Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, New York City, USA

What inspired you to want a life in Architecture and the creative industries?
Sounds cliché but I know it all started with my first legos as I saw myself being creative from a very young age and being able to forge the planets and spaces and narratives that I wanted to create through these simple building blocks. From there an interest in travel took  over as I immersed myself into cultures and history to learn how people lived, worked, prayed, played in their own places and palaces and temples they called home.

Who inspired you in finding your path to Architecture and the creative industries?
There have been many who have guided my path from a 4^th grade librarian to a high school historian to a Venetian who called the Villa Rotonda home to a glass blowing maestro to my current colleagues and partners who each day show what more there is to learn within the profession.

How you unlock obstacles and overcome bias in your work.
A few of the most important traits to nurture are resilience and patience and determination – these coupled with humbleness will offer anyone the tools to navigate through daily trials and tribulations and focus on the north star of change and inclusivity.  

What improvements you feel are required to promote effective change in the academic and working environment?
We are in the business of representing the views and perspectives of those around us . . . shaping the environments that will shape the future society and thus it is of utmost importance that the profession can relate and represent those multitude of views. Providing access to education and reducing the economic barriers to licensure are key to encouraging the next generations of voices to ensure that the design of spaces celebrate our diversity of opinions and viewpoints . . . a modern day agora.