Elizabeth Weiss doesn’t know why she wanted to become an architect. Her justifications were primarily aesthetic; she was sick of looking at dark, gloomy, ugly buildings. The drive to build sustainable buildings came later.
“I just wanted to help make the world better and create a better social environment,” Weiss said.
That’s one of the reasons Weiss, a 2002 University graduate, recently joined Steele Associates Architects in Bend. Weiss earned her master’s of architecture at the University of Oregon after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland. She chose Oregon for graduate work because of the program’s emphasis on sustainable architecture, as opposed to the single elective class other universities often offer.
“Sustainability is green design with a holistic approach,” Weiss said. “It’s less degrading to the environment and a lot more attractive than just plopping a building down anywhere.”
Weiss knew from the beginning of college that she wanted to get into architecture. Her sister, Kristen Weiss, said architecture is a “great match” for Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth is really creative and colorful, really design oriented. She is an artist inside and really smart. She is good at math and puzzles and cares about the environment. Sustainable architecture is a good union of the three parts,” she said.
Steele Associates Architects is the second job Weiss has held since completing graduate school. Licensed architects, almost universally, are required to complete internship hours before becoming licensed, Weiss said.
It takes between three to five years to complete the necessary hours, and Weiss is about halfway there. After she receives her license, Weiss wants to teach in an architecture school and open her own firm that focuses on sustainable housing.
| Elizabeth Weiss Graduated: Earned a master’s of architecture in 2002 Activities involved in: None Issues at the time: Too busy with school to notice |
While at the University, Weiss spent most of her time in the architecture studio.
“I was in there all the time,” she said. “It was great to take a design from a piece of trace paper to a complete idea that I could present to my peers.”
The most important advice she offers to current students is to “just relax and enjoy it. Enjoy each moment as much as you can.”
A friend from college, Brian Thompson, said Weiss has followed her own advice while pursuing her dreams.
“She was a really hard-working student, but she was a lot of fun. She was almost always smiling,” Thompson said.
