Elizabeth Vandermark

“Unless you’re a hunter gatherer, designed space is an essential part of human existence,” notes Elizabeth. She’s committed to “making architecture speak.” Her doctoral research focused on exploring how architects learn to engage a broader audience in design conversations throughout the design process but at the studio review. “Designing as a shared experience continues to captivate me,” she says. “Our design solutions are richer when they seek to solve social, technological and environmental complexities.” Elizabeth was also fascinated by a recent welding class she took. “There is something magical in fusing two discrete objects into one,” she says. “I was absolutely engaged in the task at hand—a flow, akin to what I’ve experienced in design work.” Chalk up another interesting experience for Elizabeth, who lived in six countries before graduating high school, among other adventures. “We had a banded mongoose as a pet,” she recalls, “an unfortunate choice for a family with small children.”