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Madame Architect

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The women, entrepreneurs and creatives shaping our world and culture💫☄️🌊
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#FromtheArchive: October is @archtober and @openhousenewyork season, so we’re revisiting our 2024 interview with Kristin LaBuz, the executive director of Open House New York.

Kristin joined the organization in 2018 and was promoted to the leadership role in 2024. An urban planner by training, Kristin is a nonprofit leader with fifteen years of experience working in the sector. Before leading Open House New York, Kristin was a part of multiple mission-driven organizations like the Design Trust for Public Space, the DUMBO Improvement District, and NYC Health’s Active Design Department. She strives to enrich the shared public life of cities, improve the built environment, and promote the power of design.

In her 2024 interview with Julia Gamolina (@julia.gamolina), Kristin talks about organizational culture and the importance of in-person connection, advising those new to the profession to take advantage of what their city has to offer and show up.

Link in our stories.

Pictured here:
1. Kristin’s portrait by Diana Zuluaga.
2. Green Economy Boat Tour. Photography by Ben Tso.
3. St. George. Photography by Michael Lee.
4. Citywide Services Green Roof. Photography by Ben Helmer.

#madamearchitect #archtober #ohny #newyorkcity taken in New York, New York by @madamearchitect

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This week marked the return of our series, New Earth Dialogues, in partnership with @madamearchitect.

We were delighted to Kritika Kharbanda @kharbanda_kritika , Global Head of Sustainability at Hennig Larsen @henninglarsenarchitects , the global architecture and design practice known for its multi-faceted and research-led approach to sustainability.

In conversation with @julia.gamolina, Kritika shared how Henning Larsen follows a "North Star" of positive impact for both people and planet, from an in-house anthropologist studying how urban spaces shape safety and inclusion for teenage girls, to biologists weaving native flora and fauna back into the city.

The discussion turned to what it takes to decarbonize the built environment: the gaps that exist between the highly integrated Scandinavian focus on embodied carbon given already advanced grid energy systems and the U.S. focus on operational energy as energy grids remain behind. In all cases, circular strategies such as design for disassembly and retrofitting existing buildings remain among the most sustainable paths forward. Kritika also reflected on the collaborative realities of coordinating among stakeholders to drive outcomes, how to assess which battles are worth fighting, and the necessity of integrating post-occupancy evaluations to demonstrate how buildings truly perform.

Her closing thought looked toward the opportunity for a resurgence of design that responds more deeply to local culture, the potential for greater collaboration across disciplines, from architecture to fashion, to create systemic change and the critical role of creativity, vision, and inspiration as sustenance to drive us forward.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us, and to Kritika and Julia.

New Earth Dialogues continues on October 15 with Jing Liu, Founding Partner of SO – IL @solidobjectives, in conversation with Julia Gamolina. RSVP via the link in bio. taken in New York by @madamearchitect

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“Running my own practice after that was less about single standout projects and more a continuous process of recalibration. One I’m fond of is a temporary performance pavilion we built out of traffic cones, for a client we found on Craigslist, with almost no budget and a ridiculous deadline. It got us real visibility and was all about being resourceful, not only in finding clients and commissions, but also in executing with limited means in an inventive way.”

— @van_alen’s Executive Director Hayley Eber (@hayley__eber) on the approach to her studio practice.

Pictured here:
1. Hedgehog Performance Pavilion by Studio Eber. In collaboration with and photography by Frank Gesualdi.
2. Everything’s on the Table, with Mae-Ling Lokko (@maelokko) for the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2022. Photography by Tõnu Tunnel.

Full interview in our stories, as told to @julia.gamolina

#madamearchitect #architect #architecture #design #invention by @madamearchitect

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Our October editorial looks at the people and institutions shaping architecture’s role in public life; individuals creating opportunities for people to gather, engage with design, experience culture, and connect with the places around them. From cultural institutions and historic landmarks to theaters and stadiums, their work reminds us that architecture is not only something we inhabit, but something that can bring us together.

