Meet Our YDC Co-Chairs

The Young Designers Core (YDC) is a group within PAYETTE that promotes the growth of emerging professionals, supports their progress toward licensure and supplements our daily project work with educational opportunities. The YDC aims to provide a holistic professional development network through the core values of Knowledge Sharing, Licensure, Culture and Mentorship. It flourishes today, providing emerging designers with leadership roles, promoting mentorship and building community across the firm.

The YDC strives to create a balance between professional development and fun. Since 2018, PAYETTE has been recognized as an AIA New England Emerging Professional Friendly Firm—an award that the YDC is proud to uphold.

Meet Melissa Allen and Olivia Humphrey, our two newest co-chairs.

Melissa Allen

What drew you to become a YDC co-chair?
Truthfully, becoming a YDC co-chair happened very quickly. There was an opening for the position, I was asked, and I knew I wanted to take it on. I was already actively involved in YDC and attending most of the events, so I thought why not? In addition, I’m passionate about what YDC stands for. I think it’s one of the groups that makes PAYETTE such a special place to work.

Favorite YDC event?
My favorite event is easily the Thanksgiving Potluck. Every year, we gather during the week of Thanksgiving for a firm-wide meal and reflect on the past year together. Naturally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday since I love to cook. I always look forward to trying what everyone prepares as well as creating my own dish. It certainly helps that we have a lot of great cooks at PAYETTE!

Why do you think young designers are important to the firm?
Young designers are invaluable because they bring a fresh perspective to the firm. There is such a disconnect between the profession and academia, and young designers help to bridge that gap. They often bring a certain energy and open-minded attitude that helps further invigorate our work.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I always feel inspired after participating as a guest reviewer at critiques. I was a teaching assistant for a sophomore architecture studio while I was in school, and I loved it. It’s refreshing how uninhibited the projects can be, free of restraint from the reality of the field we work in. I find it helps me think about the projects I’m working on in a different light. Someday, I hope to teach my own studio.

The sky is the limit: what is a structure or system that you would redesign?
During school, one of my favorite studio projects was for the Eliot Church in Roxbury, MA. We were tasked with revitalizing the underutilized existing school within the church to better serve the community. The result was a design that maintained the beautiful puddingstone exterior but reimaged the inside with timber construction and thoughtful programming. We worked closely with the church and presented our idea to the neighborhood at the end of the semester. It would be so rewarding to see that project come to fruition.

What do you do in your free time?
In my free time I’m usually reading, cooking or outside. I don’t get the chance to cook as much as I’d like to, but I do try to cook one big meal at least once a week. When I’m not cooking, I love to scout out new restaurants (anything Italian). I try to read every day, and usually find myself gravitating towards fiction. When the weather is nice, you’ll find me outside. I enjoy walking in the city, hiking and spending summers by the beach.

Olivia Humphrey

What drew you to become a YDC co-chair?
I love that the YDC provides support and connections to young designers at PAYETTE. It is an honor to lead this next chapter of the YDC and continue to create meaningful opportunities.

Favorite YDC event?
The YDC vs. ODC [Old Designers Core] Softball game, an annual PAYETTE tradition where the “young” designers take on the “old” designers in a friendly game of softball.

Why do you think young designers are important to the firm?
One of my favorite things about PAYETTE is the number of young designers. Young designers have a lot of enthusiasm and passion, which is contagious! The energy helps the firm innovate and brings a range of perspectives and ideas that improve our projects overall. Coming out of school, I think young designers are very aware of architecture’s role in the climate crisis and bring that passion to one of PAYETTE’s core values—sustainability.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
It is difficult to design without constraint. In fact, I think that’s part of what makes a design successful! PAYETTE’s Science & Healthcare typologies intrinsically have many constraints which require thoughtful design to create beautiful and performative spaces. I love a good challenge and am often inspired by this process of creative problem solving.

The sky is the limit: what is a structure or system that you would redesign?
Boston’s City Hall Plaza. It’s a beautiful node within the city, but there is such a vast amount of space. I’d like to redefine the space to curate the pedestrian experience so that you really feel the edges of the existing brutalist architecture and connection to the bounding streets.

What do you do in your free time?
I love baking and going to farms outside of Boston where you can pick seasonal fruits and veggies. I also enjoy running, bicycling and hiking! Being from Florida, hiking anywhere at more than a 5’-0” elevation gain is still very new to me!