September Professional Member of the Month

Sirina Reed

DLR Group

Architectural Designer

1. What is the most exciting and energizing aspect of your current position?

Right now, the most exciting aspect of my current position is learning all the details that go into a project. A lot of steps in creating an actual building are not taught in school and I think it’s exciting (and a bit overwhelming) to learn what the profession is all about.

2. What was the last interesting book you read?

The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. My favorite part of this book was reflecting on the idea that buildings can bring out specific aspects of our personalities. It speaks about how your surroundings and environments can tap into your psychological layers that may not be easy to access everywhere.

3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am very new to the professional world. Being a year and a half out of school I am proud of everything that I have learned thus far. I am also proud that I am a part of organizations outside of work, like iaWia, ACE Mentor, and NOMA. These organizations are important in bringing different perspectives and knowledge to designing that will also guide me throughout my professional career.

4. How do you define success? And measure it?

I define success in my career and designs simply by improving the way people live. I really believe that architecture and the built environment can influence people’s day to day lives. Success for me isn’t defined by awards, statistics, or data, but by how I can improve the environment and someone else’s life. Whether that’s sustainable design, creating aesthetically pleasing architecture, creating comfortable and exciting workplaces, or solving any problems that clients may have.

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? 

My mother is my biggest female role model. She may not know anything about design or architecture, but she has always supported me and my dreams. Especially when I was 8 years old drawing home plans and elevations. She always told me to keep going and would come home with sketchbooks and pencils. She knew what my passion was and did not make me feel like I should do anything else. She taught me to be independent and strong in all aspects of life.

August Professional Member of the Month

Martha Norbeck

C-Wise Design & Consulting LLC

President

1. What is the most exciting and energizing aspect of your current position?

What makes me most proud is when team members have that ah-ha moment and proceed to embrace green building strategies and tools beyond that single project and I can witness how that shift continues to reverberate within the building community.

2. What was the last interesting book you read?

“No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference” by Greta Thunberg. Her words are succinct and piercing. Such an inspiration.

3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

DART Central Station was the first project that solidified my understanding of the way the Integrative Process should work. We were able to achieve LEED Platinum because the whole team was rowing in the same direction. We used LEED to set early measurable goals and stuck with them.

4. How do you define success? And measure it?

I would define success as knowing that I am doing something that makes a difference-making every building that I am affiliated with a little better. I can measure my success by the number of LEED-certified projects I have been associated with, energy targets achieved and occupants who tell me they love working in their space. Ultimately, my success is derived from the conviction that my persistence has value.

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? 

So many amazing women to choose from. Two particular women come to mind. One is my former structures study partner in grad school, Michelle Teague. Michelle is committed, sharp, kind, and committed to doing excellent work. Most notably, she commanded the space that was rightfully hers in a situation, and never anything less. I aspire to channel her spirit. Second is Jenine Benyus, author of Biomimicry. She is a quiet force who surrounded herself with strong women, found a niche, and flourished within it.

July Professional Member of the Month

Caitlyn Hayward

Martin Gardner Architecture

Interior Designer

1. What is the most exciting and energizing aspect of your current position?

I love being able to use my creativity and intuition each and every day, and designing beautiful and accessible spaces with my amazing team!

2. What was the last interesting book you read?

The most recent book I’ve finished is Everybody Always by Bob Goff! In it, Bob tells some of the extraordinary stories of his life, which vividly illustrate ways to intentionally love and know the people around you.

3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am the proudest of my very first project I was involved with from start to finish, the Kalona Community Center. I was integrated into every aspect of the project, and our team worked incredibly hard together. Seeing the final result was my first taste of knowing I can make a difference in a community!

4. How do you define success? And measure it?

Success is knowing that you can make a difference. Celebrate each and every victory with those you care about, no matter how small!

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? 

My mom is someone who has shown me what sacrificial work ethic and love looks like every day of my life. I have seen her work hours on end for our family, not only to provide but to show us how to be a committed part of an effective team. One other strong role model in my life is my high school drama teacher, Mrs. Krum. She taught me to own my sense of style, and to be confident in my voice!

June Professional Member of the Month

Hannah Roush

Heery Design, A SLAM Studio

Architect

1. What is the most exciting and energizing aspect of your current position?

I thrive on compiling information through new experiences and exposures. From crafting specifications to preparing for publications, engaging healthcare professionals to mentoring future architects, and solving issues on the construction site to programming hospitals, I am constantly gaining insight and developing interconnections.

