Professional Profile: Jennifer Swedell
Lab Design spoke to Jennifer Swedell (AIA, LEED AP BD+C), a member of NOMA, an associate principal with CO Architects, and a columnist and speaker with Lab Design and the Lab Design Conference.
Jennifer is a seasoned laboratory planner and designer with over 17 years of experience designing labs for academic, government, and private industry clients. She spoke about her career journey and her endeavor to learn Korean.
Q: How did you get started in your career? Did you major in your field in college, get an internship, switch careers mid-stream, etc.?
A: The first project I worked on after graduation was an underground particle physics experiment called MINOS (main injector neutrino oscillation search). There was no site and no building because the program was located five stories underground, accessible only by a mine shaft. That physics lab unexpectedly set me up for a future specialty in lab planning.
Q: What are some of your career highlights so far?
A: I have two highlights: the Caltech Center for Autonomous Systems and Technology (CAST) lab renovation of the Von Karman building from 2015-2016 with Matt Construction and the new ground-up Mayo Clinic Integrated Education and Research Building (IERB) in North Phoenix. At Caltech, a decommissioned cold-war-era hydro-dynamics lab was cleared out for cutting-edge aerospace and robotics research. I quickly fell in awe of the work of Dr. Mory Gharib, Dr. Sergio Pellegrino, and Dr. Soon-Jo Chung. Those projects brought new life and purpose to spaces that were pretty much forgotten. I’m from Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic is a revered household name. Even though I’m over 45, I still care what my parents and the folks back home think. Working with the physicians and project managers at the Mayo Clinic was an honor and a full-circle moment. The IERB is nearing substantial completion. I’m excited for the first medical students and scientists to launch there.
Q: What’s a common misconception about your job?
A: Architects have to be good at math. You have to be good, but not good at calculus and trigonometry.
Q: What is a typical day at work like for you?
A: I love this career because I have never lived on the same day twice. The juggling of multiple projects, collaborative design process, and pursuit of work constantly pushes me out of my comfort zone.
Q: If you weren't in this profession, what job would you like to have instead?
A: If I had the talent, I would be an orchestral musician or a feature-length film director.
Q: What is the best piece of professional advice you have received?
A: I get a lot of good advice from CO Principal Andy Labov; he likes to say, “Explain it to me like you would explain it to your mother” and “only make new mistakes” and “you’ve got to be able to draw AND think at the same time.”
Q: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you at work?
A: I’ve worked in Southern California since 2006. I once had to go on a punch list for a project in Colorado. As we landed, an epic blizzard blew in. The senior project manager I was with was a born and raised Southern Californian. He took one look at the cars in the ditch and then pulled over and asked me to drive. I was glad my winter driving skills could be put to good use.
Q: What's your typical order when you visit a coffee shop?
A: My co-worker’s husband is a French pastry chef, and they just opened a new café in San Diego called Bon Jour. I ordered a few macarons for my daughter, a chocolate ganache tart for me, and a decaf Americano to finish it off.
Q: Where would you go if you could teleport to any destination in the world? I
A: I would go to the Swiss Alps at any time of the year. I would gather up my close friends who live in Zurich and Winterthur, and we would take a long hike, followed by bratwurst and rösti.
Q: What hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?
A: Right now, out of unexpected necessity, a big chunk of my time outside work is learning to speak Korean. I’m adopted and was recently reunited with my Korean birth mother. I must make up for four decades of separation, so there’s no time to waste! I’m studying daily and hoping to reach fluency as soon as possible.
