GRACE
POLO-WOOD
North Carolina State University
SAY IT LOUD - North Carolina Exhibitor
North Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I am inspired by architects that are able to find solutions for communities that are typically overlooked. I appreciate being able to see spaces and landscapes designed to address inequality and inclusion issues in my community.
GRACE POLO-WOOD
Bio:
The great designer, Grace Polo-Wood is a student at North Carolina State University's School of Architecture class of 2022.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
When I went to Puerto Rico, my dad took my family and I to many historical sites, including an architecture museum. My excitement for architecture started to grow then and continued to blossom the more I traveled throughout South America.
What do you do?
I am a student at North Carolina State University in the Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture (BEDA) program.
What excites you in the work you do?
I have been building and renovating homes for a while, this means I have been attracted to learning and understanding structure and materiality. I hope to always be able to feel excitement about choosing the right material and structural concept.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
I am inspired by architects that are able to find solutions for communities that are typically overlooked. I appreciate being able to see spaces and landscapes designed to address inequality and inclusion issues in my community.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
I was part of the team that won the Annual NCMCA Sigmon Memorial Scholarship Design Competition. We designed and modeled a hypothetical masonry office building. It was sponsored by the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association (NCMA).
Featured Project Name:
Jordan Lake Audubon Center
Featured Project Location:
NC
Featured Project Completion Date:
Unbuilt
Role in Featured Project:
Sole Designer
Featured Project Description:
The Jordan Lake Audubon Center is a quiet place for people of all ages to enjoy the thrilling hobby of bird watching. The program includes educational spaces and a viewing tower surrounding a central courtyard-like space on the beach. The wings have vertical operable louvres to allow for ventilation and light to enter them. Folding metal roof planes coupled with a wooden structure on piles to hover over the water. A large viewing deck connects the two wings and encloses the courtyard beach.
