia University. Her submitted project, "The Hearth", imagines "a sanctuary where the youth of Poughkeepsie can look to the newly uncovered past, in the midst of their present challenges, to propel how they engage with their future" situated on a significant African American archeological site, and speaking to the tradition of the hearth as a space of refuge, and gathering in free black communities. Welcome Valerie, and Mariam.

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  / Valerie Lange

Thank you so much for having us.

Matthew Gerstner  

Fantastic. Thank you both. So we're just gonna get right into this today. And I'm wondering if each of you could tell us a little bit about your background, and why you wanted to go into design.

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

I could go ahead. So yeah, I'm a designer born and raised in the Middle East, Kuwait, to be specific. And originally from Kerala, India. So growing up, I saw the conviction that my parents had in maintaining our ancestral home. It was a traditional space. A place filled with a lot of memories and history. And I never had a role model growing up in terms of my career path. But when I look back, I can proudly say that the conviction that my parents had to maintain the space, and their strong sentimentality towards it deeply influenced my point of view towards architecture.

Matthew Gerstner  

That's fantastic. 

Valerie Lange  

And for me, this is Valerie. I'm getting my masters of Architecture at the University of Washington. I have my bachelor's in fine arts from Bellevue College in interior design. And since I was a kid, I just love being creative, problem solving. I was always searching for like a balance between art and functionality. So I was really into 3d art and ceramics. I also just want to help make a bigger impact on communities and be sustainable in my designs.

Matthew Gerstner  

I find that a lot of people we talk to you that get into this field, there's something in their childhood, there's always something in their childhood that brings them into it. And I see, it's no different here, and it's fantastic. So what do each of you see as the role of design in an equitable built environment.

Valerie Lange  

I think just including everyone in your design. So enhancing the overall quality of life, no matter your gender, race, disability. We as designers can provide accessibility by creating spaces for people to be involved. You know, we can affect how the program works, and how it's influencing the way people behave and interact in our spaces, to thinking about how we can influence and maybe challenge these projects that we're working on to embrace everyone.

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Harping on what Valerie said, I really believe that the role of a designer or an artist or whatever, whoever is in this industry is to constantly question the status quo. And I feel like it's important to tactfully integrate narratives and stories surrounding the user, the family and maybe even a community within their very complex social, historic and maybe even urban fabrics. That's something I'm passionate about. I also believe it's equally important to be conscious about material ecologies of these proposed designs, like, what does it mean, in terms of the labor involved? Like, who was constructing this for us, the extraction of these? Where did that come from? Is that community being affected by the creation of another? So yeah, these are all things that I love to investigate.

Matthew Gerstner  

That's wonderful as well, you bring up the whole supply chain, in your statement. That's something I don't think a lot of people think about when we're talking about architecture, everybody really thinks about the final product, they think about what it looks like how that final product might impact that community in where it sits. But they're not necessarily thinking about all the pieces and parts that go into that. And all the communities that it has impacted along the way. That's, it's so good to hear people who are in ... at the beginnings of their careers thinking about these things, and talking about these things. 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

I never thought about it this way until I was fortunate to be part of this lecture done by this amazing individual called Thomas Shaperkotter. And he does a class in Columbia, where I'm doing MArch right now. And he's he's done a lot of investigative, I would always say journalistic analysis on buildings and like their origins and like the embodied energy behind it. So I was fortunate to be a part of it. So it has influenced how I think now. 

Matthew Gerstner  

So could you tell us more about the project that each of you submitted for the scholarship? And how equity is central to the conception of your project?

Valerie Lange  

Yeah, so my project is called Transcendent Flow. It's an aerial acrobatics center for the circus community. I grew up doing aerial acrobatics, which is like flying through the air. If you've ever heard of Cirque du Solei. Stuff't like that. And the circus community is just really special to me. It helps people grow mentally, physically, and get past what they thought were their limits. And so I really wanted to connect with my friend Saffi. They're a non-binary friend who is a contortionist. And I interviewed them multiple times throughout the whole process of, you know, program requirements, how they utilize the space, they're a performer and a student. So I wanted to interview them, and how they feel at home in the acrobatic studio. So their perspective directly influenced my design, and even the artistic expressions that are throughout my space.

Matthew Gerstner  

That's incredible. You picked such a unique subject, as the foundation of your of your project, the circus, and what a barrier breaking concept of sorts, if you will. There's so much that happens in aerial acrobatics, that can be intimidating to a lot of people. So it's so cool that you picked that, and then how your non-binary friend, how it's all gonna relate to their, you know, to what they're doing in their career. 

Valerie Lange  

Yeah, the community is really unique, because we're kind of embracing everyone from anywhere. And even people in wheelchairs can have access to this physical movement, without maybe using their legs or whatever it may be. And so everyone has this artistic expression within themselves, and they feel confident and powerful in what they're doing and when they're performing. So it can be really interesting and exciting to kind of push your fear. 

