Design's Responsibility: Susan Rodriguez on Curiosity, Collaboration, and Lasting Imprints
Portrait by Gilbert Santana
By Julia Gamolina
Susan T. Rodriguez designs at the intersection of architecture and the public realm to create buildings and spaces that distill the essence of cultures and communities. Her award-winning work is recognized internationally for its contribution to the vitality of cities and landscapes, and the civic, cultural and educational institutions they serve. Through her work she explores the synthesis of a complex array of issues and systems, which forms the basis for creating dynamic, three dimensional compositions that weave together structure, materials, textures, space, light and color. This results in architecturally bold identities fused with their surroundings that forge lasting connections to place.
In 2016, Rodriguez received the Women in Architecture Design Leader Award from Architectural Record and in 2017, she began her independent practice combining more than thirty years of design leadership as a founding partner at Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) with her passionate belief in the power of architecture to effect change and improve the quality of life for all.
She lectures frequently on her work and has taught numerous design studios. She actively promotes the importance of design in the public realm serving on the board of the Architectural League of New York and as a founding member of Art Works Projects for Human Rights. She received her undergraduate architecture degree from Cornell University and graduate degree from Columbia University. She lives and works in New York City. In her interview with Julia, Susan talks about her years with Polshek / Ennead and striking out on her own, advising young architects to bring the best of who they are to the task.
JG: Let’s start at the very beginning. How did your interest in architecture first develop?
SR: I was born in New York City but grew up in Connecticut. Coming into the City to visit my grandparents was always an adventure and something I looked forward to. Sometimes it was no more than staring out the window of their apartment for hours watching the action on the Avenue. It was mesmerizing — the hustle and bustle of traffic and people, as well as venturing into Central Park. NYC was for me awe inspiring and inspirational.
In terms of other things that brought me to architecture, I loved to draw, paint and make things. Also, there were many new houses being built in our neighborhood when I was growing up, and the whole construction process fascinated me. We were fortunate to be able to travel as a family which expanded my sense of the world and the cultures that were so unlike home.
In the end I probably owe it all to my mother who is a very creative person and a talented illustrator. I am one of four sisters and she was intent on finding something unique for each of us to become passionate about. She initiated and encouraged my interest in architecture.
Susie with her mother and sisters, taken in the STR|A·D studio
The Studio, photography by Lucy Flieger
You are a fellow Cornell graduate! How did you eventually decide that that’s what you wanted to study, and that you wanted to study it there?
I attended the summer architecture program at Cornell while still in high school, and that cemented my interest. I’m not sure why, because it really was quite a boot camp — I learned about all-nighters and the dangers of x-acto blades in making models. The professors were also quite blunt about our work, but despite all that it captured my imagination and I knew that’s what I wanted to pursue.
How did you get your start in the field?
I had a number of summer jobs which gave me insight into a range of practices. The first was for a one-man studio. What an auspicious beginning. For three months I received sage advice across the drafting table about architecture along with anecdotes about a 40-year international career. The work focused on craft, materials, and understanding the culture of place. It was a very different perspective from what I was learning in school. There was lots of encouragement too, which built up my confidence. I remember being told one day, “They’re going to love you Susan,” which is not something you ever heard in school.
The following summer, I got a job in San Francisco — this was also the summer I met my husband. My experience working there was more focused on studio culture and teamwork. My first full time job was at SOM in New York — an eye-opener into corporate practice. Then I went to work for another small office in Connecticut before graduate school and Polshek.
“I also never expected to be the only woman in a large partnership...I realized early on that I needed to seek out female peers as a counterpoint to that.”
How did you come to what was then Polshek, and in now Ennead?
When I was in graduate school at Columbia, I met Jim Polshek, who was the Dean at the time. He offered me a job at his office. Eventually I became one of his partners – I was at Polshek / Ennead for thirty-two years!
Jim truly became my mentor. I learned from him the importance of the story behind the architecture — the ‘soul ‘of what we do as architects. He is a great activist and humanist who shared a lens on architecture that made me see the world in a different way. His support gave me a chance to develop my own voice and with that the opportunity to design many public buildings and spaces.
That’s really wonderful. A lot of women I’ve interviewed have said to me that they didn’t really have mentors to look up to, so for you to have someone that really believed in you is a blessing.
Tell me about your time at Ennead.
I had a great run at Polshek / Ennead. Design mattered and we did meaningful work with an incredibly talented team that shared a fundamental appreciation for what it takes to “pull it off.” Being an architect in NYC is incredible — at one point, when my son was young and I was trying to limit my travel, so instead I had a project in each borough. I’ve been fortunate to have designed buildings for many important NYC institutions — the New York Botanical Garden, the Lycee Francais, the Bard Graduate Center, the Brooklyn Museum and the Sackler Center for Feminist Art, the Sinatra High School for the Arts, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the list goes on…Beyond NYC, I designed many projects on campuses and for the arts including the Westmoreland Museum of Art, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University and the university’s Global and International Studies building, as well as the Pequot Museum among others.
Outside my work at the office, I have taught design studios on and off for many years, mostly at Cornell, but at Columbia and City College as well. I’ve also become deeply involved with a number of organizations, serving as a long-term boards’ member of the Architectural League, the Chewonki Foundation, Artworks Projects-Art and Design for Human Rights and Cornell University. On some of these boards, it’s been fascinating to see the role of architecture from the other side.