We start with Hayley Eber (@hayley__eber), an architect, educator, and Executive Director of Van Alen Institute (@van_alen), advancing equitable cities through inclusive design. As Principal of Studio Eber, an award-winning New York practice, she works across buildings, interiors, environments, and installations. Formerly Acting Dean at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art’s Chanin School of Architecture (@schoolofarchitecture), her work has been featured at the Venice, Tallinn, and Milano Biennales. She holds degrees from Princeton, Cooper Union, and the University of Cape Town, and is licensed in New York.

In her conversation with Julia Gamolina (@julia.gamolina), Hayley talks about agency, impact and tools for participation.

Link in our stories and bio. Hayley’s portrait by Nechama Leitner (@nechamaphotography).

#madamearchitect #vanalen #architect #architecture #newyorkcity taken in New York, New York by @madamearchitect

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Landscape Architect and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University, Ho-Ting “Jenny” Liu on her approach.

Full interview in our bio and stories, as told to @julia.gamolina.

#madamearchitect #landscapearchitect #landscapearchitecture #design by @madamearchitect

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“Always have a sense of wonder and never limit yourself to what you think you already know. Practice active listening and sense the world from vastly different perspectives. We ought to remember that exceptional design does not merely entail ‘creating’ a new physical environment upon a blank slate. Rather, it represents an act of stewardship, dialogue, and interpretive re-disclosure toward the layers of life that already exist within a site.“

— Ho-Ting (Jenny) Liu on her advice to her landscape architecture students. Full interview at the link in our bio, as told to @julia.gamolina.

Pictured here (1-3 by Ho-Ting (Jenny) Liu):
1. Students investigated water quality and studied the river’s morphology to gain inspiration for naturalizing channeled waterways in urban environments.
2. Students listened to a retired miner recount his cave mining days in front of an abandoned office.
3. A terraced communal space built by the local community using locally sourced coral stone and basalt, in the traditional ‘Caizhai’ style — low stone walls that serve as windbreaks for vegetable gardens in Penghu, Taiwan.
4. First-year undergraduate studio exploring participatory design to transform a disused irrigation ditch into a multifunctional, climate-resilient campus landscape. Photography courtesy of Chen-pei Chou.

#madamearchitect #landscapearchitecture #taiwan #design #landscape taken in Taipei, Taiwan by @madamearchitect

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Ho-Ting (Jenny) Liu is a landscape architect and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from @harvardgsd @gsd_mla and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Geography and Theater Studies from @macalestercollege. Before returning to Taiwan and entering academia, she practiced with AECOM, SWA Group, Reed Hilderbrand, and Raymond Jungles, working across large-scale urban and waterfront projects, cultural landscapes, and private high-end gardens in the United States and Asia.

Her interdisciplinary background informs a practice grounded in active listening—revealing the visible and invisible layers of landscape systems and seeking more resilient and meaningful relationships between people and place. She is a licensed landscape architect in the United States and a SITES Accredited Professional.

In her conversation with Julia Gamolina (@julia.gamolina), Jenny talks about global citizenship, her return to Taiwan, and a sense of home.

Link in bio and stories. Portrait of Jenny by Emma Xue.

#madamearchitect #landscapearchitect #landscapearchitecture #mentor #leader taken in Taipei, Taiwan by @madamearchitect

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This month, spend a day in Bali with Luce Scholar Leslie Ponce-Díaz (@leslieponcediaz)! Leslie is a Mexican-American architectural designer and educator whose work centers on educational architecture, regenerative design, and cultural heritage.

Previously, she was a Princeton Chicago Architecture Center Fellow, designing an educational and ecological sanctuary for migrant youth in Chicago. She holds degrees from @harvardgsd and @risdarch.

