Name
Isabella Hartsig
School Year
4th Year
Program
M.Arch
School/Chapter
University of Detroit Mercy AIAS-Atlas
Why’d you join AIAS?
The original reason I joined AIAS was for the social aspect. However, soon after I realized there are plenty of professional benefits as well. I started as the AIAS-Atlas Chair of Marketing and quickly became a huge part of the school and chapter with plenty of friends and professional contacts. I learned new skills in both media and architecture through the many people I have been introduced to through the AIAS.
What national event or programming do like the most?
I have only been to one event so far as I was in school for most of the pandemic era, but I plan to be at many more such as Grassroots and National Forum. The one that I went to was the 2023 Midwest Conference. I had one of the best times of my life. I had so much fun with both my own chapter and the many more that I met there.
How has joining AIAS benefitted you?
AIAS has given me the benefit of connections to both more students and professionals in the field.
How has AIAS impacted your school?
AIAS has impacted my education is a very large way. It has given me a new motivation in my projects and has also given me many people to reach out to for advice/critique when I come to a rough spot in my designs.
What inspires you in studio?
In studio, I am inspired by my fellow students as well as my professors at the School of Architecture and Community Development at Detroit Mercy. It is such a tight nit community that you get to experience everyones struggles and successes. It is easy to learn from each of those instances and fix both yourself and help others to do the same.
How are you going to use your architectural skills/knowledge outside of the classroom?
I have been around residential architecture and working in the field of architecture from a very young age, 15 y/o, but through my education, I have learned that there is much more to architecture than hard-line drawings. Now my goal is to use the skills of sustainability and community development to develop a new housing system that both benefits the earth and the people who live within the community.
If you were an architectural style which would you be?
Eclecticism because I have been described as “Eclectic” for most of my life.
What’s your hot take on the architecture industry?
One of my hot takes on architecture is that there are many, many talented architects in this world that are educated in how our designs and products affect our planet, but not many take this knowledge and integrate it into their designs. I think that there should be a review of policy on how we are to design and higher the standards of architecture in the U.S.
