Charlotte Matthai

What is your career story? How did you get where you are today?

I studied art history and political science during undergrad but didn’t feel connected to the people in either major—they weren’t people I sought out for conversation. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until someone mentioned architecture; I started putting feelers out, talking to random connections or friends-of-friends to understand what it meant, how to get there, and what a typical day might look like as an architect.

Eventually, I dove in headfirst. I took a studio during my senior spring and stayed another semester part-time to complete the prerequisites, like physics. I appreciated having access to resources at Penn (my undergrad) while applying to grad school.

While waiting for decisions, I moved to Chicago, where I worked as a cheesemonger for nine months (another passion of mine). I went to MIT for my graduate degree and I now work for Architectural Resources Group (ARG), a preservation architecture firm in LA. We do a mix of adaptive reuse, new construction in historically significant areas, and other types of architecture.

I knew I wanted to work with existing buildings for sustainability reasons—it’s less carbon-intensive to reuse structures. Plus, I don’t feel like I have the ego for new construction. I often ask myself, “What right do I have to permanently tattoo the earth?” I don’t always trust my ideas enough for that. I worked with Leers Weinzapfel on the MET warehouse, which reinforced my interest in working with existing buildings because they present interesting constraints. Working with existing buildings is like solving a puzzle. It’s more tangible and involves reacting to what’s already there. It avoids some of the design aspects I find contrived or annoying.

What were the biggest skills/mindsets/approaches you took away from your architecture education?

I chose MIT’s architecture program because I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself. The program emphasized both "capital A" Architecture and "lowercase a" architecture, pushing us to explore the edges of the two. We were constantly encouraged to ask “why” and approach design through abstract, open-ended questions. There was always an attitude of “that’s interesting, but what if this?” That “what if” mindset is what I love most about design. It’s a kind of thinking that life doesn’t have to conform to either/or, and it’s also not necessarily about finding a middle ground; sometimes, it’s about rethinking the problem entirely.

What do you wish you had learned in your architecture education?

There’s often a critique that you don’t learn anything practical in architecture school. Architecture is structured like an apprenticeship, and while that has its benefits, it creates a trade-off between learning practical skills and developing broader, creative thinking. It’s frustrating to be 28 and still not know how to properly dimension things after three years of grad school. Nevertheless, I can appreciate how MIT’s focus on “why” made me a better designer.

What’s something you hated learning about that you now love?

I didn’t enjoy the technical aspects of architecture in school, but now I love the nitty-gritty details—things like wall assemblies, pouring foundations, and mortar specifications. It’s deeply satisfying to understand how the world works at different scales, and learning how different systems come together feels like solving a puzzle.

Knowing what you know now, would you do undergrad/grad differently?

No. I value not having studied architecture in undergrad because it gives me a different perspective. For example, I’m good at dealing with vague instructions, like when a client doesn’t know exactly what they want. I’m also practiced in different methods of problem-solving, which helps me approach challenges in unique ways.

I also deeply value the people I met along the way—my MIT cohort and professors included. All the major decisions I made felt right for who I was at the time I made them, and I’m lucky they were healthy decisions for me and got me to where I am today. I wouldn’t want to change that.

What advice do you have for students starting out in design?

The hardest adjustment for me was receiving feedback. I had to learn not to take it personally and to pause before reacting. Taking a breath and slowing things down was key—especially when everyone else was stressed and chaotic. I’d ask myself, “What are we actually trying to do here? What’s my argument? What do I need to achieve it?” This was especially challenging in my first year, and it’s a skill I’m still developing as I grow within the architecture practice.

Also, noise-cancelling headphones!