Margarita McGrath
Design has an unexpectedly precise ability to bring together intellectually unrelated variables into productive and meaningful connections. This is an apt description of where Margarita’s work lies. Since most of us perceive architecture as a field of substance (material, form, technology) and measure, it is easy to forget the value of the intangible and insubstantial—how we inhabit space through experience, memory and imagination.
Recognizing design as a specific form of inquiry, Margarita’s practice has developed as a combination of teaching, research and work. Projects focusing on the relationships that frame space include urban competition proposals, dwellings, room-scaled installations and writings.
Traveling and working abroad have defined Margarita’s professional career as an architect and educator. She completed her internship and worked as a project architect at various firms including Cesar Pelli and Associates (now Pelli Clarke Pelli), Atelier Hermann Czech, and Junglim Architects. Margarita has given lectures, workshops and served as a visiting critic at institutions in the States and internationally. Recent research focuses on teaching design in hybrid technology | studio learning environments. Margarita holds an MArch II from UCLA, and a 5-year BArch from Rice. She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech.
The exhibit feminist practices features examples from Margarita’s work on intangible heritage.