JULIE NELSON

Julie Nelson is a Partner and lead architect at BKSK. In her 24 years with the firm, Julie has been responsible for the design and construction of some of their most architecturally ambitious and complex institutional and commercial projects. In addition to directing projects, Julie oversees the firm’s work in Sustainable Design and is active in firm planning and management. Prior to BKSK, she worked in the offices of Robert AM Stern, and SmithGroup. A native of Virginia, Julie holds both Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Since moving to NYC she has become an avid gardener, creating an overgrown cottage garden on the roof of her apartment. She also shares a home with her husband James in St Andrews, Scotland.

As a female partner at BKSK, what has your experience been like?

I started at BKSK 24 years ago as a newly licensed architect. With my partner Todd Poisson, we grew up in the firm, as associates, then associate partners, then became partners 10 years ago. This path to partnership is very different than starting your own firm, which many practitioners do. There are six partners at BKSK. We are each very different people, but are united in our interest in ambitious design that makes a contribution to the City. We share the direction the firm takes, how to operate it as a business and in our vision of the firm culture. Having this close working relationship and reliance on each other has given me the support to grow into the partner role.

Despite avoiding the words “female partner”, I don’t know that I would have grown as I have if I had not had my partner Joan Krevlin as a role model. Although we are very different people, she has shown me how to be successful, do good work and still be true to who you are. We worked very closely together for many years, including our work at the Botanical Garden. Our relationship has evolved over time and I have valued it greatly.

What inspired you to teach architecture students?

Having been in practice for 30 years (!), I was looking for a way to open my mind and to have the opportunity to return to a world of ideas and fresh thinking. It turned out to be that and much more.

How was your experience teaching for the first time later in your career?
Giving feedback to the students

My academic experience before this semester was what I had in school (at UVa) and from being on reviews. I entered the semester thinking that studio was about the final project; it was a results and product mentality. What surprised me was that I became much less interested in that as the studio went on, and was more interested in how each student could grow as an individual architect with their own voice. My role as teacher was to help find that voice and their unique design process and then to believe in it. The work is a by-product of this, not the goal.

Scotland View - Courtsey of Julie Nelson

Understanding the nature of the studio

My plan was to work with the students in a similar way to how I work with my colleagues at BKSK. I work collaboratively with my project teams – we often design together, gathered around a work station. The desk crits at City College felt familiar in that way. With the pivot to remote studio due to the pandemic, that working relationship with the students continued. What we lost, and I regret not being able to figure out, was how to make a shared virtual studio environment with the group and how to promote learning from each other. If I were to have the opportunity to teach again, and I very much hope to, it would be an area I would try to improve.

Center for Fiction - Courtsey of Julie Nelson

Being that you designed the existing administration building at the Queens Botanical Garden and currently the new education building, how did you feel seeing different perspectives from the students?

First, the design of both projects at the Garden was very much a collaborative effort with my partner Joan, colleagues at BKSK, engineers, landscape architects, and most importantly, our clients – the team at the Queens Botanical Garden and those at the NYC Dept of Design and Construction. The large number of people it takes to create architecture is something that is too understated in our industry.

Our work at the Queens Botanical Garden has spanned over 20 years now. The first project began in the year 2000. One of the best things about working with the students was seeing the site through fresh eyes and with fresh perspectives. The studio was intentionally set up to differ from our work at the garden in two essential ways: the first was to overlay the area of focus for the studio’s project. Some of you focused on human health, air pollution or soil as a resource. This gave me the opportunity to see the garden under those specific lenses and with the student’s guidance, which taught me new things about the place. The second idea was to change the program to give the students the chance to design spaces that had different character: those that were for solitary and focused work versus a space that was about gathering. Some spaces were intentionally included to blur the distinction between inside and outside, and some were about internal activities. The program developed with the Garden for the BKSK project was very specific to their education programming. The studio project gave the students some latitude to be more experimental with the program to allow the freedom to explore architectural ideas.

Administration Building at The Queens Botanical Garden - Courtesy of Julie Nelson

Since the majority of your students are recent graduates, what advice would you give them in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic?

This group of graduates is extraordinary. Their resilience and optimism has been inspiring to me. I hope each graduate can see that in themselves in this time of isolation and know that the world needs their voice, their talents and their hard work. I also believe that this time of disruption creates opportunity - although it can be hard to see this. We are all grappling with a world that looks very different than it did in January. In that way, this situation has been a great equalizer. You are in a great position to reimagine your future in a way that is no longer limited to the structures and boundaries of the architectural profession. The world needs your vision. Be bold.

11 Beach Street Courtyard - Courtesy of Julie Nelson

JULIE NELSON

HINALI SHAH

REBECCA LAUSEN