What Brianna Brings to the Table
Meet Brianna, our project manager who thrives on solving the 4-dimensional puzzle of architecture. From client meetings to construction documents, she’s always balancing big-picture vision with the smallest details and loving the challenge along the way!
When she’s not in the office, you might find her hiking with her dog or baking up something delicious!
Let’s get to know Brianna!
The Interview
Q: What’s your job title, and what do you do day to day?
A: My title is project manager. Primarily, my role is professional juggler, keeping projects moving while keeping track of all the puzzle pieces throughout the design and construction documentation process.
I find myself doing a little bit of everything; from the paperwork needed for state reviews, to meeting with clients and engineering consultants, to designing projects, and coordinating with our production team to create the construction documents. No two days are ever the same, which keeps things exciting!
Q: What’s your favorite part about your job and our company culture?
A: My favorite part of what I do is being able to figure out the 4-dimensional puzzle that is an architectural project. How does the overall design affect different disciplines? How does a specific detail come together? How does the ductwork move through the building. Is what we’ve designed constructable? All great questions that need to be resolved before a construction set is complete!
Our office encourages everyone to keep learning and is proactive in offering opportunities to do so both in and out of the office. It’s amazing to see everyone come together to teach and learn from one another daily.
Q: What’s your favorite project or achievement and why?
A: My favorite achievement so far has been getting my architectural license. So much time, effort, and stress went into education, working in the field for many years to accrue the needed hours, and finally studying for and passing the six exams. Being an architect has been my dream since 7th grade when a drafting teacher introduced me to the field. I haven’t looked back since.
Q: What does an ideal weekend look like for you?
A: Ideally, I can find time to go on hiking trips with my dog Katie Ann. If we can’t manage that we’ll gladly take a quiet weekend at home. I catch up on my never-ending to-be-read book pile, while Katie keeps a look out and protects us from the “evil” squirrels.
Q: What’s the best trip you’ve ever been on and why?
A: In 2019 I was able to travel with my sister and father to Italy and have a once-in-a-lifetime trip to show them all the incredible things I had the opportunity to see on a college study-abroad semester. It was amazing to see the sights again as a “normal” tourist, really experiencing spaces, instead of as an architecture student, rushing through the cities then standing around various piazza trying to analyze and hand sketch what we’re seeing.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: As a baker, there are too many to count. But if I’m forced to choose, I always say a blueberry buckle, because it is amazingly tasty and that recipe is one of the first things I can remember making with my grandmother as a child (even if we’re making Toll House cookies in this photo!).
Q: If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
A: I think it would be interesting to swap with a theatrical stage designer for a day. All the plays and musicals I’ve ever seen have amazingly creative sets, that produce so many experiences.
As architects, we create spaces that are meant to be used and experienced up close and in person. A stage design, on the other hand, is one view of a space that can never be experienced, but at the same time needs to immerse the audience. It seems like it would be a fun challenge to design something that has to look real, function in such specific ways, and match the themes of the show.