Matthew Gerstner  

I can only imagine. I've never personally participated in, in that kind of activity. But I can imagine the confidence that it builds as you do. And I can see how that can just parlay into the other aspects of your life. I find that whole concept fascinating. So Miriam, could you tell us about your project that you submitted and how equity is central to its conception?

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

The project I submitted was titled The New Hearth and it looked into ideas of interiority, exteriority, between the singular the fireplace and the plural, which was the campfire. And it looked into existing collaboration potentials between community members in Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County as a whole. To give you more of an overview, I would, I would like to say that the site was this wooded area in HIll Park and it was a very significant African American archaeological site. There's a huge community that lived there, but they don't exist anymore. And so if you really look at the archeological findings of that area, and you see a lot of foundations and burnt brick, and ...... involved. And so This free black community was called New Guinea Town and Hearth in this community was seen as a space for individual refuge, a communal safe space, a sacred space as well as a portal to communicate with your ancestors. So you see a lot of Cosmograms, which is very interesting elliptical form that has an axis usually etched onto these hearths. And I use that as a way to like devise programming, which looks into the idea of memory and sanctuary through the power of food across time, I believe that this would become an opportunity for the youth to interact with, who interacts with this space to feel like the act of cooking is not just a chore, but something that you reconnect with yourself, who you got the recipe from perhaps like your grandmother, your uncle, a random neighbor, and to create a new collective memory to the ritual of making, dining, sharing.

Matthew Gerstner  

That's amazing. I mean, the first thing that I was shocked with is that there is an archeological African American site in Poughkeepsie ... 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Exactly. 

Matthew Gerstner  

You know it's something that just has disappeared, you know,  over time. So that part had me stand. And then I love how you've taken this concept of Earth and brought those elliptical designs into the overall planning concept. That's, that's very cool how you've taken the history of it, and brought it into current day,

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

The initial brief was about creating a monument. And I always believe that a monument is almost a destination. Yes, there's memory associated with it. And then I wanted to challenge it by saying, What if it's a living memorial? What if it's a space that you constantly visit as an act of the programming involved? And as a result, you remember through making, reusing the space over and over again,

Matthew Gerstner  

Very cool, very, very cool. It's easy to see why you were both selected as the winners of the scholarships that we've offered. That's very fascinating, with two completely different concepts going on. So can you tell me what the importance is of diversity to you, in the design industry, and why that matters? Why is diversity in the design industry important?

Valerie Lange  

Collaboration is a huge part of design. So we need to include a variety of perspectives from different cultures when we operate, and how we design for every community is unique to that community. Creating a pretty project is not going to just make people's lives better. So we need to include everyone around us and that's starting with people in your own company, who's at the top and who is kind of making these decisions. So we need to broaden our diversity in our own firms. 

Matthew Gerstner  

Love it. 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

In my case, I think diversity and industry is crucial, because as Valerie said, you have to .... it becomes an opportunity to integrate various perspectives and backgrounds. And I believe that fosters an environment that demands empathy, and not sympathy with the stakeholders that you're dealing with. It also becomes this amazing environment, I feel to like fuel innovation and creativity. So I see that whenever I'm with my peers in college, being an international student, myself, and I feel that you're therefore able to design in a way that's more inclusive and culturally sensitive.

Matthew Gerstner  

You both bring up a lot of great examples that are why it's so important. And from my perspective, personally, being in that, you know, being in the field for so long is there's just ... a firm and the people that are within it, it's just a small sliver of the fabric of society. And unless we're all looking outward, and looking at who makes up the fabric of society, and trying to try, and, trying to make sure things are relatable for everybody. We're not doing the right thing. I mean, we're not doing it  if we're not doing that, if we're not making sure that we are actually representing the rest of the world in what we do within our firm. We're failing. We're just failing. 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

I agree. 

Matthew Gerstner  

So what changes would you like to see in architecture and design?

Valerie Lange  

This one's a tough one, but I would like to see a stronger work life balance. Prioritizing mental health within the profession. Reducing the idea that architects are supposed to stay late and hit every deadline perfectly. You know, maybe there's something off with that idea. And maybe the deadlines have to be extended or whatever that maybe to find a solution. And also, again, my Bachelor's is interior design. So a big problem is people not knowing what interior design really is, and how we need to advocate for ourselves. It's not just interior decorating, it's not just like HGTV. Like how can we, you know, really spread knowledge about what we're doing and how important it is.

Matthew Gerstner  

Absolutely true. I couldn't agree with you more in that the interior design, I think, is one of the undertold stories in the design world. Everybody has an idea of what it is but outside of the industry, it's a very, it's a very small portion of what it is. And, and as far as work life balance, I couldn't agree with you more. I've, I've grown up in the field, if you will, personally. With the late nights before laptops were the industry standard, where you can take some work home with you if that made it a balance. And having those all nighters in the office with your team and trying to get worked done. Yeah, work life balances is huge. Couldn't couldn't agree with you more on that. Mariam, what kind of changes do you think you'd like to see in the architecture and design industry?

