LEERON CARMI

Portrait courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

Recent Graduate from University of Maryland

Leeron Carmi is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Architecture and a Minor in Construction Project Management. She is currently based in New Jersey and excited to step out into the professional world. Leeron is passionate about understanding the variety of scales architecture can be found in and how they influence the world around her.

My Transition from Pre-Med to Architecture School to Remote Learning

What inspired you to pursue a career in architecture?

There is a whole combination of little moments that occur on a daily basis that I believe form the inspiration for me to pursue architecture, but I think a lot of them come from my childhood too. My parents are immigrants and built a shoe business together here, so growing up, our house was constantly littered with new styles and materials they were working on and they would always find ways to include me and my siblings in their design process. As a kid I also spent hours on the computer game The Sims, painstakingly picking out furniture, figuring out ways to build fountains in living rooms, and watching endless YouTube tutorials; I’d create stories for digital characters and then watch them live them out in a world of my own design. It wasn’t representative of the entire design process, but it was an accessible way for my ten-year-old self to gain exposure to the world of architecture. Today, I’ve swapped out The Sims for Revit and HGTV for studio courses, but the same childhood enthusiasm and curiosity is still there, I just get to explore it on a much deeper level. What constantly amazes me about architecture is the wide range of scales within which it exists. There is architecture in everything, from the smallest components of our cells to entire ecosystems. It can transcend, and even bend time, evoking different memories and emotions. It tells the stories of people, from individuals to entire civilizations. Having the opportunity to study and pursue architecture is not just a means to an end for me, it is an ever-humbling experience and a mindset I try to incorporate into my way of life.

First Site Visit. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

Simply enjoying the architecture - Zurich, Switzerland. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

First Revit Model - a recreation of Neutra’s Kaufmann house (an upgrade from The Sims). Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

As a sophomore student studying pre-med, when was the moment that pushed you to officially enroll in architecture and minor in construction project management?

I distinctly remember my ‘aha’ moment, it was about three years ago during a dinner with friends. There were a lot of new faces at the table, so we went around answering ice breaker questions to get to know each other better - and I ended up getting to know myself better too! The question presented was as follows: “If you didn’t have to think about logistics or where you are in life right now, what do you see yourself doing five years from now?”  At that point, I was a pre-med student in the spring semester of my Sophomore year, so naturally “Doctor” should have been my quick and easy response. Instead, I found myself hesitating. A few ideas quickly popped into my mind but Architecture settled at the forefront, like a blinking neon sign. As I blurted out my answer, I was just as surprised as everyone else at the table, so I shrugged it off and jokingly remarked that I guessed it was time I switched my major.

Leeron setting her new path. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

I learned very quickly that words hold their own weight because later that week I found myself in the architecture advising office, working out a plan to switch majors. After a jam-packed Summer and Fall semester spent fulfilling my pre-requisites and compiling a portfolio, I was officially a student in the Architecture B.S. program. Construction project management came later on; after taking courses on building materials and structures I realized that there was so much more to architecture than just the drawings, and I became eager to understand how an idea gets taken off the paper or a screen and actuated in the physical world. I’d heard of the minor by chance while talking to a grad student, it wasn’t as popular amongst architecture majors as other minors were, but I ended up loving it a lot more than I thought I would. Not only were the classes extremely focused and applicable, but it was also really refreshing to take some classes outside of the architecture building and get to interact with engineering students as well. What I learned from my overall process of switching my path of education was that you don’t necessarily need to be an impulsive or spontaneous person to bring about change, sometimes it’s just about asking yourself (or having others ask you) those simple questions and letting yourself take it from there, one step at a time.

First physical model- gemstone exhibit project. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

How was the transition from being a pre-med student to an architecture student for you? Since pre-med and architecture are both very hands-on? What skills and ideas from your two years of study help shape you when you transitioned into architecture?

Whenever I would tell people of my switch, they’d look at me with wide eyes and exclaim “that’s a total 180!”.  To be honest, they’re not entirely wrong, but architecture lies at the intersection of so many fields, and while I can’t say I reused any old bio labs, I did find some overlap. When learning about different HVAC systems and sustainable energy sources, I constantly found myself comparing them to human systems and biological processes. In one of my structures courses, I worked with a team to develop a spiral staircase inspired by the human spinal cord, drawing on gel-like intervertebral disks to inspire a better shock absorption structure. Interning with a doctor who specialized in treating adults with disabilities, where I constantly found myself pushing wheelchairs and navigating through a bustling healthcare facility, I was exposed first-hand to the need for ADA guidelines and the role architecture plays in the quality of life. I learned that while architecture can seem very material-oriented, it is actually centered around people and our planet, and not only can we always draw inspiration from the natural world around us, but that makes for better-informed design as well.

