Maria Papiez

Maria is the Director of Sustainable Design for EwingCole. As an architect and environmental biologist, she facilitates firm-wide efforts, including the AIA 2030 Commitment and Materials Pledge, participates in goal-setting and client interaction on project teams, and developed and leads the Thrive@EC sustainability group.

Maria believes that human wellness is inextricably linked to the health of the natural environment, and strives for design solutions that allow people and nature to thrive. She led sustainable design efforts for the first WELL certified project in North Carolina, which also achieved LEED Platinum, and has published work and spoken at conferences on the future of sustainability and the building industry.

Maria’s professional experience has been in healthcare, education, and workplace. She is an active participant in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) and the Sustainable Design Leaders (SDL) network, and she has been an adjunct Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture at NC State University, teaching design studios. She received her Master of Architecture from NC State University, her Master of Science in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Reno, and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Portland.