Celine Haddad

I have to say, my family raised me to have a strong work ethic from a young age - that was ingrained in me. But I learned to enjoy the discipline, knowing that good things come with time, and working a little bit each day will get you to where you want. You'll feel that fulfillment knowing that it was a long time in the making, and you're finally at the place where you want to be. So, I have to say, my family, but then also just respect for discipline and the long game of working really hard. It's nice to work hard at something that you love, and I'm fortunate that this was my passion early on.

Architecture is a really demanding career, and while it's a passion and you can get so invested in it, I think knowing that life outside of work helps you do your job more effectively is really important. Take a chance to clear your mind, give your mind a break, and I think that's going to help you tenfold in your career and help with not getting burnt out, because at that point, you can get too stressed and not do your job effectively. So, work-life balance is very important.

I think architecture has always been a male-dominated field, and sometimes I always felt a little bit out of place. Even though I was successful and I worked really hard and achieved a lot, I still somehow felt like I didn't belong, and there's a word for that - it's called imposter syndrome. So just know that you are worthy and you belong in this career just as much as your male counterparts. Acknowledge your achievements, and keep looking ahead, and have confidence in yourself, because you deserve it.

I think we're now coming into a very tech-driven world with AI tools. These processors live in buildings called data centers, and they consume so much energy. I think negotiating these high-tech buildings that we're creating with sustainable processes and being energy efficient is going to be a challenge, especially in the future. You can even get a taste of it now, but in the future, I see it being even bigger of a problem. And then also, how to use our AI tools strategically, and knowing that it's not going to replace us, but it's going to be used as tools. We need to be careful with how we use it, knowing that it's not going to give you all the answers, and it might not even give you the correct answers. Being careful with how we use it and incorporating it into our workflow is going to be an interesting negotiation moving forward.

In architecture and in my daily life, I try to live sustainably. In architecture, buildings account for so many carbon emissions, so designing strategically, thinking about material choices, thinking about the long term of the building and how it could be useful for the client many years from now is important to me. But in my personal life, I also try to live sustainably - not having so many things around me, just living minimally. I also recycle and take care of what I can, taking care of the environment within my own means. As a word for both my career and personal life, I'd say living sustainably and strategically, not leaving many footprints behind.