2. What was the last interesting book you read?

I am drawn to books to escape my daily surroundings and usually find myself nose deep in a fiction novel when I have some spare time. At the other extreme, in the past few years, I have read books on natural birthing, baby sleeping habits, nourishing meals for toddlers, and parenting techniques. The book I started most recently though, has to do with neither. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink speaks to the events at the New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina. I hope to find some wisdom applicable to my work in healthcare design.

3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

Several years of my career were devoted to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where patients and families can now find treatment and healing. There are many aspects of this work that give me pride. Personally, I grew in my career from an intern to a licensed architect, throughout this project. Early on I focused mainly on producing documentation and assisting in the design, over time I gained responsibilities in coordination with consultants, presenting to hospital representatives, and developing solutions during construction. The building itself was thoroughly designed and detailed, including aesthetically pleasing solutions as well as code conformance and cutting-edge healthcare delivery methods. When I come across articles on new research created in this building, Member of the Month social media posts from friends finding themselves and their families receiving care, and ‘The Wave’ at the Iowa Football games, my pride is re-ignited.

4. How do you define success? And measure it?

A successful life is a balanced life.

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? 

My mother and grandmothers are strong women with close-knit families, who also pursued careers. They taught me to value and strengthen family ties, but also to find passion and drive outside of my family.

May Professional Member of the Month

Cassandra Coffin

Rohrbach Associates

Project Designer, BIM Manager

1. What is the most exciting and energizing aspect of your current position?

The people I work with and the variety of project types we do. I love coming in and seeing the passion and creativity around me. It drives me to work harder each day.

2. What was the last interesting book you read?

I’ve recently been going through political biographies, the most recent is The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama. The last architecture related book I read was Architecture of the Absurd: How “Genius” Disfigured a Practical Art by John Silber.

3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am proud of all my projects and my ability to adapt and learn new technology to help my office move forward.

4. How do you define success? And measure it?

Success is being able to do what you love every day and be proud of that work.

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you? 

.Three stand out. The first was my highschool CAD/technology teacher Ms. Freebolin who advocated that I pursue architecture and exposed me to different aspects of the profession early on. The second is Kate Schwennsen, FAIA who encouraged me to pursue my own educational path at Iowa State and blend both of my passions - law and architecture. The third is my mother, who has always supported me and has one of the best work ethics I have ever seen.

May Student Member of the Month

Diana Wubbena

Iowa State University

2nd Year Interior Design, Associates Degree

1. Why did you choose the design/construction field?

Interior Design is a second career for me. Prior to my decision to pursue this degree, I was a CPA specializing in taxation and a stay at home parent for 10 years. I enjoyed my years at home with my kids and I also spent countless hours volunteering for various organizations during those years, however, my oldest child is a senior and my years as a stay at home mom would soon be coming to an end. Also, a job change for my husband provided an opportunity for me to pursue going back to school. Rather than move back into public accounting to do taxes, I decided that this would be a wonderful opportunity to pursue a lifelong interest in construction and residential design. I grew up surrounded by blueprints and visiting construction sites with my dad when he ran framing crews and then started his own custom home building company. I wanted to be an architect but for a myriad of reasons, did not pursue that field. My husband and I built our home seven years ago, and I was involved in every aspect of it, from creating a custom floorplan that met the needs of my family to working directly with designers, contractors and suppliers and choosing all the finishes and furnishings. The process reignited the interest in residential design that I had as a child and I started researching different ways in which I could pursue this field as a nontraditional student. I never even realized that Interior Design was a field of study - I was looking more into construction management or drafting. However, after learning more about the field, and discovering the Interior Design Program at Kirkwood Community College, I decided this would be the best route for me to pursue my goal. It hasn’t been easy. I live an hour from campus, I have a husband, three teenagers who are involved in well, everything, and it keeps me on my toes. I had an opportunity to do an internship with a local custom homebuilder, and I was thrilled to be asked to continue to work with them after I graduate next year. I love being able to work with clients throughout the entire process of building a custom home - concept, design, drafting, estimating, choosing finishes and, when I get more experience, project management. Trying to find creative solutions to clients’ needs, within the constraints of a project - whether budget, size or any other limitations - is a challenge that I enjoy every day. I also hope that my family, friends and children are inspired to pursue their dreams, whether it is choosing a college major that they are really passionate about or pursuing a late career change. I am so glad I started this journey, and I look forward to completing my degree in May 2021.

