Liza Aldridge

Hometown: Durham, NC
Education Background: B.A. in Art History, Washington and Lee University

How did you get interested in your field?
I always loved dreaming up imaginary spaces when I was little, either when playing make-believe with my sister (one time we made a “restaurant” out of a large bush in the front yard) or sketching out floor plans on paper. I had a strong academic interest in the history of art and architecture and followed magazines about contemporary interior design on the side more as a hobby. In college, I had initially planned to pursue a PhD in Art History and become an exhibition curator, but I eventually realized that my true interest had been architecture all along.

What was your background prior to coming to Penn?
I come from a liberal arts college background—I earned my undergraduate degree in Art History with a minor in Communications--so I did not have a traditional architecture background before starting the M.Arch program at Penn. After college, I moved to New York City and worked as a publicist for restaurants, bars, and spirits brands for two years before going back to grad school.

Why did you choose Penn?
Three factors led me to choose Penn: Location (I wanted to live in an East Coast city), Curriculum (availability of interdisciplinary electives and well-rounded core requirements), and Quality (I checked out past student work in the annual Pressing Matters publication and read up on some of the professors, and I liked what I saw! I looked for the quality of drawings and interesting studio briefs.)

What has been your favorite class so far?
Since I had never experienced an architecture studio before starting at Penn, taking design studios here has been the most exciting. I enjoy working through the full schematic design process, from conceptualizing an idea to producing the drawings and models. Also, I would be remiss not to highlight visual studies, which is a class that takes one drawing from studio and workshops it for three weeks, focusing on clear and precise representational techniques. I think the visual studies sequence is one of Weitzman’s unique strengths.

What are you learning right now that will help you in the future?
I really do think that everything I’m learning right now will come back to help me in some way—my current course load includes History & Theory, Environmental Systems, Details Data & Delivery, Visual Studies, Studio, and a Structural Tech Lab. One specific thing that I know will be very practical in the short term is learning BIM/Revit, which was the basis of my Construction class last semester, because I have heard that’s the number one thing employers of recent architecture graduates look for.

What do you like best about Philadelphia?
I absolutely love Philly! I consider myself a foodie, and I think the restaurant scene here is top tier. An ideal weekend here for me would be meeting friends at one of the city’s many farmers’ markets (usually either in Rittenhouse Square or Clark) and then going for a walk with a coffee to look at the historic homes in the area. I have also been convinced to become a fan of Philadelphia sports since moving here, so, Go Birds.

What kinds of activities and/or organizations are you involved in?
Last year I was the VP of Communications for our Weitzman Student Council. This year, I live down the street from a Billiards Hall, so maybe I’ll start an intramural Pool league--who knows.

What are your career ambitions?
I want to work for an architecture firm that handles a variety of large-scale projects while I’m working towards getting my license. Once licensed, I’d eventually like to start my own small firm and potentially teach at the university level as well.