Past Forward: Madeline Burke-Vigeland on Works of Significance, Adaptive Reuse, and Firm to Firm Collegiality

By Julia Gamolina

Maddy Burke-Vigeland is a Principal with Gensler, where she oversees a broad portfolio of projects and has a reputation as a leader of successful collaborations with high-profile clients and peer design firms. She is the Project Director for the renovation of the iconic Ford Foundation, and, in collaboration with DS+R, she is the Principal-in-Charge of the expansion project for the Museum of Modern Art. She has served in a similar capacity for the New Museum (SANAA), The Clark (TAA&A and Selldorf Architects), the New York Public Library, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, and others.

Maddy serves as Chair of the Dean’s Council of the University of Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning and has lectured at the Pratt Institute, Columbia University, New York University, and Harvard University. She holds a Bachelor's in Architecture from the Pratt Institute. In her interview, Maddy talks about her work with adaptive reuse and institutions with a mission, advising young architects to get to know their peers in other firms.

JG: What first sparked your interest in architecture?

MBV: I am very proud to call Buffalo home. It’s a city rich in architecture – the neighborhoods, the civic buildings, and also the really gritty stuff, too – and now that it’s being rediscovered, it’s becoming even more interesting. I have early memories of my father, who was an engineer, taking our very large family to job sites and new construction around the city. He died when I was a teenager and it was my mom who then planted the seed when I was in high school, telling me, “I think you should consider architecture.”

The Clark Institute, photography courtesy of Jeff Goldberg/ESTO.

You studied at the Pratt Institute - what did you learn?

I was totally ready to dive deep into architecture when I got to Pratt and was excited to be going to a school that was creative, diverse and progressive – and in an intensely urban environment. A number of my professors were also practitioners, and we were encouraged to apply inventiveness to real-life problems. We had many discussions about intervention versus restraint, which contributed to my interest in historic buildings. So, my time at Pratt was about discovering this concept of bringing the past forward, and studying in New York City helped nurture this idea.

After Pratt, what was the first thing that you did?

I started working at a small firm right in Union Square - a great experience which allowed me to work directly with the firm’s partners. The firm had just won a commission for an off-off Broadway theater, now the Minetta Lane Theatre. The building was a former canning factory, which we converted into a 500-seat theater and which has since hosted many great productions. This was the first project that I worked on from start to finish, design through construction administration, and I even helped paint some walls as the deadline drew near.

I stayed with that firm for about five years, working on another historic reuse project for American Youth Hostels on the Upper West Side. Like the theater, I received a whole education in navigating city agencies, including the need to de-map a street which, on paper, ran right through the building.

“...my time at Pratt was about discovering this concept of bringing the past forward, and studying in New York City helped nurture this idea.”

What did you do next?

Eventually, a great opportunity came up at Gensler. I had some trepidation as it seemed like a really big firm - at the time, they had something like eighty people!

Wow. It’s hard to imagine a time when Gensler was so small, and that’s not even that small! Tell me about your projects there.

My first project was for Cornell University and their club here in the city, which was another adaptive reuse project, a typology that was unusual for Gensler in New York. The project had its challenges – city agency navigation, contractor teams in turmoil, and I transitioned from project architect to project manager during CA – but, in the end, it was a successful project and I learned a lot. This time established my reputation at the firm as somebody who could lead these types of projects. Many years later, it seemed a natural fit when we were given the opportunity to work with the Ford Foundation to renovate their headquarters building and lead its transformation into a Center for Social Justice.

It was soon after the Cornell Club project that I realized at Gensler I could really chart my own path.

What do you mean by that? In terms of leadership?

Yes, leadership, but also in terms of direction and types of projects. My time at Gensler has led me to a lot of education and cultural work, which is where my interests lie. I have had the opportunity to lead the firm’s education practice area, and I also started the cultural practice in the firm. This grew to a broader role as co-leader of Gensler’s Community Sector practice. My project work developed on a similar trajectory.

The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in construction, image courtesy of Gensler.

The Ford Foundation, photography by Garrett Rowland.

The Ford Foundation galleries, photography by Garrett Rowland.

In this trajectory, what have been the key milestones for your professional development?

Early in my career at Gensler, because of the types of projects I was doing and my client base, I was given the opportunity to lead a small studio with a core team of people – some of whom I am still working with today – which is really cool. The whole idea of growing something, starting out small and developing it into something more substantial, was important both for me and for the firm.

Another aspect of Gensler that has been especially important to me are pro-bono projects and the idea of giving back. About six years ago, I led the development of a program for interns called “Summer Studio,” where part of the intern’s weekly work schedule is focused on a non-profit. For example, the summer after Hurricane Sandy, we partnered with the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance and developed a model for a community exchange. This program has been hugely impactful for the interns, and something we hope they will incorporate into their practice, wherever they end up.

Tell me more about the renovation of the Ford Foundation.

