Mount Holyoke College's Linh Mai on Vietnamese Traditional Culture, Net Zero Design, and Entrepreneurship
Portrait by Lynn Sleiman
By Julia Gamolina
Linh received her degree in Architectural Studies and Economics from Mount Holyoke College. As a recipient of the Joseph Skinner Fellowship, she is now heading to Yale for her Master of Architecture I degree. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a Teaching Assistant for studio courses and as a Research Assistant for Naomi Darling on the Kasa Folding Pavilion project. She has internship experience in Boston, helping firms pursue Passive House and Net Zero.
JG: Why did you decide to study architecture?
LM: Thinking back, I am fond of my memories of walking from my Vietnamese middle school to my mom’s office in the city center. The image of the sun-dappled, interlacing contemporary glass boxes and 20th-century I buildings will linger in the back of my mind for years to come. Perhaps, that was when I unconsciously developed my curiosity for architecture and her many shapes, forms, and colors. Architecture is poetic as it continuously metamorphoses in a manner that harmoniously fits itself into human’s living and working rhythm.
Taking Introduction to Architecture with Naomi Darling during my freshman year reinforced my decision to pursue architecture. During the class, I got introduced to the intricacies of architecture through folding origami, joining bamboo skewers and PVC tubes, and analyzing plants in the greenhouse to develop an understanding of light and shadow, structure, and skin. Each project was a puzzle that I had no answer to until I dived in and explored by looking for inspiration, reading, writing, sketching, making models, failing, and repeating the process. I guess I fell in love with puzzle-solving architecture.
What was the most significant project to you that you worked on in architecture school?
My senior thesis on the Integration of Net Zero Designs and Vernacular Vietnamese Architecture sums up my architecture study as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College. This project means a lot to me personally and academically as it pays homage to my hometown and shows my commitment to architectural study. Under the guidance of my professor Naomi Darling, I researched and wrote extensively on housing inequality, the environmental challenges faced by Ho Chi Minh City, the impending danger of sea level rise, and the modern vernacular case studies in the thesis. The matter of creating a design solution to adapt to the sea level rise effect is urgent and imperative to Ho Chi Minh City since 80% of the city will vanish underwater by 2100, causing irreparable human, cultural, ecological, and economic damage with the displacement of 7 million people.
My thesis focuses on the revitalization of Vietnamese traditional culture and the incorporation of the environmental principles developed by our ancestors in combination with modern net-zero design strategies to optimize the sustainability of building designs. The design product of my thesis is a mid-rise, mixed-use net-zero residential development. This thesis can act as a guide to how Vietnam can move forward with its net zero goal by 2050 and minimize the global warming impacts caused by the building sector while prioritizing the health of Vietnamese people.
“In my experience, a firm that cares about its designs’ environmental impacts emphasizes creating an inspiring and healthy work environment for its employees and interns. Healthy work environments with wholesome people and engaging activities, such as design discussions and happy hours, always make an internship more meaningful.”
What are some of the initiatives you’ve focused on, and why?
The initiatives that revolve around architecture, sustainability, and entrepreneurship are my main priorities in college. For the architecture department, I worked as a teaching assistant for the foundational and Japanese Tea House design-built courses. Working with students created opportunities for me to form my local architectural network, pass along my experience and tips, and learn from my underclassmen’s creativity, work ethic, and resourcefulness. A good instance is one group, that got free cedar from a lumberyard, spent every free time in the wood workshop, and replicated intricate traditional Chinese temple brackets for their teahouse in six weeks! Needless to say, I was mindblown.
Other than being a teaching assistant, my research assistant role also enabled me to collaborate with a friend and my professor to design and build the 3.0 version of the folding pavilion project inspired by Santiago Caltrava’s works with joints that we 3D printed and designed based on Hubs geodesic dome kit. Recently, the Summit on Women's Leadership in Climate Justice hosted by Miller Worley Center was the highlight of my initiative as I received the Best Presentation award for my flood resilient, net zero design architecture project. A year before that, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with two fellow Vietnamese on a floating house entrepreneurship project for a college course that earned us a Grinspoon Concept Award. These experiences allowed me to connect to other creative minds and hone my fabrication and communication skills which allow me to become a more well-rounded individual.
The elevation of the Unity, a mixed-use apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City that represents the integration of Net Zero design and vernacular Vietnamese architecture.
