Margaret Innes, owner of Studio E, is a Maine Licensed Architect who will be helping us with some of our building design. A Connecticut native, she received her master of architecture degree from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and has a BA from Smith College, where she majored in English Literature and Music Theory. She worked on the Western Maine Play Museum and many other projects.
She graciously took a few minutes to answer some questions about what she does so we could share with you.
Children’s Discovery Museum: How would you describe what you do to a 5-year-old?
Margaret: Architects draw pictures of pretty buildings so that other people can build them.
CDM: What did you want to be when you grew up?
M: A scientist.
CDM: How did you get interested in architecture?
M: My parents liked to build things. My father built a house for my grandparents, even though he was a math teacher.
CDM: What kind of schooling or training do you need to become an architect?
M: The first thing that you need is an Architectural degree from an accredited school. These are longer than a regular bachelor’s degree, somewhere between 5-7 years. After that you need on the job experience in 6 different categories. Your supervisor has to be a licensed Architect. This usually takes about 3-5 years. Once you’ve completed your internship you can sit for your 6-part licensing exams. Each test is between 3-6 hours. Once you pass all of these, you can apply to your state for an Architect’s License.
CDM: What’s your favorite thing about what you do?
M: Drawing on the computer.
CDM: What will you be doing for the children’s museum?
M: Designing the drawings and documents so that the museum can be more accessible for people with disabilities.
CDM: Can you tell us a little more about what it means to design sustainably and why you are interested in it?
M: The United Nations defines sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. So, for a sustainable Architect this means creating healthy living environments while aiming to minimize negative environmental impacts and energy consumption. I’m interested in this because I want all of the people in the future to be able to enjoy the planet as much as I can now.
Thanks for all your great work Margaret!
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