Professional Profile: Laura Vargas
Laura Vargas
Lab Design spoke to Laura Vargas, principal with Page Southerland Page in Houston, TX. Read more about her path to architecture, her favorite building, and the importance of communication and listening when working on lab projects.
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: I loved drawing as a child, especially drawing the many versions of my dream home, but when college came around, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. So I tried a variety of courses at Lee College, a community college in Baytown, TX, while also earning my basics. Architecture was a foreign concept to me growing up, but my dad suggested I add an “Intro to Architecture” class to my list one semester. I had an excellent professor who explained it in a way that helped me discover how much I’d always loved architecture but never really had a name for it. That same professor referred me to the University of Houston, where I transferred in my third year of college and began my five-year BArch curriculum.
My love for architecture only grew through college and internships, and eventually I found my way, organically, onto a major R&D laboratory project for a major Fortune 500 company. It was that project where I really sunk my teeth into laboratory design. I learned so much from each individual researcher, who patiently explained what was important to them while I listened. I loved each person’s story and hearing about what they were aiming to accomplish, and I just wanted to do my best to help give them the space they needed. That’s when I realized I had found the career I’d always wanted and have leaned into it ever since.
Q: What is a typical day at work like for you?
A: My role as a project director means that I am the primary point of contact for the client and my highest priority is ensuring the client has what he or she needs to succeed. Much of my time is spent communicating with clients, either in meetings/workshops or via phone/email, and then translating those needs back to the design team. So a typical day for me means a lot of listening, a lot of communicating, and being present when the need arises. It sounds simple—and, fundamentally, it is. But remaining agile, consistent, patient, and prepared to respond to the unknowns of the day is paramount to my daily success.
Q: Tell us about a great book, movie, song, or TV show you’ve enjoyed recently.
A: Ted Lasso. I just finished the series and I loved every episode! I already enjoy comedies, but this one was layered with inspirational one-liners and words to live by. Each character had [their] own distinct personality that was developed so well, I couldn’t help but want everyone to be a winner and keep “believing.”
Q: If you weren’t in this profession, what job would you like to have instead?
A: I would have been either a veterinarian or a park ranger with the National Park Service. I have always loved animals and nature. As a child, I always wanted to take care of animals and loved being in national parks—and still do. I have two dogs of my own, but having a rescue one day is still a dream of mine. And if my day job meant I was the person riding a horse up and down the Grand Canyon trails every day making sure hikers and wildlife were coexisting in harmony, I think I would have loved that.
Q: What is your favorite building, lab-related or not?
A: St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Cathedrals, in general, are on their own level when it comes to architectural wonder for me, but being in St. Peter’s took my breath away. The height, the volume, the vast amount of detailing and use of stone—it had me in awe. Understanding what we go through when detailing our own projects using current building materials, tools, and technologies, I simply cannot wrap my mind around how the designers and builders of the 1500s brought its majesty to life.
Q: What’s your typical order when you visit a coffee shop?
A: My order is the most boring ever—simple black drip coffee! I don’t have a big sweet tooth, unless it’s ice cream, so I go straight for the hard stuff in the morning and get it out of the way.
Q: What is one important skill you think that all lab design experts should have?
A: The ability to listen, and I mean really listen. Each researcher, technician, student, or faculty member has a different mission and reason they are doing what they do. He or she knows what will either help them accomplish their goals or burden their process more than anyone else. It’s our job to listen when they speak and ask as many questions as it takes in order to fully understand what they need and translate that into the built environment. It’s only then that we can help them accomplish their goals.
Q: If you won a multi-million-dollar lottery tomorrow, what would you do with your winnings?
A: I would first pay off the homes of my family members and myself. Then I’d invest it, probably in real estate, and have properties all over the world in the places that I love!
Q: What kinds of hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?
A: I spend a lot of time with my family, even my extended family. We’re all very close so we stay involved in the day-to-day of each other’s lives, which I am thankful for. They’re my favorite people to be around.
I am also an avid DIYer! I enjoy home renovations and typically have a project or two going on. I like the process of creating, especially if it’s restoring something old and making it new again. I love being outside—walking at the park or hanging out at the beach—the more sunshine, the better for me. I also enjoy reading—historical fiction, mostly, but lately some friends and I have started a book club reading celebrity memoirs and those are a lot of fun.