Emma VanZante
Iowa State University
Architecture Student
1. Why did you choose the design/construction field?
Funny enough, I graduated high school planning to pursue medical science - certainly not architecture or ANYTHING construction related. Until one day, my mom encouraged me to check out the design majors offered at Iowa State University. She had a feeling that “design” is where I needed to be in order to fully thrive in my creative skills. When I was a little girl, I doodled masterpieces all over the white living room walls (as well as my face) with permanent marker, I built entire castle forts from the limited supply of couch cushions and bed sheets scattered around the house, and eventually learned how to sew custom stuffed toys at the age of 9. This was me then, and this is me now - always the hands-on, destruction and tastefully constructive type of personality. This is the personality that my mom had always seen in me. I went to visit the College of Design having no idea of what to expect, little did I know that I would feel right at home.
2. What is the most unusual medium you have used for a model, and what did it represent?
I took the studio, Arch 301 about a year and a half ago. Lauren Stokes and I designed a hypothetical project, The Halotherapy Center, to be located just near the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. For those who don’t know what “halotherapy” is, it is a natural and alternative treatment for respiratory conditions, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other allergies. Halotherapy involves breathing in salty air, so naturally we eschewed the typical glass paneling for our curtain wall structure, and instead selected pink Himalayan salt as the primary material since it is the most common natural substance used in halotherapy. This means our model had to be pink as well, and mimic the textures of Himalayan salt. We adventured through the Dollar Tree to find the most perfect material…colored file folders! These pink, textured and translucent plastic folders became the primary material used to construct the walls of our model. Oh, what a marvelous excursion to Dollar Tree that was.
3. What has been your favorite studio trip so far?
Chicago, hands down. My studio went there during the first semester of our first year in architecture, and the city left quite an impression on me. It was my first time in the city and everything was a new experience. I had a group of new friends that I only just met two weeks prior, and the trip offered the opportunity to get to know one another better and bond over this novel experience. All-in-all, it really was a trip of “firsts”. I got to take a selfie with The Bean, ride the subway system, visit The Art Institute of Chicago, and enjoy Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza…of course from the one and only Giordano’s Restaurant! Exploring the city-scape and enjoying these experiences all sort of culminate into a really vivid memory of the origins of my architecture career. In Chicago, things really kicked off – relationships with new friends, professional connections, and most of all my passion for architectural design. After all, what better place for the amateur designer to become inspired than The Great American City itself?
4. What is the best advice you have received from a professor or mentor?
This question is extremely difficult for me to answer. We’re really fortunate here at Iowa State to have such amazing instructors. The quality of personnel has made all the difference in my journey, both on an academic and human level. In that sense, it would be hard to single out any one person in particular. I did however recently attend the 2020 OPN Master Class lead by David Gersten. David is an artist, architect, writer and educator from New York City who led a week-long intensive design workshop held here at ISU. David elevated to conceptual elements underpinning design thinking to new heights. An amazing mentor to have throughout the week, the wisdom David imbued us with was unique. I was mesmerized by how he looks at architecture as more than just a building, but rather as a lifestyle. In his words, architecture itself creates the world we perceive. In particular, it resonated with me deeply when David said:
“We as humans feel the need to always be the creators, to be the ones who create the atmosphere…unless we allow the atmosphere to create us.”
5. How has Iowa Women in Architecture influenced you?
In a word, significantly. I remember attending my first iaWIA meeting towards the end of my first year in architecture. A guest speaker that day came in to discuss gender dynamics, especially how men and women respectively and collectively navigate the social landscape of the workplace. I found the talk to be inspiring an ultimately motivating – afterwards I joined the club and even applied for the Student Secretary position with the goal to teach women – and men 0 how to overcome gendered barriers in the architectural profession, I’ve become decidedly dedicated to the iaWIA student organization over the last few years. iaWIA offers tremendous resources for women’s outreach, allowing us to come together and empower one another. My belief is that it is important to learn how to be a strong woman, and that it is in everyone’s grasp to achieve whatever heights they aspire to professionally. There are no limitations as a woman. Through its recognition of outstanding female achievements, and the active engagement of its members, iaWIA showcases strong role models and exemplars who make up its membership. I hope to continue fostering to women in the architecture field. Thank you iaWIA for providing me this amazing opportunity to showcase myself, my work and my personality!
Halotherapy Center | Des Moines, IA
Directly north of the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, The Halotherapy Center focuses primarily on natural salt therapy methods. Thus, the walls are constructed of natural Himalayan salts, protected from the elements by a double-glazing system.