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Well, I feel like growing up, I had a lot of interests. I always felt like it was not just architecture, I was interested in biology, sociology, anthropology. So I feel like maybe the way forward is not based on typology, or a specific singular just architect, or designers expertise, but rather a more collaborative approach that's highly interdisciplinary, because the problems for today are very complex and nuanced. And to deal with that. I think it's not just designers. It's it's a whole team that has to work together.

Matthew Gerstner  

I agree with you on that, too. Wow, seriously, the two of you are coming up with some fantastic ideas here, because mental health and work life balance, a full team approach, I couldn't agree with you more, because there's so many aspects of what goes into our projects relating to the communities that we work with, that we're putting projects in. The technology that's going within the buildings. I mean, there's there's so many different layers of things that happen that, yeah, the team approach is, is vital. You're gonna find, there's a lot of firms that are still working in a slightly older fashion, if you will. And they're .... they're going to struggle to be making changes here, I think, as we progress, because the firms that are making the changes, embracing diversity, looking for work life balance, and mental health with their own employees, and finding that true multidisciplinary team approach to things. You've got technology being interwoven into it, you've got, you've got ecological points to be brought into it now.

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Even like material research. There's just so much happening in terms of biogenic materials, limitations associated with it. So like maybe even having, I don't know, a material researcher, a specialist in chemistry, like there's just so much the potential is just amazing. 

Valerie Lange  

Mariam, I was wondering if you've heard of Neri Oxman? 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Yes. 

Valerie Lange  

She's doing exactly what you're talking about right now. And she's a New Yorker, her firm is in New York. And it's just incredible, like the kinds of designs she's doing, and then how she's incorporating the different disciplines in general. ,

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Yeah it's someone I really look up to.

Matthew Gerstner  

It's a breath of fresh air for me. I have had this opportunity to other times to talk to our scholarship winners. And it's always inspirational to me, the information that you bring, the things you're thinking about are so fantastic, and forward thinking. And there's elements that are ahead of what the industry is doing. And there's elements that parts of the industry are truly engaged in and working on. And it's just it's so cool. It's so cool to see that everybody of all age groups, is looking at the same things in our fields. We're really trying to push these things forward. Love it. So what are your respective plans for the future? Once you're done with school, let's let's get in the fastforward machine. You're done with school, you've graduated, you're not there anymore. Where do you see yourself? What do you want to be doing?

Valerie Lange  

I mean, I'm always looking to learn. I want to do really meaningful projects. I want to travel abroad, maybe work at some international firms. And then I think, I don't know what age but when I'm close to it retirement, I would love to become a professor. I'm also a tutor and a TA and I have loved those roles. So I've learned a lot from my professors now. And I just think that I can carry that forward.

Matthew Gerstner  

That's wonderful. That's truly wonderful. Mariam? 

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Now that it's not that distant in terms of this projection I am graduating this spring, and is it's a new chapter that has to be open. And I hope to work across different scales, ideally, for an interdisciplinary firm, that I know that I can contribute to and make a difference in. And as Valerie said, I'm also a very passionate individual with this deep love for teaching, which is why I started this MArch Program, two years, despite having a five year BArch. And I really want to give back ideally, at my undergraduate institution. I want to make a positive impact on the next generation of learners by delving into both academia and practice at the same time, because I think one fuels the other and vice versa. Being a woman of color, being a woman, just being an Indian, I feel like there's just so much as you said, this a diversity and looking up to a professor where you can see yourself and I feel like that's very, very powerful. And yeah, that's what I hope to do in the future. 

Matthew Gerstner  

That is wonderful. And the thing that strikes me from what both of you said, is the teaching aspect about basically being able to pay it back and help raise the next generation of designers out in our fields. That's a wonderful thing to do. And I don't know if it gets done enough necessarily, where the information is translated and passed backwards. It's good to hear other people talking about the teaching aspect, because it's a, it's a vitally important thing to the industry. Thank you both so much for joining me today. And congratulations on being this year's award recipients.

Mariam Elizabeth Jacob  

Thank you so much for having us. It's been such a pleasure talking to you. 

Valerie Lange  

Yeah, it was a really fun conversation and yeah, thank you again for the Scholarship.

Matthew Gerstner  

It's absolutely our pleasure. And really, I can't thank both of you enough just for the time, taking it out of your busy schedules today to do this. I also can't forget to say thank you to our listeners. Let us know what you think about this episode, or any design discussion you've heard at sideofdesign@bwbr.com. Until next time, see you on the other side. 

Matthew Gerstner  

This has been cited design from BWBR brought to you without any paid advertisements or commercials. If you found value in what you've heard today. Give us a like, leave us a comment, or better yet, share us with your network. You can also reach out to us if you'd like to share an idea for a show or start a discussion. Email us at sideofdesign@bwbr.com