Ford has been a five-year endeavor, starting as a due diligence study to comply with Local Law 26 and gain full sprinkler compliance by summer 2019. Here was this masterwork modernist landmark designed by RocheDinkeloo that was this icon and a bit daunting. As we dug into the project, it became clear that it would be a huge undertaking. Rather than panic, the foundation recognized it as an opportunity to study how to better align the building with their evolved mission.

Working in tandem with Ford, we established a set of guiding principles for the project – including equity and dignity, accessibility, sustainability and more – that drove both design direction and decision-making. And now with its completion, the renovated Ford Foundation acts as a catalyst for social good. It’s really thrilling to see all the incredible work that is happening there.  

“As I say to my teams, take it passionately, not personally.”

Where do you feel like you are at in your career today?

It’s been an exciting year with both the completion of the Ford Foundation and the expansion of MoMA, which we did in collaboration with DS+R. I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with two institutions of such significance.

I’m also working on two other projects that are in construction. One is the Jackie Robinson Museum, which is also in a landmark building. The other is for the International Center of Photography, moving their gallery, library and school to a single location at Essex Crossing.  Everyone is excited about having all of their programs under one roof – it’s a unique place.

Beyond project work, where are you today?

I try to instill in the next generation of designers the importance of giving back and being involved. I have long been involved in a number of organizations: I served on the board of Storefront for Architecture for five years and now I’m on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning. I continue to stay involved with Pratt and the AIA. There are so many organizations in NYC and I think it’s really important for all of us in the profession to be involved in some way.

The new MoMA in constuction, image courtesy of Maddy Burke-Vigeland.

Maddy speaking at the University of Buffalo commencement ceremony, 2019.

Looking back, what have been some of the biggest challenges?

So much of my career has been at Gensler – I have been there for thirty-two years now. My biggest challenges have been related to tough, complex projects, with challenging budgets, schedules, clients, conflict or a combination of all. I try not to let conflict affect me personally. As I say to my teams, take it passionately, not personally.

On the other hand, the most challenging projects tend to be the most rewarding. Building in the city can be tough - you are dealing with things that you have no control over like labor issues, street closings, unforeseen conditions. Whether your project is on a vacant site where perhaps the soils aren’t supportive enough, or it’s an old building and you find out the beams are rotting, at times it can feel like a hole. But it’s the architect’s job to strategize the digging out, and I probably wouldn’t want to be on a project if it didn’t challenge me.

On the flip side, what about the biggest highlights?

I think the largest and longest project that I have worked on was the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. It was a first for me in terms of a collaboration. We worked closely with Tadao Ando Architects, Selldorf Architects, and Cooper Robertson, and then with Reed Hilderbrand for landscape. The project was supposed to last five years and it went on for twelve.

It’s an incredibly beautiful setting in the northern Berkshires and the program involved every type of work that I ever done. It was renovation, restoration, and new construction all incorporated into a gorgeous landscape. The great thing about it was that the team hung together through all the twelve years – we couldn’t help but be extremely close. If I think about the things that I am really proud of in my career, it’s all of the relationships that I’ve made over the years. While I think a lot about the projects I’ve completed and all that I have learned, it’s the teams I have worked with and the friendships I’ve made that have made a lasting impression.

“...collegiality from firm to firm is important...It’s not about giving away company secrets, but about contributing to the broader profession and to the overall society which we share.”

When you are working so closely together and so passionately, it’s impossible not to connect on a deeper level.

Yes – and on a more compressed schedule, we had a similarly bonded team for the New Museum project. With a tight schedule and tighter budget, it became a wonderfully intense collaboration with SANAA. They sat in our office, so that helped tremendously. Both at the Clark and the New Museum, we worked directly with incredibly brilliant directors who were closely involved with the projects. That was key to the team dynamics.

What would you say has been your general approach to your career? 

I have to believe in the work. I have a hard time working on projects that I don't believe in. That I can’t justify.

I ask a lot of people for their advice on starting a firm, but for you I’d like to ask about how to find your place and move up in a large firm. 

I think about that all the time, to be honest. The studio structure at Gensler is a really important place that allows one to find a voice. We want to hear from everyone, so I encourage people to speak up. Discovering that confidence, especially as a young person entering a firm, is really important.

Also, and not everybody thinks about this, but collegiality from firm to firm is important. I’ve always felt that it’s about shared experiences. It’s not about giving away company secrets, but about contributing to the broader profession and to the overall society which we share.

I love hearing you say that. I heard a lot of advice when I was graduating to not hang out with other architects. You do have to get to know other people, but you also have to get to know your own. You are all banding together to make the profession better.

Finally, what advice do you give to those just starting out?

Be open. Talk to others and never stop listening and learning and looking wherever you are, and not just about architecture. Get involved with a culture and a network that gets you excited. That’s where you can find your unique place and purpose.

*additional editing by Caitlin Dashiell