2. What is the most unusual medium you have used for a model, and what did it represent?

I have to admit that modeling is not my favorite part of Interior Design. I really prefer research into design styles, concepts or codes to actually making a model. I think that my lighting design project was my most interesting model. My concept was druze crystals - think of the inside of a geode. I liked the idea of the rough surface of the glass refracting the light from a lightbulb while functioning as a useful light source. Ideally I would have loved to pursue using some type of molten glass combined with crushed glass to achieve the concept, but settled for using resin and crushed glass beads to develop a prototype. I had never worked with resin, and I’m sure that I developed well over 20 different prototypes before I settled on a clear resin with a touch of pearl mica color and crushed clear glass. I worked with a local welder to create the design for the frame. Recently, I was thrilled to run into a lighting design company at KBIS in Las Vegas, Hammerton Studios, that actually uses the combination of molten and blown glass and crushed glass to manufacture the most striking light fixtures. I thought that their lights totally embraced the concept that I had for my own, and at that moment I realized the benefit of modeling to develop a concept. My light fixture was a model rather than a final product, and that made so much more sense to me.

3. What has been your favorite studio trip so far?

Oh there are so many, I can’t just pick one, how about a top three? I love to travel, so any trip is a new adventure and I am always very eager to learn new things about the places I travel. In the fall of 2019 we traveled to Minnesota for our first design trip and visited stadiums, museums, historic homes, churches and the International Market Square. This past fall/winter, I was part of the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) student competition team representing Kirkwood Community college for the associate program competition. We spent a week in Las Vegas and were able to attend the International Builder’s Show and KBIS after our presentation. It is difficult to describe exactly how big the convention is and how much fun it was to stroll through lighting, plumbing, cabinet and building product displays. I felt like a kid in a candy shop with my bag of spec books and samples. Our team also took first place at the competition, and working with construction management, architectural technology and other interior design students as well as local contractors and suppliers during the project was an invaluable learning experience that I will never forget. However, my favorite trip hands down was the international study trip to Italy last summer. To see and feel architectural and design history first hand is breathtaking and although the schedule was rigorous and I dropped into bed exhausted every night, I will never forget the feeling of seeing the things that I studied in my design history books with my own eyes. I strongly encourage any students who have an opportunity to do an international study to do so, it brings your studies to life. My prayers also go out to the people of Italy during the current corona virus pandemic. There is not a more cheerful and full of life group of people, and my heart breaks for the suffering that they are currently enduring but is encouraged by the viral videos of spontaneous music, joy and sense of community they display even in such dire circumstances.

4. What is the best advice you have received from a professor or mentor?

When I told my dad that I was going back to college so that I could get a job in residential design, he told me “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This really hit home for me because it is the exact reason why I decided to go back to school. I could have returned to public accounting, I was good at it and I did like it. But I didn’t love it. As I work through the college application process with my very motivated, ambitious smart daughter who decided to change from an engineering major to a theatrical lighting design major, I can only keep that advice in my mind. Pursue your passions, even if it seems crazy. Seize the opportunities that are presented to you, even if they are hard. Also, I hope that I can inspire people to pursue their passion. Do it now, or do it later. Just do what you love, and it won’t feel like work.

5. How has Iowa Women in Architecture influenced you?

I enjoy taking the opportunity to speak with a group of women of various ages and various stages in their careers in a relaxed atmosphere with a great cup of coffee. It is an opportunity to collaborate with other women and colleagues on design challenges that we face in our careers or our education. But this group also addresses the challenges we face in our personal lives - balancing family and work or school, fiscal responsibility, self care, social responsibility. These are topics that go beyond what we do and get into who we are and who we want to be. They are about setting realistic expectations for ourselves and pursuing our work and our lives in ways that allow us to pursue our goals while being true to ourselves. Having pursued so many different paths over the past twenty plus years, I have had many of these conversations with myself, and I really appreciate that this group of women takes the time to focus on these topics. I also enjoy the perspectives of women in all different design fields - students, teachers, engineers, architects, landscape design - women who are working hard and doing big things, and also juggling all the other stuff that comes along with life - family, children, parents, community. I’m so glad that our professor Jillissa Moorman encourages our students to be a part of this group.

Hand Rendering

As I mentioned above, I really don’t like making models, but I do like to draw. The ability to sketch is pivotal to your ability to quickly convey an idea, so I think this is a really important skill to develop. I’ve attached some of the hand rendering that I have completed as a student and that I am particularly proud of.