Monica Gresser, AIA

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["i"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.brazenarchitecture.com\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.casadeluzlv.com\/"]],["em"]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Monica Gresser, AIA, is the founder of "],[0,[1,0],2,"BRAZENarchitecture"],[0,[0],1,", a\nLas Vegas firm that helps clients transform their ideas into bold, sustainable\nplaces and spaces for nonprofit, public, education, and commercial projects.\nShe currently is a member of the AIA Las Vegas Justice Equity, Diversity \u0026 Inclusion\nCommittee, and co-chair of AIA\u2019s Women in Architecture Committee and AIA\u2019s\nAffordable Housing Committee. Since 2019, Gresser has been a member of the Clark\nCounty Community Development Advisory Committee. She also is former chair of\nLas Vegas\u2019"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],0,"Joint Housing Working Group and board member of the Southern\nNevada Continuum of Care Board. A graduate of the University of Houston and Le Centre\nd "],[0,[],1,"\u2018\u00c9tude\nd \u2018Architecture et d\u0027Urbanisme in Saintes, France. Gresser is the recipient of\nmultiple industry and community service awards, including AIA Nevada\u2019s\nfirst-ever Citizen Architect Award and a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership\nAward. She is a registered architect in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and North Carolina.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"__________________________"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"When Monica Gresser launched BRAZENarchitecture in 2011, she\nwas eager \u201cto do her own thing\u201d but also wanted to create a firm whose mission\nwas to contribute to the well-being of the residents in her adopted hometown of\nLas Vegas. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Gresser established BRAZEN first by doing pro bono work,\nincluding making enhancements to a community-based daycare center. She also got\nto know nonprofit leaders in Las Vegas\u2019 Naked City neighborhood, a community\njust off the Strip that has struggled for decades with crime and poverty. Gresser\nsoon was helping organizations like Caridad Charity and the Nevada Partnership\nfor Homeless Youth, which helps local youth address their housing needs. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"One of the most important traits of a citizen architect is a\nwillingness to ask questions. \u201cSomeone told me there were a lot of homeless\nyouth in Las Vegas,\u201d Gresser said. \u201cI wanted to know more about that. Be\ncurious. When you hear about a problem or see an injustice, try to figure out\nwhat your place is in that, and if there is a way you can help.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The desire to know more about her community led Gresser to\nstart BRAZENconversations in 2015. The series brought together community\nmembers and leaders to discuss many of the toughest challenges facing the city:\nsubstance abuse, mental health, seniors in poverty, human trafficking, and\nhomelessness. \u201cThere were societal problems that I just didn\u2019t know anything\nabout,\u201d Gresser admitted. \u201cBut I needed to know about them.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"If Gresser\u2019s advocacy begins with curiosity and learning,\nthe second step is to connect the people who understand the problem with those\nwho have the power to address it. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2019, for example, Gresser learned that parents in Naked\nCity were increasingly worried about their children\u2019s safety on neighborhood\nstreets and sidewalks. "],[0,[2],1,"Casa de Luz"],[0,[],0,",\na faith-based community resource center, asked BRAZENarchitecture to help slow\ntraffic. \u201cI knew someone in public works, so we started there,\u201d said Gresser. Soon\ncity traffic engineers were investigating potential solutions, and Gresser and a\nteam of volunteers, and the ward\u2019s councilwoman were knocking on doors to educate\nresidents about the traffic-calming measures the city was considering.\nEventually, officials agreed to a plan to add traffic-calming devices. "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u201cWe have a certain skill set as architects, and we know\npeople,\u201d Gresser said. \u201cWe need to answer the calls that the community puts out\nthere, and connect people from there.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2020, Casa de Luz asked Gresser if she and her colleagues\nwould be willing to teach classes to neighborhood kids. The BRAZEN team\ndeveloped an eight-week program on neighborhoods and urbanism for 7- to 14-year-olds.\nGresser reached out to city planners, who donated materials the children used\nto create models of the neighborhood they wanted. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cOne child wanted a museum, another wanted a burial ground,\u201d\nexplained Gresser. \u201cThese conversations are very telling about the challenges\nthese children are facing.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cCasa de Luz wanted us to create a class because children in\nmarginalized neighborhoods often are not exposed to professionals,\u201d said\nGresser. \u201cThey see cops, social workers, pimps, and drug dealers, but don\u2019t see\na lot more than that, except teachers. And we can be teachers.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Gresser explained that the class was a success because it\ngrew from a direct need her nonprofit partners identified. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cWe need to be better about asking what people need, and\nlistening, instead of telling people what they should be doing,\u201d said Gresser."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Architects bring a unique skill set to advocacy. They are\ntrained problem-solvers, Gresser said, and are excellent conduits, since their\nwork involves communicating with a range of stakeholders\u2014including government\nofficials, real estate developers, small business owners, suppliers, and residents.\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Mostly, Gresser wants her fellow architects to be as\nuncomfortable as she is\u2014and to use that discontent to solve problems and\naddress injustice. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cDon\u2019t do this to try to save your soul. It\u2019s not about\nyou,\u201d Gresser said. \u201cWe need to ask what other people need. Being brazen is\nabout bold movements in all we do.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],1,"- As told to Kerrie Rushton"]]]]}