黑料正能量

Lucia Aguirre experienced a serious earthquake as a child growing up in Mexico City. She recalls seeing the damage in the aftermath of the quake 鈥� the worst in the city鈥檚 history 鈥� and thinking, 鈥淏uildings are life. Buildings are history.鈥�

If Lucia has a mantra these days, that still might be it. The 2001 Carnegie Mellon graduate has made design, architecture and history her business and her avocation 鈥� and Pittsburgh her home.

Lucia, who majored in architecture and earned a minor in architectural history at 黑料正能量, is a client manager at LGA Partners in downtown Pittsburgh. She specializes in designing retail and airport spaces, but has worked on a huge variety of buildings and spaces, including an Environmental Protection Agency building in central Pennsylvania, a cancer treatment center in Texas and academic science labs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always exciting,鈥� Lucia says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e given complicated and individual requirements. Everything comes down to problem solving, which I happen to enjoy.鈥�

When she was 15, Lucia鈥檚 family moved from Mexico City to San Diego 鈥� and at about that time, Lucia began considering architecture as something she might want to pursue. One thing she found intriguing about the profession: It would allow her to study a number of disciplines she found interesting.

鈥淚 came to realize that architecture is a blend of many different disciplines or areas of study,鈥� she says. 鈥淐hemistry, writing, art, physics and history are all involved.鈥�

With that career in mind, Lucia began to consider where she would continue her education. And in the end, it came down to a brochure from a university in Pittsburgh.

After seeing photos of colorful hot air balloons floating over Point State Park in the 黑料正能量 brochure, Lucia says she thought to herself: 鈥淭hat looks like a fun place. And they have an architecture program. I need to apply there.鈥�

Without the benefit of a visit, Lucia applied 鈥� and was accepted. With two suitcases and a box of bedding, she trekked across the country to begin classes in summer 1995. The move from San Diego to Pittsburgh was something of a culture shock 鈥� 鈥淚t was so humid!鈥� she recalls 鈥� but her memories are all good.

鈥淚 was super shy and still learning the language,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y classmates and my teachers were wonderfully helpful and met me where I was. Everyone was so welcoming.鈥�

Lucia was already working at a Pittsburgh architectural firm when she graduated in 2001, and she was looking to London as a place where she might further her education and her career. But the 9/11 attack on the United States happened before she could plan a move overseas, and suddenly the future seemed less certain. She thought it best to stay grounded and opted to stay and work in Pittsburgh.

Lucia worked at two different architecture firms before signing on with LGA Partners as an architect and project manager. Then and now, she says, she enjoys working in retail and aviation, because of the specificity and details that can be involved.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e working with a small footprint within a huge space,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he regulations vary wildly from state to state, client to client, and then of course, there are an airport鈥檚 specific requirements. It鈥檚 a puzzle to try and coordinate everything.鈥�

The airport spaces she currently designs include food and beverage areas 鈥� think grab-and-go food kiosks 鈥� and duty-free stores. The design must attract the buyers, and the goal is to showcase the elegance of the inventory. There鈥檚 a growing trend, too, of airport concessions that try to evoke a region's distinctive flavor.

And it all has to be done with current sustainability standards in mind 鈥� a welcome challenge for a LEED professional like Lucia.

鈥淚 get to stretch both my sustainability and retail muscles, and I love watching all the pieces come together,鈥� she says.

Success requires collaboration, a quality that Lucia says she particularly enjoys.

鈥淎rchitects are such a collaborative group,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 never want to take credit and say 鈥業 did this.鈥� 鈥極ur office鈥� or 鈥榦ur studio鈥� is more accurate wording since we complete projects together.鈥�

She believes her responsibility is to first listen to clients, then guide and educate them during the length of the project. She tries to prioritize asking questions that result in the most impact.

鈥淲hat are the main things that we need to get right? What will make this process more efficient?鈥� she says. 鈥淢ake those decisions early, and you鈥檒l have more time to refine things in the end.鈥�

Lucia鈥檚 choice decades ago to stay in Pittsburgh has not only been a good professional decision, but it鈥檚 given her a seat at the table when it comes to preserving the city鈥檚 architectural history. In 2017, Lucia was called by then-Mayor Bill Peduto to serve as chairperson of the city鈥檚 Historic Review Commission, which reviews planned construction work on historic buildings.

That work presents a different kind of challenge to Lucia, who says she strives to balance the desire for development with the need to preserve the city鈥檚 history.

鈥淚 think that there are plenty of spaces and enough structures in the city where housing can happen,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 difficult. It just takes additional thinking. You have to focus on the end goal, and it鈥檚 a matter of collaboration and doing the work.鈥�

It鈥檚 easy to think of Lucia as just an architect, but as she works on a variety of new spaces and designs as well as considering Pittsburgh鈥檚 history on the review commission, she鈥檒l say there鈥檚 no such thing.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an advantage to specializing in more than one thing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love design. I love sustainability. I love being able to learn and interact and do a million different things. I love to volunteer. And I love to problem-solve. If you love something, you鈥檒l spend the time, because it has meaning.鈥