The sun path diagram study in a section of the waste transfer facility + student center project at Umass Amherst.
When applying for and thinking about internships, what are you looking for in an architectural company?
As a young professional in the architecture industry, I try to diversify my experience by working at firms that specialize in different fields, from affordable housing to hospitals to architecture training. My goal is to apply to a firm that specializes in a niche of my interests at the moment. Plus, I prioritize applying to firms that focus on and advocate for sustainable architecture, particularly Net Zero designs and Passive House. In my experience, a firm that cares about its designs’ environmental impacts emphasizes creating an inspiring and healthy work environment for its employees and interns. Healthy work environments with wholesome people and engaging activities, such as design discussions and happy hours, always make an internship more meaningful.
What do you hope to do in your career in general?
At the start of my professional career, I hope to have the ability to work at the forefront of the net zero design movement, such as in Massachusetts with its net zero goal by 2050 and booming green industry. Later on, I hope to work anywhere in the world, whether as a digital nomad or a 9-to-5 desk job. An international firm that promotes diversity and environmentalism is my ideal company then. After gaining enough experience and refining my expertise, I would also like to return to Vietnam and start a firm that integrates Net Zero designs and vernacular Vietnamese architecture. The designs of my future firm will also mitigate the effects of sea level rise. One of my inspirations is Kotchakorn Voraakhom, a Thai landscape architect that gave an inspiring lecture at Smith College and many other universities on her landscape designs countering the effects of flooding. Much like her, I also hope to share my knowledge with the architecture students and advocate for green building code adoption in Ho Chi Minh City one day.
“My most genuine advice is that you should be patient and kind to yourself and your early projects. It is easy to compare yourself to others, but what matters the most is you are learning and growing at your own pace.”
What have you learned in the last six months?
It is hard to believe that we are halfway through 2023 now. Although time passes quickly, I have learned more about myself than ever before. Sewing is a skill I have never picked up until this year for the folding pavilion project. Printing a book was never on my to-do list when I started college, yet I got not only one but four copies of my thesis professionally printed. Working with a print shop helped me realize all the small details necessary for the book printing process.
At my latest internship company, I learned how to use material carbon calculating tools at the schematic design stage to aid with healthy, low-carbon material selection. Building a pavilion was not on my agenda at the start of this year, but we ended my senior year with the construction of one. For the first time, I learned how to network and talk to people without fumbling with my words or struggling to find talking topics. My shy, younger self would be so proud of me. Overall, the last six months were very exciting as I unlock new skills and improve my old ones with the help of my family, my friends, my professors, and my co-workers. A very productive half of a year indeed.
Who do you look up to? Both in terms of women in architecture, and in general.
I look up to Naomi Darling. As most of what I know about architecture, from reading the architecture scale to designing a seven-story net zero building, I learned under her thoughtful and caring guidance. She is a constant inspiration in my life and a true beacon of a forward-thinking architect and educator with her commitment to sustainable architecture and inspiring the next generation of women in architecture. I am fortunate enough to call her my professor.
Many female architects in my life have inspired me with their unyielding passion for creating sustainable, human-focused designs. Associate Professor Nguyen Hanh Nguyen, whom I work with on her book project, influences me with her architectural preservation and vernacular Vietnamese architecture works. Kitty and Moriah from the Narrow Gate Architecture, Meredith from Built Environment Plus, and Nicole and Keara from isgenuity all have taught me how to carry myself as an emerging professional in the industry, The lessons I learned from them include advocating for sustainability in Green Building Showcase, building a green database for healthy material selection, and abating carbon through material carbon calculation.
The arrangement iterations of the domino desk organizer.
What advice would you give to those interested in studying architecture? Or those just starting their architectural education?
My most genuine advice is that you should be patient and kind to yourself and your early projects. It is easy to compare yourself to others, but what matters the most is you are learning and growing at your own pace. There would always be times when you create bad designs that you dislike. However, it is important to rebound from the bad ones with the understanding that these projects are equal to good projects as stepping stones to your dream project one day.
Plus, you should prepare to become an avid coffee drinker. I would also recommend preparing your favorite snacks for late nights at the studio, so you can share them with your studio friends and combat late-night hunger. At least for me, I always work better with a caffeinated mind and a full stomach.