Leslie is currently a Henry Luce Scholar based in Bali, Indonesia pursuing a year working as an architectural designer at @pablolunastudio, an architecture firm dedicated to designing with earth-based materials. She loves spending her time outside of the office learning further about Indonesian culture through Balinese wood-carving and Javanese Batik textile making courses.

Link in our stories!

Pictured here:
1. Leslie Ponce-Diaz in Bali, courtesy of the @hlucefdn
2. @pablolunastudio HQ by Leslie.
3. Bali rice fields during sunset.
4. Leslie’s commute home.

#madamearchitect #nextgen #dayinthelife #bali #architecture taken in Bali, Indonesia by @madamearchitect

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@archawaii and @uh_cdc’s Cathi Ho Schar on her advice and what she hopes to instill in her students. Full interview at the link in our story, as told to @julia.gamolina.

#madamearchitect #mentor #leader #advice #mentorship by @madamearchitect

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“Our work explored affordability almost at a shoestring scale. We were sourcing materials — flooring, windows, doors, finishes, even insulation — through salvage and re-use and re-thinking construction assemblies, especially conventional wood framing and pre-manufactured truss systems. Our work minimized materials and labor while maximizing space, light, and ventilation. All of our projects that received AIA Honolulu Design Awards were constructed for $400K or less. One of our design award certificates reads, “Creative efficiency and maximized budget.” That ethos absolutely transferred to my ten years teaching at a public university and working with public sector partners. I feel like I am always working with a do-more-with-less set of parameters and aspirations.“

— @archawaii and @uh_cdc’s Cathi Ho Schar on the independent architectural practice, Collaborative Studio LLC, that she founded with her then colleague, Kelly Irvine, now Kelly Cathey.

Full interview at the link in our bio and stories, as told to @julia.gamolina.

Pictured here is the Ariyoshi Residence. Photography by Collaborative Studio LLC.

#madamearchitect #architect #architecture #hawaii taken in Honolulu, Hawaii by @madamearchitect

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Today on #MadameArchitect: Cathi Ho Schar, an Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa School of Architecture (@archawaii). Since 2016 she has served as the inaugural director of the University of Hawai’i Community Design Center (@uh_cdc), where she focuses on public-sector, public-interest teaching and practice. Her work operates at the intersection of university, government, and community stakeholders with a focus on health, housing, justice, and food systems. Cathi was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

In 2021, she was elevated to membership in the AIA College of Fellows and elected to a four-year term on the ACSA board of directors, serving as president from 2024-25. She received her B.A. from @stanford and M.Arch from @ced_berkeley and led a women-owned architectural practice before joining the university.

In her conversation with Julia Gamolina (@julia.gamolina), Cathi talks about relationships, accountability, and connection to place.

Pictured here:
1. Cathi Ho Schar, courtesy of Cathi.
2. UHCDC/University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture 2026 graduates. Photography by UHCDC.
3. A rare off-season outrigger canoe practice with Hui Nalu on Maunalua Bay. Courtesy of Cathi Ho Schar.

Link in our bio and stories.

#architecture #architect #educator #academy taken in Honolulu, Hawaii by @madamearchitect

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This month for #MeetOurPartners, our new series recognizing the organizations that support our mission and invest in the future of our profession: Maria Sepulveda Kirkel, Co-Founder, and Nick Taricco, Managing Partner, of @suiteny, a New York-based showroom specializing in modern and contemporary design.

Since founding the company in 2006, Maria has helped establish SUITE NY as a trusted resource for international furnishings, while Nick, who joined the company in 2014, has helped guide its growth and evolution. Together, they continue to champion craftsmanship, design excellence, and the power of meaningful human connection through design.

In their conversation with Julia Gamolina (@julia.gamolina), Maria and Nick talk about presenting iconic design, prioritizing human connection, and taking chances. Link in our bio and stories.

Pictured here:
1. Maria and Nick by @charlieschuck
2-4. Photography by @a.silverphotography

#madamearchitect #suiteny #design #industrialdesign taken in New York, New York by @madamearchitect

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