We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristin Schuster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristin, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I’m an architect, but what I really do is help people live connected lives – to each other and the environment, but also themselves.
When I was a teenager, my family moved into a house that was more than twice the size of the one we’d moved out of. It was clear to me then that the house changed our family life in ways that hadn’t been planned for, but that could have been! I saw first-hand that architecture shapes lives and relationships. It’s a kind of magic that can work for good when we pay attention to the right things. The longer I am in practice the more I see this to be true.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I founded Inflection Architecture in 2018. Our approach to projects is unique, in that we start by helping people think about how they want to live their lives in a larger sense. Then we go about co-creating the environment that uniquely supports that life.
We believe the ways we live outside are as simportant as how we live inside, and we’re excited when we get to create places where life moves seamlessly between inside and outside. More than large windows and sliding doors, it is about planning outdoor spaces as carefully as interior spaces. We are working on a project for a family right now, for example, that is a home centered around a large shared living-porch and small private outdoor terraces. Exploring sunlight, shade, how to capture breezes, how to turn the rain into an event… we get excited about these things.
An outdoor classroom we designed for a public elementary school that was designed around these principles just received a design award from the Texas Society of Architects. I’m proud to say we win awards for our designs – our clients’ happiness is what motivates us, though.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Curiosity, enthusiasm and intelligence will never let you down.
When I started my career after school, I set out to learn as much as I could as fast as I could. I wrote that down as a goal and, whenever I had a professional decision to make, I would remind myself. It is STILL relevant.
The best advice I can give to someone early in their career is to find people who get excited about helping and watching you learn. Surround yourself with them. I still consider my first boss a mentor and good friend more than 20 years after I left his firm. I have a close group of peers and friends who mentor and support each other. They’re instrumental to my continued growth as an architect and business owner. Find people – curious, enthusiastic, and intelligent ones.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Well, in addition to the people I just mentioned, I would add my father first. He has always been the most intelligent, curious, and enthusiastic person I have known. He’s probably the model, I suppose!
I will also add – my students. I teach design at the University of Houston. My students inspire me and teach me new perspectives every week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.inflectionarch.com
- Instagram: @inflectionarch
Image Credits
Leonid Furmansky, Divya Pande
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
