Lindsay Smith
Degree: MArch
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
Prior Degree
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
2024 Scholarship
Anthony Wong Scholarship for Research in Sustainable Design
I Am Originally From Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon because of the campus’s focus on tackling complex architectural problems with a sustainability mindset. As a research university, the professors and educators are on the leading edge of the newest industry innovations and technologies. This information is passed along to us students, guaranteeing that we’ll be entering the workforce at the top of the field. As we solve functional problems of the built world we also tackle the impacts of our designs on the environment and the health and wellness of the people that inhabit them.
Architecture is the lived-in poetry straddling the arts and sciences. The process of design poses great challenges to solve with the opportunity to directly impact our communities. A well-designed building has the power to affect mental and physical health. I am specifically focused on implementing biophilic elements to combat mental wellness challenges like PTSD, depression, and the anxieties that accompany degenerative cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s.
UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
Prior coming to the UO I worked in many capacities, including as a strength and conditioning coach for youth athletes at public schools. I felt most fulfilled when contributing to solving the American health crisis through wellness and movement education of youth. My experience as a coach also gives me a unique and immersive perspective of how individuals use indoor space. I have decided to pursue a Masters in Architecture to unite my passions for health and wellness with sustainability and environmentalism.
MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
A highly influential professor is Dr. Alison Kwok. From my first interactions with her, I knew she was different. She has been unwaveringly enthusiastic for sustainability in architecture and with this passion she energizes everyone around her. While taking the Passive House course and certification, I have learned from Alison that a healthy indoor environment and sustainable building start from the first stages of the design process. Alison taught me that a building designed to serve its community requires an additional level of thoughtfulness and intentionality but the sustainability payoffs are profound. Alison is a personal and professional role model for caring, compassion, and going the extra mile to support the community.
MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am an officer for the student chapter of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Oregon (ASHRAE) and I have previously been a student officer of International Interior Design Association (IIDA). I still volunteer as a strength and conditioning coach in the community and a competitive powerlifter.
MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
My greatest learning experience has been the iterative design process. I have learned that it may take multiple bad designs to come up with a good design. Prior to coming to UO I viewed success and failure as a binary or absolute concept – you have one or the other and it is finite. Since joining the program I have learned that good designs are the result of numerous attempts that did not work and I have gained the perspective that there is opportunity in each failed or ineffective design. This new perspective has allowed me to be effective without fearing failure.
AFTER GRADUATION
After graduation, I intent to work as a licensed Architect. During this journey I plan to use my knowledge of sustainability in the built world to reduce the environmental impacts of new construction and remodeling projects. I plan to work for a firm that uses sustainable design practices, then transfer to a lesser sustainable firm where my knowledge can be most impactful in creating a positive change from within.
YOUR GIFT
This scholarship has allowed me to travel to Chicago and share my knowledge of the upcoming ASHRAE Standard 227 Passive Building Design . A conversation followed, where I gained an even deeper understanding of this information through talks with members of the committee who are writing the standard. I was also able to sit in presentations at the ASHRAE Winter conference. This is essential information to achieving my career goals because these systems have a greater environmental impact than construction when considering the lifespan of the building. The soon-to-be standard focuses on durable and well-constructed buildings that will reduce the energy consumption of HVAC-R systems.
First and foremost, Thank you! If I could meet you in person, I would ask you two dozen questions about yourself. To be in a philanthropic position, you must have experienced professional success in life and have a deep and passionate love of architecture and building the next generation of designers. What is your story? Why do you love architecture? What is your favorite space and why? Where do you see the future of the field going? What can I do to become a successful and impactful architect with my career?