Women in Architecture: Angela Mazzi, FAIA

Angela Mazzi, FAIA, Partner, GBBN Architects

What got you interested in architecture? 

Space has always felt like something to me. From a very young age, I explored rooms from different vantage points (under the coffee table, on top of the refrigerator) and loved building shelters out of cardboard boxes. My favorite toys were my Legos and Tinker Toys. I used to doodle in my notebooks and draw section elevations of apartments and floor plans. Because I didn’t know anyone who was an architect, I was planning to be an art major. Fearing for my future financial security, my mother was the one who connected the dots and arranged for me to do a tour of a local architects’ office my senior year of high school. I was intrigued and marched boldly into the great unknown of architecture school.

How did you get started in the field?  

I had a rough start graduating from Carnegie Mellon during a recession but I took away with me a passion for research on user experience, and ways that culture shapes design. After working as Assistant Coordinator at an art museum, I decided to go to graduate school in a part of the country that was growing and moved to Tucson to get a master’s degree at the University of Arizona. After graduating, I got a job at a small firm that had just started in Phoenix. It was a wild ride -- my very first day, I had to go to a local city and do research about rezoning property for a project. I wore all the hats since the projects were small, but got so much experience in project management, marketing, and the importance of community engagement. I was able to get licensed right away and pursue my passion for advocacy and the sociocultural impact of the built environment through my work on local CDC Boards, advocacy organizations, and being a part of the City of Phoenix Housing and Neighborhoods Commission.

Where are you in your career?

I’m at the point where I have discovered the throughline of all the things I’ve been interested in since school. Because of that clarity, I have been able to deep dive into the areas of the profession I am most passionate about and work on them at the scale of projects, my firm, and the industry.

What’s the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Being President of the American College of Healthcare Architects in 2021 and leading the organization to having a stronger voice in healthcare design. We relaunched our education program called the Masters Series and began including younger professionals, reworked our Lifetime Achievement Award to be more focused on EDI issues, and closest to my heart, formed a Future of Healthcare Task force, which published its report in August 2021. I had such a great board to work with that year and we took many bold actions that have made an impact for ACHA and the healthcare industry.

What’s been the biggest challenge in your career so far?

Around the time my daughter was born, we made the difficult decision to relocate from Phoenix to Northeast Ohio to be closer to my parents in Youngstown due to their declining health. It was so hard to leave behind a city I loved as well as the career I had spent seven years establishing there. Resigning from board positions I cherished and work that was having an impact and having to start over again in a new city (Cleveland) where I knew no one felt like I was burning down my life. Everything changed from my job to my city to becoming a mother to being in a new home to caring for sick parents that lived an hour and a half away. 

My career in Cleveland pivoted from commercial retail and housing/neighborhood advocacy work to healthcare. I found a new filter for the issues I cared about in social determinants to health and salutogenesis. I also began seeing my career from a national perspective as I began getting involved with the American College of Healthcare Architects after getting Board Certified in healthcare architecture. I learned that nothing is ever wasted -- my work in Phoenix in the early years of my career provided me with a strong network and foundation for the career I have today. When I relocated to Cincinnati in 2011 to work for GBBN, I was able to more seamlessly transition, as well as to ask for the role on projects I really wanted.

What are you excited about/inspired by right now?

I’m excited about the growing research in neuroscience and psychology that is documenting how design can impact well-being. Work on environmental and social determinants of health is making the case for quality design that considers salutogenic impacts. The idea of design impacting quality of life and personal resiliency is being discussed in more and more places.

What advice would you give to a young woman considering pursuing a career in architecture?

So much about being an architect involves skills that have nothing to do with the design of buildings. It’s important to develop skills as a facilitator, storyteller, change management navigator, and integrator of information. But it’s also important to have a point of view and help your clients see a bigger vision in their projects. Always question the premise and dig deeper to discover root cause issues. Be empathetic to the user experience. No matter how much expertise you have, approach things with a beginner’s mind and stay curious. Follow your passion no matter what and be an unflinching advocate for what you believe because that message is bigger than you. Know that you are not for everyone and that’s OK. Recognize that advancement and growth are not the same and that growth only happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.

When you’re not at work, what do you enjoy?

Yoga, travel (I’m famous for my unplanned road trips), good food, and my work as founder of Architecting, a community for those who believe design impacts well-being.

Are You a Woman in Architecture?

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Zaha Hadid’s first US commission and the first museum in the United States designed by a woman – the Contemporary Arts Center. As part of the celebrations, AIA Cincinnati wants to highlight the women in our chapter throughout the year. We’ll be sharing these profiles in our newsletter and social media. If you’d like to submit your profile, please follow the instructions on the form.