Katie Stuart is passionate about including more diverse voices in architecture: “It’s something that brings a lot of strength to our field.” Over the years she’s learned how important collaborative relationships with contractors are, and how much effort can go into a project before design officially starts.

Her dream project is to design a space that intimately bridges the natural and built worlds. Something like the aid stations or warming huts available on longer trails, or a visitor’s center that integrates subtly into the landscape and acts as both a refuge and framework to observe nature.

With the help of her enthusiastic pup Monty, Katie has been embracing the concept of forest bathing – wandering through the woods to unwind from day-to-day tensions. She believes that nature brings out the best in all of us, human and animal.