UVA's Kate Nguyen on Full-Scale Prototyping, Agro-Infrastructure, and a Healthy Mindset
Kate Nguyen is pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Virginia. Prior to graduate school, she was a marketing coordinator and specialist for architecture firms in New Jersey, New York City, and San Francisco. Kate holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Design and Architecture Studies from New York University with minors in Psychology and Studio Art.
Tell me about your foundational years - how and where you grew up, what you liked to do, some of your most memorable experiences, thing like this.
I grew up in a small town in New Jersey — outside of Philadelphia — with my parents and two older brothers. Both of my parents are Vietnamese immigrants who aren’t exactly “sustainable,” but they raised us with the frugal mentality of extending the life of the things you have, either through reuse or repair, and DIY-ing anything and everything. They also instilled in us a love of books, food, and travel — which, now when I think of it, seem to be various ways of transcending suburbia. Naturally I ended up gravitating towards more urban areas, and the drive for exploration and inclination towards DIY still propels most of my decisions in life.
Why did you decide to study architecture? How did you choose where you studied architecture?
I originally wanted to study engineering, but I took an architectural history course on a whim during my time at NYU. The more I learned about architecture, the more I wanted to learn, and I just kept following that instinct. After graduating, I wasn’t sure about committing to grad school yet, so I worked in the industry on the marketing side for a while to get a better sense of what I’d be getting into. Six years later I finally decided to pursue my graduate degree at UVA. I was drawn to the A-School’s integration between the architecture, landscape, and planning programs and its well-rounded curriculum, and I wanted to experience living in Charlottesville — a mid-sized city with a fascinating history.
Stills from a short film on the rammed earth construction process, in collaboration with Anne Nelson Stoner and Anabelle Nuelle.
What was the favorite project you worked on in school? Favorite paper you wrote? Favorite extracurricular?
My favorite way of learning is through experiential, full-scale prototyping, and one of my favorite projects was building a rammed earth wall with two friends and fellow students as part of my thesis research. We borrowed a truck and hauled a bunch of dirt from a local farm to the outdoor workcourt behind school, built the formwork using reclaimed wood from the same farm, used a manual tamper, and eyeballed measurements. It was so much fun to attempt this ancient, yet new-to-us construction method and experiment as we went.
Another is an ongoing research project on sustainable agro-infrastructure for Morven Kitchen Garden, a one-acre teaching farm run by UVA Foundation. We spoke with the staff about their needs and dove into research on traditional and experimental sustainable farming techniques, then presented some of our work at a community event. I loved discussing our designs with the community and getting their feedback. There can sometimes be an echo chamber in school, especially if all the work you’re creating is conceptual, but talking to actual people that might be affected by what you’re designing is really fulfilling. The work feels more meaningful when there’s a dialogue.
“There can sometimes be an echo chamber in school, especially if all the work you’re creating is conceptual, but talking to actual people that might be affected by what you’re designing is really fulfilling. The work feels more meaningful when there’s a dialogue.”
What are some of the initiatives you’ve focused on in school, and why?
Fabrication-based and sustainability-driven initiatives are most appealing to me, so along with the aforementioned sustainable agro-infrastructure project, I started working at the school’s fabrication lab in my second year. I’ve met so many people and learned and strengthened so many skills through it. I also volunteer for a sawmilling program started by two fellow FabLab crew members that takes trees downed from around campus — from construction, blight, etc — and mills them into lumber to be used for students and research projects. They let you take home off-cuts after a day of milling so an added benefit is being able to experiment with furniture building using gorgeous chunks of ash or walnut.
I was also on the editorial board for the student-run design journal, and am part of the research team for a design-build project of an outdoor seating amphitheater space for a public housing redevelopment. The best thing about being back in school is all the amazing opportunities available, so I’ve been trying to soak up every bit while I can.
Concept diagram for a Chicago branch library sited along Lake Shore Drive.
Section of a proposed arts center in East LA constructed with CLT and rammed earth panels, in collaboration with Gordon Leibowitz.
When searching for internships and jobs, what are you looking for?
I look for places with a healthy mindset about working: people who work hard and are excited by what they’re doing, but not sacrificing their mental health. This attitude usually goes hand-in-hand with good benefits. To me it’s more about the people than the project — good people really make all the difference. It’s hard to tell initially how people will react under stress, but if you can laugh with your team while pushing on a deadline, I think that’s a really positive sign — though obviously more difficult to suss out during the interview process.
What’s important to you? What inspires you?
Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Getting a full night’s sleep. Learning and enjoying myself, even if something isn’t working out. Highly inspirational and no less important: my friends and family. Details. Kindness.
“...a healthy dose of idealism counteracts complacency. Whether in the spaces I design or the people I work with, I hope to make someone’s life easier, more delightful, or better in some way, however small. ”
What do you hope to do in your career?
Make a difference in someone’s life. It’s idealistic, but at the same time, a healthy dose of idealism counteracts complacency. Whether in the spaces I design or the people I work with, I hope to make someone’s life easier, more delightful, or better in some way, however small.
Additionally, as I am the first woman on both sides of my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, and will be the first to graduate with a master’s degree, I hope to work with and later mentor other women in the industry with similar backgrounds. According to the most recent data available from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), only approximately 22% of all licensed U.S. architects are women, 12% identify as BIPOC, and only 0.55% are BIPOC women. This enormous disparity must be addressed to create a more equitable industry. It’s important for me to work with people who not only understand the difficulties of being underrepresented in the profession, but also strive to create a diverse team that embraces different perspectives.
Who do you look up to?
There are many people I look up to, including Anupama Kundoo, Shigeru Ban, Anna Heringer, Francis Kéré — all of whom are designing with and for specific communities and using materials in economical, sustainable, and beautiful ways. First and foremost, though, are my parents, who risked their lives to make a harrowing journey for the chance of better ones elsewhere.
Presenting concept designs for sustainable agro-infrastucture at Morven Kitchen Garden, in collaboration with Youfang Duan and professors Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann.
What are you excited about right now?
The labor movement towards more equity and better benefits in the workplace is exciting. There’s been a definite shift where people are speaking up about their experiences, realizing there’s solidarity, and feeling more confident advocating for boundaries. With regard to the architecture industry specifically, it’s become an unfortunate stereotype that pursuing architecture means you’re giving up any chance of work-life balance, but that doesn’t need to be the case.
Finally, what advice would you give to those in high school now, choosing their field of study?
Stay curious and take the time to figure out what’s right for you! There’s a lot of pressure to have everything figured out when you’re 18, or 21, or 30, or whatever milestone age causes the most anxiety. I went back to school later in my career but since starting, even when it feels daunting, I know that there is little else I’d rather be spending time on. This sense of assurance buoys me only because I’ve tried different things.