Jennifer Carpenter and Irina Verona

“Get on site during construction as early and as much as possible, and develop the confidence you need to give direction there.”

Jennifer Carpenter and Irina Verona have worked on some truly incredible projects. The two leading ladies of Verona Carpenter Architects have created the vision behind the Converse headquarters, the Ray-Ban NYC flagship, and the Adidas showroom and offices, just to name a few. They have also been instrumental in creating the store brand image for designers, such as Amina Rubinacci, who are making their store debuts in the United States. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, the ladies sat down with ArchNative and shared their creative process, advice on entering the field, and how they establishing their Women-Owned Business. 

What was your first introduction to the field? 

Jennifer: I loved art in high school and thought I would go on to art school.  While I was applying, my tough and amazing high school art teacher (thank you, Mr. Platis) told me I was a “switch-hitter”: I could easily move between the left (more analytical) and right (more creative) sides of my brain. He encouraged me to go to a school with strong arts and strong sciences, and to think about a field where I could use my talents in both.  He said “if you get into Yale, you go there.” And I did, and I majored in architecture and loved it.

Irina: I was a science major in undergrad at Princeton and stumbled onto an architecture history class. I was instantly drawn to it and discovered that architecture – as a field – brought together many of my interests. It has the precision of math and science but also brings together art, philosophy, history and culture; it combines theory with making things. I switched majors and have never looked back!

What about the industry enticed you to make it your career? 

Irina: In such a broad and diverse field such as ours, there are many different approaches to what constitutes a career path. To practice architecture means to design and to build – projects, buildings, an office or a partnership. But it also means to teach, write, edit or curate. Right out of grad school, together with two of my classmates, we founded Praxis, a journal dedicated to bringing together theory and practice. We did this on the side, in addition to our day jobs, but it quickly became an exciting platform for research and exploration. Praxis is now on its 15th issue and it has helped me understand practice in a much more expanded way. I have also been teaching at Barnard for almost ten years and found that teaching gives me the opportunity to push my own limits and explore ideas that might not be always possible in day-to-day practice. It also allows me to mentor and encourage new voices, which is an essential part of our mission.

Jennifer: my first job in architecture was with Cesar Pelli, right out of college. I was supposed to work that summer as the director of an arts camp in California, but I got a last-minute call -- “you’re hired and you need to start right away.” The camp was not happy, but I could not turn down that position!

It was a perfect first job; Cesar was supportive of young designers and let me have a voice in the design process. I loved the atmosphere in the studio, and I met a bunch of fun, creative people. I went on my first business trip, to D.C., for the Washington National Airport (well, on the parking garage, if truth be told.) I thought it was all so exciting, and I got hooked. Then I went off to Columbia for graduate school (which is where Irina and I met) and those years really expanded my ideas about what architecture can be and taught me how to talk about my work – a critical skill. In grad school most of my classmates complained about the “professional practice” course, where we learn (briefly!) about contracts and he business, but I was super into that class and realized I wanted to run my own business.

What has been your biggest challenge in your career? 

Understanding and accepting that architecture is a very slow field.

Can you tell us the process behind what you designed. How do you approach each project?  

We try to treat each project like a totally new thing, even if we have lots of experience with the project type. We ask a ton of questions to make sure we understand the client’s goals, and dreams. Then we go along multiple design paths at the same time so that we don’t settle into an obvious solution that may not be the best solution. As we move forward, we narrow the options, but we also try to stay open to opportunities that present along the way. On a renovation project, for example, the demolition process may reveal some hidden condition that’s totally unexpected, and that can be painful – but it can end up making the design better.

What is one piece of advice you have for women entering the field?

Get on site during construction as early and as much as possible, and develop the confidence you need to give direction there. You need to speak and act with authority. Unfortunately, it is still rare to find women construction workers, so you’ll often be the only woman in the place.

Understand that there is not a single path. Explore and find the set up that is right for you – whether it’s working at a big firm first, starting your own practice, teaching. 

What is one piece of advice you have for women who are looking to start their own practice ? 

 Make sure you have an appetite for the business side and the creative side of the field. It’s not enough to have good ideas.

Photo by: Travis Huggett

@travishuggertt