There definitely was some adjusting to do though; where pre-med consisted of late nights in the library and cramming for orgo exams, architecture was all-nighters in the studio (guilty) and grappling with beam calculations. While both courses of study definitely tested my stamina and willpower, for me, the greatest difference was not just in the different material I was learning, but in the different approach to learning as a whole. Where pre-med is all exams and labs, usually with right and wrong answers, architecture is more project-based and in that, open-ended. I had to learn how to manage my time better to make it through projects, how to switch between different mediums and technologies to convey a story, how to think both conceptually and technically at the same time. Pre-med to me felt safe in a way, it was tried and true, but architecture pushed me out of my comfort zone. It continuously forces me to trust myself and the creative process, to be OK with knowing that there isn’t one way to do something, to constantly shift perspectives; these are all difficult tasks that I keep working on every day, but I believe they will end up not just enriching my approach to architecture, but also enriching my entire outlook on life.

Section and perspective of OverBerm - an urban ecology center by the Georgetown reservoir (studio project). Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

Hearth inspired storytelling space (project from studio course). Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

Ever since the lockdown in March, many students feared working remotely because of losing the hands-on experience found within the studio. However, you were very optimistic about moving into the online environment. Tell us about that. What have you learned about yourself and architecture because of remote learning?

It’s a funny story, I was actually super excited about an online studio environment because of a scheduling conflict. Last spring, I had a super packed schedule; my last class to fulfill my minor requirements, a project scheduling course, actually overlapped with my studio hours, but I couldn’t afford to take it another semester and graduate on time. With the help of a little self-advocacy and understanding professors, I was able to double book my schedule; I’d leave the studio a bit early and sprint across campus to the engineering school to make it to my class on time. It had been working out for me, I did well in the class and was even able to set a precedent and inspire the faculty to change the schedule for future semesters, in order to better accommodate architecture students. However, once we moved online, it was certainly a relief to not have to arrive to class all out of breath and to be able to access recorded lectures so as not to miss out on studio. This experience forced me to change my entire perspective on online learning, realizing that while it has a long way to go, it certainly opens doors for people in terms of accessibility. I also believe the online environment helps sharpen our skills as architecture students. In such a technological age, it forces us to get on board with new technologies and programs and learn to streamline our workflow, something that will not only help us in school but far beyond. With a mix of synchronous and asynchronous methods of feedback, we have to really fine-tune our representation skills and make sure our ideas and drawings could speak for themselves, something I believe is important to a strong design process. When it came to collaboration, I actually felt there was even more of it. Thankfully, the faculty did a great job of re-organizing the course structure and created peer groups and online student galleries to facilitate a greater exchange of ideas. There definitely are components I miss about studio in-person, such as model making, the supportive atmosphere, and most importantly the camaraderie that comes from being around my peers, but I’m confident that as we move forward, we’ll find nuanced ways to fill in those gaps too!

A Covid-19 inspired and self-initiated form study. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.

What is one piece of advice that would give to students who are studying and/or working remotely?

 Take this opportunity to optimize your learning style! Sort of like filing taxes, most people don’t really do this until they have to, but I argue that now is the perfect time for that. Find out which hours of the day you are most creative when you feel most energized and focused, and run with that! Take those extra few minutes to figure out your own ergonomics. What's your ideal monitor height? How far away should you sit from the screen? What kind of stretch breaks works for you? Even though you’re working from home, that doesn’t mean you can’t set yourself boundaries. Give yourself hours, and if you can, set up a workspace away from the bed or couch. For me, that meant making sure to leave my sketchbook or laptop work for the mornings, when I could easily sit outside and enjoy the daylight and fresh air, and then I would leave the more technical and monitor dependent work for the evenings when I wouldn’t feel as bad about sitting inside by my desk. There are so many ways to make yourself a routine, whether it’s planned out by the hour or just a general framework to work within; I just believe it’s most important that you take the time to really pay attention to your habits and go through the process of developing one for yourself.

Pushing Through. Photo Courtesy of Leeron Carmi.