Heidi
Name and credentials:
Heidi Nesbitt. BFA, MArch, MAIBC, LEED® AP
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City and country of birth:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Education:
After graduating from high school at 17, I went travelling in Europe and ended up living in Glasgow where I took some printmaking and photography courses. My BFA (1999) is in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria. I graduated from the University of British Columbia MArch program in 2003 at age 26. I was registered as MAIBC in 2008 at age 31. My goal had been to be registered by 30. I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn’t make that happen
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Achievements:
Apparently I was a better art student than an architecture student, because I received way more scholarships doing my BFA than my MArch. That might be because creative thought only counts for about half of your marks in the MArch program, whereas it counts for pretty much everything in an art program.
The funny thing about awards and achievements is that at the time, they can seem incredibly significant. As time passes and new goals appear, those past achievements don’t seem quite as important. Does anyone, myself included, really care anymore that I got a big scholarship in 1997? No. It’s akin to bragging about the ski race I won in grade ten. Pretty much irrelevant now.
To me, most of my memorable achievements have been athletic. Becoming a competitive telemark skier, kayaking Class 5 creeks, or running a sub-44 minute 10K seem both more honourable and lasting, than getting an art or architecture award from a random and subjective committee. (Am I being young and naïve? Probably.)
All of the achievements I’ve listed have one important thing in common: they required a clear and focused mind. If I can continue to find the time and energy to have a clear mind, I will consider myself successful. Considering that this interview is about parenting, and that in just a couple short months I will be a mother, I have to add that I am anticipating this goal to become more elusive.
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A few of my favourite things:
This is always my favourite question. Here are some random things, in no particular order, that I love:
- visiting Carlo Scarpa’s buildings
- ski touring and winter camping
- my husband
- Robert Rauschenberg’s art
- drawing
- meditating
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Tell us about your practice as an architect.
I work for Hughes Condon Marler Architects. I have been here for about three and a half years, and the experience has been invaluable. I still get to hand-draw, for which I am immeasurably thankful .
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What architectural work are you most proud of?
Although I didn’t work on very much of the design, I am the most proud of my involvement with the West Vancouver Community Centre. I have been working on the project for the past two-and-a-half years, and it brings me immeasurable joy to visit the finished building. When I was first pregnant, and particularly emotional, I almost cried with delight during one site visit. The building was alive with activity, the spaces felt vibrant, and the profundity of the architectural process really sank in.
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What was it that brought you to architecture?
I actually wanted to learn how to design and think about buildings to help expand my art practice. I was really interested in installation art but felt limited in my knowledge and understanding of space and construction.
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How many children (grandchildren) do you have? Ages?
I am seven months pregnant with my first child. Although I would like to have more than one child, it seems daunting to go on maternity leave for a year, only to come back for a brief period of time and then take another year off. It’s frustrating to see my male colleagues getting promoted and able to take on bigger, more complex jobs while my female peers continue to opt out of professional practice, or resign themselves to small, home-based offices. I would like to know how successful female architects stay involved in the profession, at a reasonably high level, while their days and nights are filled with breastfeeding and diaper-changing.
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How do you manage to practice architecture while raising children and running a household?
I have no idea how any mother (or father) manages to pull this off. Although the office where I work, HCMA, goes to great lengths to accommodate parents returning to work after maternity and / or family leave, I don’t believe this to be the industry standard. Friends who are my age and looking to come back to work after maternity / family leave have been unable to find firms as open to some of the more flexible concepts that HCMA has offered over the past few years: part time, graduated return to full time, extended leave (without pay), reduced hours, compressed schedule and in the case of an associate the use of a computer at home. Inevitably, even for female staff who have been able to take advantage of some of these options at HCMA, taking leave to have babies and then returning to work in a limited capacity seems to diminish one’s professional opportunities for several years. I wonder why job-sharing wouldn’t be a valid option. My female colleagues are amazing at multitasking,as well as efficient and industrious workers. They are naturally gifted communicators and talented designers. It is a shame that they are being pushed out of the field at such an alarming rate. Not including marketing and administration staff, our office currently has 27 men and five women. It feels like women are being forced to make a choice between raising their families and being accomplished architects.
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Can you recall an instance where the dual responsibilities of being a parent and an architect came to a head?
When I was 30-weeks pregnant, I found out about my baby's serious intestinal complications, and that she / he will most likely require surgery immediately after birth. Additionally, I was told that pre-term labour was a significant concern given that the baby would have to be as big and strong as possible to undergo the surgery. Suddenly my life became filled with appointments at a myriad of specialists, with various testing decisions and, most of all, stress. Although in some ways the office felt like a peaceful haven away from all the incomprehensible medical jargon (and away from our chaotic home renovations), it was also consuming nine hours of my day, five days a week. Not only was it hard to focus at work, but I also did not have time to take care of myself and the growing baby. I decided to take an early maternity leave. Although I know it has been the right decision, I am occasionally slightly envious that my husband has not had to face the same decision, and that he continues to be able to work full time. I must also note that I am very thankful to my colleagues at HCMA for their compassion and flexibility in dealing with my unexpected departure.
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Do you think that being a parent has actually influenced your approach to architecture?
That's a hard one to answer at this point. I imagine that it must.
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“There is no more sombre enemy of good art than the pram in the hall.”
- Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise, 1938
What do you think about this quote?
This is very apt and very funny. We purchased this remarkable stroller that has attachments for skiing, biking, jogging, etc. My mom is storing it at her place because we have no idea where to keep it. In general, I am horrified at the prospect of all the potential plastic toys and gadgets that will be coming into our lives. We live in a 950-square-foot, 1950’s modernist house that is on a 30’ x 70’ lot. Out of necessity, we rent out the basement suite (no storage there), and the lot doesn’t have space for a garage. Where exactly does one store a pram? Apparently in the hall.
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What is the best piece of advice you would give to a would-be parent / architect?
Get registered quickly. Getting pregnant only becomes more difficult as you enter your mid-thirties, and getting registered is infinitely harder, if not impossible, when you have babies and toddlers (or so I hear). As a pregnant woman in your mid-thirties, you will also have to face the hard facts of higher statistics for miscarriage, Downs Syndrome, gestational diabetes, and many other prenatal complications.
It was hard to think about starting the arduous process of internship when I finished architecture school and just wanted to go live my life, free of exams and bureaucracy. I have to give credit to my husband who encouraged me to take the initial steps towards becoming an intern.
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If you could change public policy that impacts on child-rearing, what would that be?
I strongly believe that there should be maternity / family leave available for self-employed parents.
I also wish that daycare were better subsidized so that it was actually affordable for women to re-enter the work force. The numbers seem to make it barely worthwhile to work, considering that the cost of even one child in daycare is close to half my salary. With two children, I'd be just breaking even. Imagine being a single parent.
And finally, I wish that maternity and family leave was equal for adoptive parents and birth parents. It seems to be glaringly discriminatory to offer less time to adoptive parents. Are they not also deserving of the same time and benefits, so that they too can transition their new babies and children into their families?
Post-script
My son was born four weeks early and underwent major intestinal surgery on day four of his life. My husband and I spent the next 30 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with him. He is now four months old and thriving. Although I am cherishing my time with him at home (and in the mountains), I do miss work. I miss my wonderful colleagues at HCMA, the creative challenges, the stimulating dialogue, and sometimes I even miss CAD. And I still wonder how I will balance my professional goals with my new role as a mother.