A Day With Leers Weinzapfel Associates’s Zhanina Boyadzhieva

Zhanina Boyadzhieva is an architect and business development lead at Leers Weinzapfel Associates and a committed equity advocate as co-founder of the Girl UNinterrupted Project. She was recently elected to serve as the 2021 Director-at-Large at Boston Society of Architects and sits on the Advisory Board of CultureNOW Museum Without Walls. Zhanina is an avid world traveler, a hobby which she believes helps her appreciate diversity, question social habits, and offer alternative perspectives. Her day involves a morning read and walk in the neighborhood, calls to Bulgaria, collaborating with her Girl UNInterrupted partner Juliet, and afternoon site visits.

6:22am: Alarm rings, eyes open. 22 is my lucky number, so I like to start my day with it. Mornings are quiet, my favorite time of day, when I can gather thoughts and intentions. I pop my head on the balcony for a breath of fresh air and the sound of birds and hop back into bed to squeeze in a 30-min morning read. These days, I switch between “The Book of Delights” by Ross Gay and “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo.

7:00am: I make my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and toast. My garden has been my little paradise during the pandemic and I like to have breakfast there. I check on the news and any messages received overnight. My family and many close friends are based in Europe (5-7 hours ahead) and we keep in touch regularly.

7:30am: I used to leave for the office at this time, but now I pick up my running shoes and face mask and go for a walk in the neighborhood. I love discovering hidden alleys and gems around Cambridge. It is my way to travel these days, keeping it to local explorations. In 2019, I took 7 months off to pursue a long-time dream. My husband and I grabbed a backpack each - carry on only - and went world hopping around Europe, South East Asia, Africa, Middle East, and the Caribbean. We were so lucky to return right before the pandemic arrived here. Now, home-bound, I reflect back on all the experiences. Walks usually inspire me. While strolling, I take notes of memories that I later turn into blog posts, coupled with my photographs.

8:00am: I call my “babas” (grandmas) back in Bulgaria. They are special women in my life and being far away from them is hard, so I try to check in regularly.

8:15am: I open my laptop in my office (aka my dining table or kitchen counter) and the work day is on. A quick browse through emails, meetings for the day, and sticky notes with to do’s, and I am ready to tackle things. I usually spend the early morning checking in with Juliet, my partner on the Girl UNinterrupted Project. Sometimes, we have early morning calls with leaders for our conversation series or other times, we prepare a presentation or write up on the subject.

9:00am: Morning staff zoom gets us all on the same page. It is a nice way to check in with the team and see the grid of faces. We all share what is ahead of us this week and whether we need help. Even though we are not working in the same space, the sense of collaboration is still strong. I get inspired by teammates.

9:30am: My first half of the day often ends up a Zoom marathon between team calls. Apart from working on my current design project - the Harvard University Allston District Energy Facility - I also collaborate on various marketing and business development initiatives within the office. I often bounce back and forth between design and other tasks.

12:00pm: Lunch time ends up on another group zoom while I cook something quick in the background. We have various internal office groups such as the Green Monsters, focused on sustainability. Alternatively, I spent my lunch time on a webinar at the Boston Society of Architects. BSA has been leading important conversations such as the new series on Race and Architecture or the BSA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion series. There are always provocative questions and action items around moving the needle on equity in the profession, and I try to be an active collaborator.

1:00pm: At this point, my brain needs a short break from the screen and the multitasking; I crave getting outdoors. I go for a quick run or a walk to recharge and get some fresh air.

1:30pm: Back at the laptop, I hope for a quiet chunk of time to delve into the design tasks. With music in the background, I find my flow: drawing, researching materials, or working on construction issues.

4:00pm: Since my project is in construction, I visit the site in the afternoons when the contractors are gone. Luckily, I live a 10-minute bike ride away. I get fully covered to follow all the new covid protocols, and I bike over to meet my Project Manager for a walk through. Lately, the focus has been exterior lighting and photography, so I get occasional visits at the odd hour - the crack of dawn, at dusk, or at midnight. Site visits always bring me special joy. It is the time you realize all your efforts and drawings have materialized into a physical building and spaces around it.

6:00pm: I am back home, checking emails. My brain is usually buzzing with thoughts and new ideas from the day, so I write everything down.

6:30pm: My husband and I bike over to the grocery store to pick up a few items or we order take out. We try to be very conscious about local small businesses and restaurants and support them as much as we can. We used to meet up with friends after work and often hosted dinners and drinks. The pandemic has made our life much quieter this year though if the weather is nice, we have a few friends stop over in the garden for a social distance gathering.

8:00pm: We sit down on the couch to chat about the day, the goods and the bads. Always music in the background, a glass of wine and maybe the fireplace if it is cold outside. These days, I often knit headbands or sew face masks, my newly acquired hobbies during the lockdown. I enjoy thinking about a new initiative I launched called Small Kindnesses Club. There is always something that keeps my brain and enthusiasm occupied.

10:30pm: I am in bed, browsing through the news and Instagrams of favorite makers. My latest addiction has been discovering local farms and crafts people in the area. I research their work, give them support, and think of new crafts I would love to learn one day. I always try to end the day on a positive note.