Andrea Shapiro shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Andrea, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Mahjong brings me joy of late. I grew up listening to my mother and her friends play this game that seemed a loud flurry of clacking tiles and blurting out of crack bam dot in a mad rush til one of them called Mahj. It didn’t make sense to me, and I never thought I’d learn this game for women of older generations, as I’d seen it. But now I’m older, and I wonder why I never learned when I was younger.
The game has made a recent resurgence. When a friend asked me to help put together a mahjong fundraising event last year, it seemed this is the time to learn to play. Turns out, it’s fun. It’s a great way to forget life’s stress for an evening; and just get into a zen zone with friends once a week, making sense of a random selection of tiles you are passed.
The game seems to lend itself to my mind’s visual processing. I enjoy coaxing the tiles into the predetermined lines of winning hands. If you can get past the complexity of initial learning, the game is worth the energy.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Residential Designer. I have a Bachelor of Architecture, and am a registered architect in the state of Massachusetts. I’ve been practicing design in Los Angeles, CA, since 2003. I work primarily on Single Family Residential design, both with private homeowners, and with developers in the area. My work ranges from small home renovations, to household additions, and most often new home builds. Some as large as 15,000 square feet.
I have extensive experience with the Los Angeles building department, which helps when developing properties. Often projects are inclusive of a two story house, some with basement; many with an Accessory Dwelling Unit, a swimming pool, and retaining walls. I recently designed a beautiful home in Bel Air that included a roof top pickle ball court with views of the ocean, the Getty Museum, and downtown Los Angeles.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Prior to moving to California, I was a young, ambitious, architectural intern in the Boston area. I sampled working at different types of firms, large, small sizes as well as residential, hospitality, and transportation design offices. I definitely learned many lessons in each of those offices, each provided value I won’t forget.
There is a moment though that has always stuck with me, and from it I realized the opportunity I was given, while working under the tutelage of Arnold Mickey Krockmalnic, at DHK Architects, Inc. I was the project manager on the Parking Garage & Car Rental Facility at the Portland Jetport in Portland, Maine. It was a thirty million dollar project, the largest I’ve worked on to date. I was a young woman working in the company of mostly men, all of whom were older than me. I never felt less than. Mickey guided my work, and I took notes during the design phases, produced the full set of design and construction drawings with a team of drafters to assist me. And when the project moved into construction, I ran the project, meeting the construction team weekly.
I will never forget, during the permitting process, I met with a Portland city official to discuss the current drawing set, in an effort to get the building permit. At the end of the meeting, he looked at me, and stated that my boss must think highly of me to send me to this meeting on my own, and that I was going to do well, as I had presented competently in a difficult task. It was at that moment that I realized my own capabilities, and the recognition of my abilities by others, at a young age. I was in my late twenties, and still taking my exams toward licensure at the time. I am very grateful for the exposure I received during that project, and it still helps me in my work to this day.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself to trust in my design abilities more. I was always very competent at getting the work done. I’m great at approaching a task list and plowing through it with efficiency and professionalism. But I often stalled at the beginning of the design. Fearful that I wasn’t enough to accomplish what needed to be done.
This stems from the competitive nature of architecture school. We were graded against each other. Therefore, if Joe’s project looked great, mine couldn’t be as well.
But as I went off on my own in my career, and no longer had bosses that were holding on to the much desired design process themselves, I got to fully realize what an amazing job I can do. I have designed some houses I am truly proud to exhibit, and show the world I created. I wish I had developed that confidence earlier on.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would probably recognize that integrity and honesty have always been at the core of who I am, how I present myself in the world, and how I prefer to be treated. I prefer to have a clear understanding of what the relationship between myself and anyone else in the room is, than to be falsely led to believe I have a strong relationship with someone I shouldn’t trust at the end of the day.
And I will always give an honest answer to anyone who asks. Although I do draw the line at brutal honesty. There’s no need to hurt someone’s feelings if you can be honest without being nasty about it.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
There have been a few projects I’ve been lucky enough to work on, that feel like a dream come true for me. Amazing job sites on which I am tasked with envisioning homes for a fortunate family. Some that come to mind are a ten acre property at the top of a mountain that overlooks conservation land, beach front property in Malibu, CA, hillside properties with city and ocean views in and around Los Angeles. It’s always fun to spend a day in the sunshine on such job sites.
As well, it’s always a rewarding feeling to walk a house when it’s completed. To hear clients speak of how happy they are in their new homes, or with how perfectly the design resolved the issues they’d been having previously. On occasion I marvel at the build product of my imagination. It truly brings me joy to create.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ashapiroarchitect.wixsite.com/architect
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrea_shapiro_design/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-shapiro-3a78236/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreashapiroarchitect/
