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Emily A. Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, WELL AP, ALEP: 2022 First Vice-President / 2023 President-Elect, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) / Senior Associate of Arrowstreet

Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA, is an architect and Senior Associate at Arrowstreet, a Boston-based architecture and design firm. With experience on a broad range of academic, hospitality, institutional, and commercial projects, her innovative design work reinforces that a building is more than its shell; it is an experience. In June 2021, she was elected to serve as the AIA 2022 First Vice President/2023 President.

Emily has demonstrated continued and significant service to the AIA including serving as a national AIA board member; leading the AIA equity, diversity, and inclusion conversation as chair of the Equity in Architecture Commission and Equity and the Future of Architecture Committee; and as the 2014 President of the Boston Society of Architects/AIA. Throughout her career, Emily has advocated for design excellence through human-centered design, sustainability, and engaging diverse voices. She lives in Boston and is particularly fond of the Kansai region.

RELEVANT PROJECTS

  • Douglas & Gates Elementary Schools, MSBA: Acton, MA / Acton-Boxborough Regional School District

    Project Manager for a new educational facility that brings together two K-6 schools and a district preschool program under one roof. Emily is the primary point-of contact and led the educational visioning sessions and community forums with over 100 participants ranging from educational pedagogy to sustainability.

  • Hildreth Elementary School, MSBA: Harvard, MA / Town of Harvard

    Project Manager for a new PK-5 elementary school, Emily is responsible for overseeing the entire project as the primary point of contact. The project site, adjacent to the current school, presents an opportunity to create a school for 21st century learning that meets the educational vision of this high-performing school district while also respecting the character and values of the Town.

  • Brooke Charter High School: Mattapan, MA / Edward W. Brooke Charter School

    Project Manager for a new 8-12 grade school on a complex, urban site. Responsible for the entire project, Emily was the primary point of contact. This 93,000 SF building includes a 650-seat lecture hall, gymnasium, outdoor learning areas, and specialty classrooms. Located adjacent to Brooke Charter’s K-8 school (renovated by Arrowstreet in 2015) this new school creates a “campus” for its students.

  • KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary: Lynn, MA / KIPP Massachusetts

    Project Manager for a series of classroom fit ups within KIPP’s temporary K-4 schools located in a former industrial warehouse. These classrooms were upgraded to support the schools expanding enrollment and educational needs.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

  • Arrowstreet Inc. 2016–present

  • CambridgeSeven 2003–2015

  • Adolfo Perez Architect 2000–2003

  • Einhorn Yaffee Prescott 1999

  • Perkins Eastman 1997, 1998

EDUCATION

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Bachelor of Science in Building Sciences 1999; Bachelor of Architecture 2000

  • Harvard University: Master of Liberal Arts in Educational Technologies 2012

REGISTRATIONS

  • Massachusetts No. 20094

ASSOCIATIONS

  • American Institute of Architects; Equity and Future Architecture Committee; 2018–2020 Director At-Large

  • Boston Society of Architects; 2014 President

  • Association for Learning Environments

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, PUBLICATIONS, & HONORS

  • 2021 TORCH Panel 4 - Equity Redux: Changemakers, AIA New York, Panelist

  • 2021 Women in Architecture Leadership Summit, AIA Connecticut, Panelist

  • 2020 Forward-Thinking Schools Begin With Forward-Thinking Design, Getting Smart

  • 2019 Transformations: Action on Equity, Melbourne School of Design, Speaker

  • 2019 Why Equity is Crucial to Your Firm’s Success, Architect Magazine

  • 2019 “A Space that is Worthy of its Students” A4LE Northeast Regional Conference, Panelist

  • 2019 Accredited Learner Environment Planner, A4LE

  • 2019 Featured in Change Agents: Advocacy, Equity, and Sustainability (Chapter 15), Managing Design, authored by Michael Alan LeFevre, Wiley