Cristina Rodríguez-Vázquez

Cristina is an Architect and designer in the Cultural/Educational Studio. Technically adept, she is a key player on many of the firm's educational ventures, including master planning. She is analytical and methodical in approach, first understanding the people who will use the space, how will they move through it, and what will create a comfortable environment. She then starts sketching floor plans and sections, working from the inside out.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Cristina distinctly remembers the first time she thought she knew what design was. When she was five years old, her father wanted to build a playhouse for her and her sister. She started giving him direction on how she wanted it to look—specifying the shape of elements and adding a bridge for access. With her father being an engineer and her grandfather a carpenter, she feels like architecture is part of her legacy in a family of builders. Cristina received her Bachelor of Environmental Design from Universidad de Puerto Rico (University of Puerto Rico) and her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. Construction sites are still one of her favorite places to be, reminding her of times with her dad.

Cristina feels the key to success is really listening to the client. In educational design, there are many stakeholders from students, to teachers, to school administrators. She engages them in dialogue to learn not just about current challenges, but also challenging them to think about what they might need in the next 20 years. When they are able to really come together with a unified vision, it's the best feeling.