Expansion of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, photography by Roy Engelbrecht.
Brooklyn Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, photography by Richard Barnes
Lycée Français de New York, photography by Richard Barnes.
The new cabins at Camp Chewonki for Girls, photography by OPAL Architecture Research Design.
That’s quite a tenure. You have recently gone off on your own – tell me how Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture and Design came about.
It’s been about four years now. After thirty-two years at Polshek / Ennead, I decided to strike out on my own. It was something that I always thought about and I guess I just wanted a change. I think an important turning point for me was collaborating on a pro bono project for a school in rural Zambia. Based on that, I realized that with my experience and expertise I could try to do things somewhat differently and focus more specifically on the aspects of architecture that have always interested me in a more intimate studio setting.
Where are you in your career today?
I’m in a great place. We are fortunate to have some amazing projects! My team is terrific, as are our collaborators outside of the studio. I’d say I’m in a place where things feel both old and new. I’m continuing to build upon my past work and collaborations with a renewed focus on projects that have a lasting impact on their communities. With STR | A.D, I’ve created a place to explore ideas, in a light-filled studio in Chelsea—a place of making where everything is on the walls. Drawing — a back and forth between the hand and the machine — is integral to our process and it’s everywhere.
“...in making public architecture you inherently become a public person. Getting good at that is essential!”
COVID has definitely taken a toll on this, so I’m eager to have everyone back together. One of the most exciting things is that so much of our work engages the natural world, exploring the integral relationship between building and landscape. Some of the highlights are in Central Park for the new Harlem Meer Center, in Maine for the College of the Atlantic’s Center for Human Ecology, the Chewonki Foundation’s new Girl’s Camp and the Schupf Arts Center at Colby College, along with the new Bi-centennial Carillion at Indiana University that opened in early 2020. On the practical side, I’m learning a lot about running a business without nine partners—you can imagine how lucky I am to still have their counsel.
Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? What has surprised you the most?
One of the biggest surprises was that in making public architecture you inherently become a public person. Getting good at that is essential! When I started, I was unaware of the scrutiny and intensity of the public process. Quickly, it became very clear how important it is to communicate your ideas both visually and verbally to make something happen in the public realm. Jim taught me a lot about that — telling the story and developing an inspirational narrative that engages the public to gain their trust and support.
I also never expected to be the only woman in a large partnership, as I was for many years at Polshek / Ennead. I realized early on that I needed to seek out female peers as a counterpoint to that. The colleagues and friends I have made over the years are very important to me. They encompass a broad range of talents and personalities in places around the world and are a powerful group of women — and a few men — that the next generation can rely upon.
Susie working in her rooftop studio. Photography by Jeff Goldberg/Esto.
What have you learned about yourself through these challenges?
I learned that so much of what we do is a team sport, which is both wonderful and challenging, and that the relationships and collaborations you develop are essential to the quality of the work you do.
In the end, I love this work. I still find it astonishing how we can make a lasting, permanent imprint on the world and what a huge responsibility it is. Our work can be all-consuming and incredibly difficult, but also extremely rewarding. I’ve learned that I’m resilient, committed and care a lot, that I want to be doing the work, not just supervising the work, that I am an optimist and that I believe in the power of design to create change.
Curiosity is perhaps one of the most important ingredients in keeping things vital, with unexpected insight coming from that kind of probing. The best work is not just about innovation but can come from a deep understanding about the history and culture of a place that can result in infusing new meaning.
So perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned about myself is that I too am a humanist and this attitude about design permeates everything we do.
Who are you admiring right now and why?
I guess we’re always looking for inspiration. The world is in such turmoil today, that we need leadership now more than ever. I think educators are the heroes today in their dedication to their students who are the future. I have the honor of working with some inspiring people who are leading their institutions in these very challenging times. More specifically, I’ve always admired Rural Studio. Andrew Freear has created a model that more communities could really benefit from.
“Curiosity is perhaps one of the most important ingredients in keeping things vital, with unexpected insight coming from that kind of probing.”
What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission?
In starting my studio, I began wondering why, as architects, we compete for such a small body of work while the rest of the world isn’t touched by design. How can that change? At the most basic level, I’d like to improve the quality of life for people through the work that we do, and to make the daily lives of people just a little more extraordinary. As architects, we have a huge responsibility to broaden access to design for all.
How do you define success, in your current role and in general?
Success lies in the quality of the work we do and the impact it has. In the end the work has to speak for itself. Success is also providing those who follow us the opportunities that we’ve had so they can develop their own voices. It is wonderful to share our own path to give others a shot at it. Without the shot you can’t have impact.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career?
It all goes by so quickly, so open your eyes to everything around, and then commit and get things done. Develop a point of view and figure out what you’re good at and make the most of that. Take your expertise seriously and put it to work.
There are so many ways of being an architect—even more today. So, find what you’re passionate about and go for it. Don’t hesitate, dive completely in, and give of yourself fully. Find a mentor and someone with whom you can have a long-term dialogue about what we do. And don’t fixate on being successful - fixate on being good, being curious, and being a great collaborator and developing the skills it takes to pull it all off. This is very challenging work and we need to bring the best of who we are to the task.