Lizbeth Guzman-Javalera,

B.A. Design Studies, M.Arch.

My path in architecture began by exploring art, drafting and photography as a teenager. I learned AutoCAD and found an innate art ability I didn't know I had in high school. Before starting college, being offered an internship in an architectural firm allowed me to get my foot in the door. I observed, I helped, I put my AutoCAD skills to work and learned as much as I could from site meetings at construction sites and asking questions around the office to get things done. Later, a summer on a construction site gave me a preview into construction process & sustainability in action. Studying in the southwest taught me about the importance of landscape & passive strategies that have been used for centuries and how to integrate them into the design. I learned to appreciate the beauty and importance of site and the sun's effects on the experience of space. Light and shadow played a major role in my experimentation at that time.

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Following my interest in urban environments, I ventured off to Canada in 2008 and later to China in 2010. I learned about densities and high-rise living, transportation systems and the layers of complex urban environments. The diverse world-view of Toronto enabled me to take on a broad perspective and embrace travel to S. America thus developing an understanding of the world, cultures of places & our use of space across the globe. Accepting a job & relocation to China in the middle of the design boom shaped my whole life and architectural perspective. My new-found perception of architecture as a medium in which cultures emerge especially in large-scale environments and the immersion into fast-paced design process, prepared me for the real world and opened my eyes further into marketing, advertisement and branding. Now, I am passionate about strategic design and the idea that architecture can in fact change the way people live, work and perceive the companies and people within. Its not only about creating a building but the interaction and experience it creates for those who inhabit it, the interactions it produces within it, and the reactions of those around it.