January 23rd, 2025
6:30PM EST
Emily Pearl Principal, Lundberg Design
Emily Pearl is a Principal at Lundberg Design, a full-service architecture and fabrication studio located in San Francisco’s historic Dogpatch neighborhood. Emily’s interest in material qualities and assemblies began at an early age and was honed in the sculpture studio. Her dedication to craft, making, and building community ultimately redirected her from a previously anticipated career in surgical medicine to the architectural profession. The firm has designed a wide variety of buildings and spaces, inclusive of private residences, wineries, restaurants, bars, corporate headquarters, and sacred spaces. LD has its own dedicated 4,000 square foot metal fabrication facility for custom design work and experimentation. Every project is centered on the qualities of materials – how they can be plied, bent and cut to produce a visual and tactile result. Each project is also deeply personal and unique, reflecting a special collaboration between architect, builder, and client.
Emily is a Bay Area native and is licensed in California. She received her Master of Architecture with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a B.A. in Studio Art with honors from Dartmouth College. She has also studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and has trained professionally in Tokyo, London, and San Francisco. She was co-chair of Women in Design (WiD) at Harvard, which initiated and propelled recurring workshops, exhibits, and symposium exploring topics including scarcity of women in the professional field of architecture and their evolving roles internationally. Emily is cofounder of The Craft, a women’s collaborative centered on the strengthening relationships and careers of women in building and design.
The Artist's Hand:Navigating a Career Built on Craft and Gut Instinct
In her talk, Emily will speak about what guided her to the position she is in today: the importance of being flexible, staying open to new opportunities, and following your gut instinct, which led her to an architectural career focused on craft, the importance of the artist's hand, and relishing in the challenge of atypical design opportunities.