The Knowlton School's Malena Grigoli on Ambiguity, Re-Calibration, and True Sustainability

By Julia Gamolina

Malena Grigoli is entering her final year of undergraduate studies at the Knowlton School at the Ohio State University. She will graduate in the spring of 2021 with a Bachelors of Science in Architecture, a minor in City and Regional Planning, and significantly worse posture than when she began her studies. Outside of studio, she is involved in several environmental and service-related student organizations/initiatives at OSU, serves as the undergraduate managing editor of Knowlton School’s One:Twelve Journal, and is a current intern at Neighborhood Design Center in Columbus, Ohio.

JG: Why did you decide to study architecture?

MG: My decision to study architecture was made after trying out a couple other majors. I applied to universities as a philosophy major, but by the time I arrived on campus I had switched to biology. After a bit of time trudging through lab reports I was desperate for work that allowed the ambiguity I found so compelling when discussing theory or taking on a creative project. I realized that the study of architecture necessitates exploration of myriad elements – the technical, and the philosophical, and the sociopolitical, the aesthetic – and it seemed like something I wanted to spend many years thinking about.

What was the favorite project you worked on in school?

One of my favorite projects was a simple warm-up exercise for studio. In order to prepare ourselves with some material knowledge necessary for the forthcoming project, students were paired up and instructed to create several physical concrete pieces with varied surface and spatial conditions. It was unexpected how refreshing the conversations were during our review. The ability to speak about something that existed in its completed state changed the dynamic entirely. Because so much of what we create during our architectural education is presented through the necessary lens of representation, it’s rare to have the opportunity to comment on the thing itself, as opposed to the methods used to translate and scale it.

What are some of the initiatives you’ve focused on in school, and why?

The organization with which I’m most heavily involved is One:Twelve, the student journal at Knowlton School. As the current undergraduate managing editor, I spend time working to ensure that the platform and publications serve student voices so that we are able to discuss topics neglected in our courses, call attention to injustice within the design fields, and begin contributing thoughts regarding architectural and design theory. If we, as students, are to advocate for a more equitable future for architecture, we must become comfortable sharing our visions for a new, anti-capitalistic, anti-racist, post-patriarchal design field. We are coming into our careers in a climate that demands we re-calibrate our thought patterns and existing institutions, and we must therefore be in the practice of analyzing these structures in a thorough and transferable way.

It is also imperative that the school’s academic journal does not exclude those who do not feel writing is their strength. Too long has academia placed grammatical nuances above revolutionary theories.

When searching for internships and jobs, what are you looking for?

By making a commitment to seeking out and accepting paid internships only, I’m able not only to pay my bills and eat, but also to opt out of participation in the longstanding practice of offering opportunity and connections, through low or non-paying jobs and internships, only to students with the means to work for free.

Aside from payment for labor, I look at projects taken on by the firm and the way they engage with the community from concept design to construction development. I also value a friendly, collaborative office environment, as open discussion provides so much knowledge regarding the practice of architecture that is rarely directly taught.

As someone who always has a few side-hustles, I truly feel that most situations or gigs can provide you with a new skill, unique perspective, or at least a good story.

What’s important to you? What inspires you?

Designing with true sustainability as a non-negotiable is imperative to me. I am inspired by Aaron Betsky’s questioning whether we need new buildings; biomimetics as a study and a practice; mycelium and its many, astonishingly elegant properties and applications; indigenous construction practices and architectural design, which we rarely discuss in our current curriculum; and vines of ivy growing persistently up the sides of an ugly building, as though to help remedy our anthropic faux pas.

What do you hope to do in your career?

Since turning my attention towards architecture, I’ve often assumed that I’ll follow the traditional path to licensure and then work in accordance with my credentials. However, I’ve begun to question whether licensure is really necessary for my interests within design, being more focused on material studies, and whether I even feel it permissible to participate in a capitalistic system which inherently excludes so many due to high costs and complex processes. The idea of deprofessionalizing architecture is a complex one that I’m constantly mulling over as I imagine what my future practice will look like.

Malena in the workshop, working on a current, mycelium-related project.

Who do you look up to? Both in terms of women in architecture, and in general.

I look up to many of my peers. I find that my colleagues who experience gender-based oppression are often the first to voice concerns regarding inequity within our school, whether directly related to gender or other factors, such as race or class. Their sense of urgency combined with vision for a more just future inspires me to interrogate the systems we navigate and question whether I can stand for them as they currently exist. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by these women and non-binary folks who are fierce advocates for greater equity in design and embody, on a daily basis, the values they hold.

What advice would you give to those in high school now, choosing their field of study?

If you don’t change your major at least twice, you’re complacent! I’m being a bit facetious, but, in earnest, switching tracks is not a failure – it shows that you’re willing to grow and adapt and explore. With every experience, even if it doesn’t end up becoming a lifelong passion or commitment, you will learn something, if you’re paying attention.