I Am AIA:

ANNA LEACH – AIA, NCARB, LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE

Expand

Anna is a licensed architect with 10+ years of experience. She is an associate principal at CallisonRTKL in Seattle where she leads project teams to deliver retail environments, specializing in the implementation of new brand concepts and the creation of scalable prototype designs for roll out. Anna co-founded the Equity Roundtable at CallisonRTKL in late 2017 and worked closely with the AIA Women in Design committee to develop the Conversations Towards an Equitable Practice series for the broader Seattle-based architecture community. She currently co-chairs the Women in Design committee.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF AIA TO YOU?

AIA connects me to other architects in the community and gives me a broader perspective on architecture that inspires me to keep fighting the good fight to make both my projects and the profession the best they can be.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

I’m a translator. Give me a sketch or a rendering (or even just some hand waving!) and I’ll figure out how to make it real.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TODAY?

I’m inspired by my colleague’s commitment to doing good work. Things like continuing to push the design, even when the coordination gets complicated, or taking the time to mentor staff who are genuinely excited about learning everything they can about architecture.

HAS YOUR CAREER TAKEN YOU ANYWHERE YOU DIDN’T EXPECT?

I found my way to retail design mostly accidentally, but in retrospect many of the building blocks were there all along. I’ve always enjoyed visiting retail spaces, and in school I studied both art history and architecture. My first job in the depths of the last recession was designing frozen yogurt stores for roll out – there weren’t a lot of opportunities to choose from at the time, and I found the smaller project scale allowed a lot of ownership of the design process and the speed of the projects allowed me to learn quickly. Now I find the rewards of retail design to be creating spaces for people to not just find the things they need, but also to experience excitement and discovery. There is a democracy to retail design – anyone can go into a store and experience the environment, and I like being able to contribute to creating these accessible moments of interest and joy.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CONTRIBUTE FROM YOUR WORK?

I hope my work makes everyday life a little better and maybe sparks a moment of interest or joy!