HAUWA ZAHRA MAHMOUD

Photo credit to Maleick Flemming. Portrait courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

5th-Year Bachelor of Architecture, The Pennsylvania State University

Hauwa is a fifth-year student of architecture at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Architecture and a minor in Crime, Law, and Psychology.  She has a strong interest in developing design that is contextual and culturally responsive as well as community-based design. This interest led her to involvement with the Community Planning and Design Initiative, Africa (CPDI), founded by Nmadili Okwumabua. CPDI is a research-based organization focused on developing Afrocentric design languages. During her internship at CPDI, she specialized in the Hausa architecture of northern Nigeria. Her research culminated in the design of a contemporary resort inspired by traditional Hausa architecture.

The Journey Ahead

What inspired you to pursue architecture?

I was not one of those kids who always knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Whenever I was asked, I would say I wanted to be a lawyer (like my parents), just to give an answer, not that I understood what being a lawyer really meant. That was until I realized that it involved arguing in front of people for the most part. (No one warned me that architecture would be very similar in that regard). But, even as a child, I had always been fascinated by structures and the built environment, probably before I even really knew what architecture was. Even so, it was my mom that first put the idea of studying architecture in my head because I used to love drawing a lot. The more I learned about it, the more it seemed like the obvious choice for me.

In the process of casting part of a model. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

What is the most important thing that you learned in the past year?

That life is unpredictable and fragile, but we must be able to adapt and learn to never take anything for granted because it can all change in the blink of an eye. I think a lot of us started this year out with plans or at least having a good idea of how we thought this year would go, and we all watched our plans vanish one by one. But I think it’s important to be able to adapt, stay optimistic, and make the best of the situation, and just keep going.

With Danielle, sketching at the Suzuki Daisetsu Museum, Japan during our summer abroad semester. Photo by Alyssa Dipippa. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

What are some architectural organizations (or specific person/role model) that helped you learn to overcome an obstacle? How did they?

I In my third year of school at Penn State, I became more involved with NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architect Students), and eventually with NOMA. Attending the NOMA conference for the first time in 2018 was such an eye-opening and inspiring experience. Before then, I had struggled with finding inspiration or role models that I could relate to. At a point, I had considered either switching majors or transferring schools because I was unable to connect with the space that I was in. So that experience and being in that space made a lot of difference. Anjelyque Easley, who was chapter president, a landscape architecture major a year ahead of me also encouraged and inspired me through her leadership to take up a role as co-president in my fourth-year. That experience helped boost my confidence to see it through.

Friendsgiving with the NOMAS family (pre-covid). Photo credit by Marc Miller. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

With Meghan Davis at the 2019 NOMA Conference in Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

If you were given the opportunity to repeat the year, what is one thing you’d do differently?

I would have read more books. I have not been reading as much as I used to, and I miss that. Transitioning to remote learning made me realize how many resources I had at my fingertips, and while I did utilize some of it, I feel there was definingly a lot more I could have taken advantage of. Nevertheless, I am grateful to have been able to stay on track with my education and continue my learning without much interruption despite it being a VERY eventful year.

Participating in the 2020 SOM Winter Shadowing program in Chicago. Photo credit to SOM Chicago. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

As you reflect on the past year, what did you discover as your biggest strengths?

I think with all the disappointments this year came with, I learned, and I’m still learning to stay optimistic and not dwell too much on the negatives. The ability to keep going with the hope that things will work out, in the end, helped me through the year.

After a final jury presentation, Fall 2019. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wished would happen and it did not? This can be in an educational or work atmosphere. 

One important issue, especially in architecture education, has been creating a healthier studio culture that encourages students to have a more balanced and healthier lifestyle. Perhaps with this “new normal” of remote learning, it would become easier to make positive changes.

3D printing structural models for Hauwa’s fourth-year project; a children’s discovery center for Pottstown in collaboration with Danielle Vickers. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.

Concept model for The Pottstown Children’s Discovery center. Photo courtesy of Hauwa Zahra Mahmoud.