Hi! I’m Julia Gamolina. I founded and run Madame Architect, an online destination about, for, and by the extraordinary people that are transforming our built world. Trained as an architect myself, I remain grounded in professional practice as an Associate Principal at Ennead Architects. I also write a biweekly newsletter — “Both, And”— on Substack.

After graduating with a B.Arch from Cornell AAP, I started out as a designer while cultivating two parallel tracks — one focused on writing to share the advice I was receiving, and the other on exploring the inner workings of an architectural business. These tracks developed into my current full-time focus within media, practice, and academia:

Editorial Direction & Writing

I’ve overseen all of the editorial, creative, and strategic direction for Madame Architect since I founded the publication seven years ago. Additionally, I’ve written for various outlets about women’s work and influence in the industry, as well as what could be done to further advancement, retention, and engagement. You can read this here. Finally, I organize Madame Architect Presents, our very own event series where we interview architects and clients in the spaces they respectively designed and commissioned.

 

Professional Practice

In my work in professional practice, I developed a focus on the strategic evolution of architecture and design firms. Synthesizing my training and expertise in design, communications, and business development, I’ve worked on a number of commercial projects in NYC and LA through all design phases, laid the groundwork for opening offices in new locations, created social media and exposure plans, recruited strategic hires, and developed and carried out strategy and business development plans.

 

Teaching

I taught two graduate-level courses at Pratt Institute: the required professional practice course, as well as a seminar on architecture & design media for which I developed the syllabus and curriculum.

I also often speak about how I built Madame Architect and the ecosystem of professionals transforming our industry. I try to engage with students as much as possible, from participating on juries, to visiting and speaking to classes. So many wonderful people have given me guidance, that I take every chance that I can to pay it forward! One of my favorite things was a workshop I led for Kids Worldwide and the River Fund to introduce little ones to architecture. From time to time, I also take part in projects such as the Rosie Reborn campaign (watch the video here!), and Autodesk’s documentary, “Voices of Change: Women in Architecture in Design”.