We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vanessa Smith Torres, AIA, NOMA. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vanessa below.
Hi Vanessa, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Early in my career, began to feel frustrated. I didn’t feel that I was growing the way I had expected. Over time, I began to accept that maybe I wasn’t as talented an architect as the men around me who I saw on the path that I wanted to be on. It wasn’t until I saw an amazing young designer who I knew looked up to struggling the same way I was. What we had in common was being women in a male dominated field. That’s when I realized two very important things. First, that firm leaders can respect you and still hold unconscious biases that stifle your growth. Second, that there was a difference between my job and my career and it was up to me to make sure my career was going in the direction I wanted. My self worth, my potential, my professional trajectory, could not be defined by my firm or my bosses. I could not let others limit my ambitions. Since then, I have not only sought diverse and supportive environments, but have worked to mentor others and increase the visibility of women and minorities in architecture.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I frequently joke that I have the mind of an engineer but the heart of an artists – architecture was where I was able to marry the two. Growing up, I always wanted to pursue a creative profession – singer, dancer, fashion designer, actor. Throughout high school, I was in every play and musical and ended up doing my undergraduate degree in Theatre. Interested in pursuing set design, I started studying architecture and found myself drawn to designing the built environment.
As an architect, I have been fortunate to work on many different types of projects – a museum in Connecticut, a restaurant in New Orleans’ French Quarter, public school renovations, a new hospital complex. I have also had the opportunity to see projects from the beginning concept design to the end of construction. Something that many people don’t understand is that Architects don’t sell a product. When you hire an architect, you are not purchasing a design or a building. Clients pay for our time and expertise to take a project’s unique parameters and come up with a solution that meets a design philosophy, meets the client’s needs, and meets legal requirements from building codes and zoning. Architects are also the stewards of the built environment, ensuring good design that protects our neighborhoods, urban fabric, and ecological environment for generations to come.
Architecture impacts our daily lives so much. Consider the impact Robert Moses’ Highway systems had on black and brown neighborhoods. It is important to have many different types of voices and perspectives at the table. The profession has historically been white male dominated. Even as it becomes more diverse, it lags behind other professions. Out of the over 116,000 architects in the US, less that 25% are women, less than 10% are Latinx and less than 2% Latinas. The percentage of Black architects has stayed at less than 2% for 20 years. When I became licensed, there were less than 325 Black female architects in the country. As an Afro-Latina, I take it as my personal responsibility to represent and advocate for diversity in the profession. As President of the South Florida Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoFloNOMA) in 2021, I started kick-started the chapter’s participation in the Project Pipeline program – a 4 day summer camp introducing middle and high school students to architecture. I am on the board of the American Institute of Architects Miami Chapter (AIA Miami) and will president in 2025. In AIA Miami, I was the 2022-2023 Co-Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee. Through these organizations and programs, I work to create space where young architects from underrepresented populations can see themselves in the profession.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
During COVID, I was working full-time as an architect and as an Adjunct Instructor at Florida Atlantic University. I learned a hard lesson on burn-out. I did not advocate for myself or take care of my mental health, instead prioritizing projects and deadlines. I was reading Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” and was struck by her description of being able to “swerve” in life. To seize opportunities and not be myopic, seeing only the path one is on. When the opportunity came for a temporary full-time teaching position, I jumped on it. I took a break from practicing architecture and found so much joy in teaching full-time. I worked to expose my students to things I wish I had been taught in architecture school. As my temporary position came to an end, I began looking for a permanent transition into teaching. At the same time, I was being contacted by head hunters and recruiters, offering positions in top architecture firms. In the end, the teaching position I was going to be offered was cancelled, and I was offered a position at Perkins&Will – an international firm known for their design excellence and sustainable building practices. I was uncertain about going back to full-time practice. But had long thought that Perkins&Will’s approach to design was similar to my design thinking. Joining the team became about fit – both how I fit into the firm and how the firm fit my ethos. The projects I have worked on have been rewarding in different ways. CORE Wynwood is a Class A office building in Miami where art and architecture and integrated. I am proud to be a part of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital expansion. For me, being able to pivot has lead me to a place where I am proud of the work I do every day.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
It sounds so simple – but getting the job done. The best thing you can do to build your reputation is be reliable and have a good attitude. Whether it is being a part of SoFloNOMA and AIA Miami as a volunteer and just showing up, or on the job making sure I get done what was assigned to me. People want to work with and continue to work with someone they can trust. Being able to swerve, to seize opportunities as they come up and step up into leadership positions is invaluable.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vsmithtorres
Image Credits
Will Crocker for Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Perkins&Will