Pooja Kashyap

July 30, 2021
by: Tiara Hughes, NOMA

Pooja Kashyap, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, SEED, is a licensed architect, Project Manager at Guerrilla Development, and Founding President of Portland’s new NOMA chapter, NOMA PDX. A first-generation Indian-American, Pooja grew up in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. Her upbringing in the car-centric, strip mall filled, asphalt ocean of sprawling suburbia drove her to the bike-friendly, mountainside city of Portland, Oregon. Before Portland, Pooja interned in 7 major cities across the United States through the University of Cincinnati’s co-op program, during which she discovered her passion for sustainability, existing buildings, and community-focused design. At UC, she received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Minor in Sustainability, Master of Architecture, and Certificate in Historic Preservation.
Pooja spent the last 5 years at Hennebery Eddy Architects, where she served as the lead sustainability architect for the LEED Gold-Certified Concourse E Extension to Portland International Airport. Serving on the Sustainability Committee and the DEI Committee, as well as recruiting, managing, and mentoring interns, Pooja became focused on inequities in the architecture profession. She was grateful to be selected as NOMA PDX’s first president and helped get the chapter officially chartered in January 2021. As president, she hopes to build the pipeline, supporting underrepresented minorities from grade school through licensure, providing resources to launch minority architects into positions of power, and pushing the AEC industry to represent and support their local communities.

Pooja is elated to now be working her dream job at Guerrilla Development, where she is actualizing her thesis dreams of adaptively (and playfully) reusing existing buildings to combat gentrification and serve the local community.

Tiara Hughes: How did you first become interested in architecture?

Pooja Kashyap: I have a vivid memory of being 10 years old and seeing a downtown city skyline for the first time. I was in awe that we as humans could create something so much larger than ourselves, and from then on, I was hooked. Despite the fear and confusion from my family, the repeated pushes towards the more lucrative and job-secure fields of engineering or medicine, I was adamant about becoming an architect and changing the world through design. I am grateful every day for the way my architectural education has shaped how I experience the world, and my power to create positive change within it.

TH: When did you first learn about NOMA, and how have you been involved over the years?

PK: I first learned about NOMA at a 2019 AIA Oregon Symposium called Future Vision: Creating the Equity Toolkit. I learned of the concept of the pipeline, the ways in which people are funneled into the AEC profession, and the opportunities to specifically attract minority candidates to architecture. I looked up NOMA as soon as I got home, and was disappointed to discover that Oregon didn’t have a chapter… yet.

TH: How has NOMA impacted your professional trajectory?

PK: I was fortunate to be selected as NOMA PDX’s first president in 2020, and found great fulfillment in working with my incredible board of directors to get the chapter chartered in 2021. This achievement was recognized by my previous firm, and carried weight in their decision to promote me to Associate. Several members of the board served as key mentors for me when I was facing challenges of discrimination, bullying, and burnout in my career. As the only minority female architect in a firm of 70 people, I was relieved to find mentors that could relate to my lived experiences. They supported me through major decisions, and ultimately helped me land my dream job as Project Manager at Guerrilla Development. NOMA PDX is now my primary connection to the architecture community in Portland, and continues to give me fulfillment outside of work as we tackle DEI challenges in the profession and provide support to one another.

TH: Can you share some of your most meaningful architectural work?

PK: I served as the lead sustainability architect on the LEED Gold-Certified, 850’ long extension to Concourse E at Portland International Airport. I am in awe at how many lives this project will touch, how many people I know that will physically experience something I had such personal involvement in creating. Every single person working on the project seemed to carry this same pride, and took every decision seriously, always considering long term durability, maintenance, occupant experience, and beauty. Tasked with coordinating 15+ consultant disciplines and keeping us on track to meet LEED Gold, this project helped me grow exponentially as an architect. I couldn’t have asked for a better project (or project team) to serve as a foundation for my professional career.
At Guerrilla Development, I am most excited to break ground on an upcoming project, Jolene’s Second Cousin. This project will be the second in a series of development projects that create housing for the homeless without use of government subsidies. With 11 single resident occupancy units and shared communal spaces, this small-scale development project creates thoughtful, community-fostering living space for Portland’s homeless population. We anticipate many more projects like this across Portland’s trendiest neighborhoods, and are already developing plans for Jolene’s Third Cousin.

TH: Do you recommend people become a member of NOMA, and if so, why?

PK: I have never in my life felt community the way I have felt in NOMA. It’s refreshing to not be the only brown, female, architect in the room. To have people who look as “different” as me to relate with as we seek and provide mentorship. For once, I am not the “lonely only.” I am able to share stories of microaggressions and instead of being met with shock, other members are empathetic, understanding and commiseration. In NOMA, I don’t have to explain myself as much, we have a shared understanding of particular lived experiences, being minorities in America who view the world through the lens of design and architecture. In addition to community, there are other professionally strategic reasons to join NOMA. Reasons including networking opportunities, professional development tools, and credentials that set your resume apart. If you’re passionate about tackling DEI issues in the profession, NOMA offers a platform through which to influence the AEC profession. Additionally, there are opportunities to teach young students about architecture and build the pipeline. If any of that resonates with you, you should join NOMA and you should ask your firm or your school to pay for it.

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TH: What advice do you have for our NOMAS membership, as they begin their architectural careers?

PK: Not everyone is going to like you, see you, or believe in you, and that is okay. The single greatest lesson I have learned to date both in my personal life and my career is to back myself, no matter what others think about me, my decisions, my taste, and my character. Architecture is subjective. There are no right answers. As minorities, we bring a different perspective, and in a profession full of big egos, the change we bring is challenging. The road ahead of you is difficult, but it is crucial that you push forward. We are at the forefront of a design revolution, one that empowers all voices to be heard and directly influence the built environment. Every day, ask yourself, what do I think? What would I build here? Because the longer you look to others for those answers, the longer it will take you to find your own voice. And your voice is the most important one to listen to in your career.