#66 Designing for Inclusion with Lilian Asperin, Partner at WRNS Studio

Lilian Asperin is a partner at WRNS Studio, where she helps lead
the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational
outcomes. Lilian values a firm culture that embraces
collaboration, connection to the community, risk taking, and
fostering talent. 


Lilian attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she
earned her BA in Environmental Design and graduated with honors.
After completing her studies, Lilian worked at architecture firms
around the Bay Area, including Stanley Saitowitz, the City of San
Francisco’s Bureau of Architecture, SOM, and NBBJ. Recently
completed projects include the Salk Institute for Biological
Studies Master Plan, the Center for Science and Innovation at
USF, and UC Merced’s 2020’s Public-Private-Partnership (P3)
project. A leader within the Society for College and University
Planning (SCUP), she organized the first-ever Hackathon for
MOOC’s as part of the Pacific Regional Conference and will be
continuing her involvement with the organization as 2018-2021
Pacific Regional Chair.


Lilian utilizes her experience as a practice leader and licensed
architect to develop synergistic relationships with leaders
throughout the architectural and educational communities. Deeply
involved with the local community, Lilian works to raise
awareness and help break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area
through her work as a Tipping Point Community Partner. Lilian
also acts as a Board Director of AIA San Francisco and is the
Co-Chair of the Equity by Design Committee, a call to action for
everyone to realize the goal of equitable practice and
communicate the value of design to society.


In this episode, Lilian shares how her personal experience as a
first generation Latinx student has informed her career and
passion for the higher education sector. We also talk about
inclusive design, how architects should re-think the timeline of
the project process, how to map out your career goals with
post-its and poster boards, normalizing mental wellness in the
profession, and the importance of inviting everyone’s full lives
into the office.