Nirmala Srinivasa

Perkins&Will
Senior Interior Project Manager

28 Years
in the Industry

How did you get started in the AEC Industry?

I’m the youngest of six, and my siblings all went into either engineering or medicine. In India, where I grew up, this was the norm and highly encouraged, but I was determined to carve my own path. When I got to college, I started to evaluate my skillset and interests, considering everything from structural engineering to culinary school. I realized I had the ability to think technically but needed a creative outlet to stay engaged. For me, a career that could be sustained long-term needed more than a rote A to B to C thought process. The most interesting problems to me were ones that pushed you to go from A to B and somehow stitch together D. In other words, to follow a non-linear process, with space for individuality, creativity, and holistic thinking. At that crossroads of artistic and analytical skill, I found architecture.

What inspires you to design? Do you incorporate any unique perspectives or values into your designs, and how do you think your experiences as a woman influence your work?

In the first five years of my career, I moved from industrial to residential to commercial and then to civic architecture—and then, when my firm happened to get an interior architecture project, I discovered exactly what inspires me most: Interior projects give me such a clear, strong connection to the way design impacts everyday life. These projects can also be shorter-term, compared to architecture projects, which means there’s less delay between concept and end result. It’s moving and exciting to see a vision come to life like that—and to hear clients report the changes they immediately notice in their day-to-day experience.

Though my current title is project manager, I see myself more as a Design Manager, getting into the details of a project to make sure the work stays loyal to the design concept from start to finish. I float between the realm of project architect and project manager. The best projects are where the work of detailing and documentation is never seen in the finished space but influences the final perception and experience of it and are therefore key to the success of the project. It’s very rewarding to see a concept make its way thoroughly and precisely into reality, uplifting people as we hoped it would.

My background is unique, and it’s given me what I consider a powerful perspective on this industry. I have worked across several market sectors, from corporate design to healthcare, aviation, and education, and I’ve lived and worked for significant periods of time in three countries—India, Singapore, and the U.S. This has sharpened my ability to truly listen, communicate and to make people feel heard and understood. A lot of my compassion and empathy—asking how a design will make a person feel, if it makes people want to be there—also comes from being a woman, being a mother, and being from India. In India, there’s a kind of sensory overload: noise, color, texture, smells, crowds.

Asia is usually a smorgasbord of senses, while Europe and the Americas lean towards a more minimalist aesthetic, with muted palettes, calming spaces, and less vibrant colors. I’ve had to learn to navigate that gap and float between the two aesthetics. I have to think about how much of my upbringing I can use to influence the design to work for what the client is looking for. That cross-pollination and translation is its own kind of empathy and compassion. My experience as a woman, the places I’ve lived in—all of it lets me do that jump from A to B to D in my own unique way.

Who have your role models been? Have you had any mentors throughout your career, and how have they shaped your journey in architecture?

Mentorship—being mentored and now as a mentor myself—has been a huge part of my life and career. There are two specific people who have shaped my career more definitively than anyone else. I would call them mentors, role models, bosses, and friends all in one. These two men—my boss in India in the early days of my career, and then my manager in Singapore—empowered me to speak up for myself and to value my own judgment. They trusted me before I trusted myself. They taught me how life-changing it can be to feel openly supported and believed in, and to have a leader value your well-being beyond the revenue you bring to a firm. It doesn’t just feel nice when someone has your back, it empowers you and turns you into a stronger, brighter, more driven team member and shapes you into an empathetic, compassionate and effective leader.

I’m almost 30 years into my career but part of me is always on a walk to a jobsite in Singapore with my old mentor, hearing him tell me “You got this.” That kind of encouragement might not sound groundbreaking, but it felt that way because I could tell it was authentic. He took the time to know me and really see me. My boss in India did the same. I think of them both often not just to remember them fondly, but to draw strength, inspiration and clarity that guides me in my day-to-day work and interactions.

How you treat people and how you make them feel matters. Any one of us can become a mentor whose support gives younger professionals the confidence they need to excel. I truly believe that not only do we owe it to each other, we owe it to ourselves and our profession to build up our next generation of talent.

How do you think architecture can help address social issues, and how have you seen women lead the way in creating inclusive, equitable spaces?

I think safety is a fundamental element of inclusion. And this is where architecture can have a big impact: helping people feel safe enough to approach a place, open a door, walk in and to take up space there. As designers we can focus on empathy and compassion, creating spaces where people feel welcome, comfortable, and uplifted. This applies whether we’re talking about an education building, a corporate workplace, a church, a hotel, an office—it really does not matter. If a building is integrated into its site and everything works holistically, there’s a ripple effect larger than you can perceive. For example, a large corporate headquarters I worked on is located in a neighborhood people were hoping to revitalize. It wasn’t considered the best place to be. But with our project, thoughtfully woven into the neighborhood and connected to surrounding trail networks, we have seen the changes grow through the duration of the project —in the development of roads, in the people who spend time in the area, and much more. It’s a more welcoming place now and will continue to evolve.

In my experience, the women I’ve worked with have all focused on the societal impact of our projects. Women are often the ones looking beyond the bottom line and successfully finding that balance between profitability and purpose, keeping the lights on and also doing good. I’ve been lucky to work in firms where I’ve always been treated fairly, and women have significant influence. I’ve even worked at a woman-owned firm, so I’m no stranger to powerhouse female architects, and this representation inspires me and boosts my confidence. One of the reasons I was attracted to Perkins&Will is the fact that women have so many of the senior roles here. Seeing other women succeeding and delivering great work is in itself a positive force in society.

How do you see the conversation on sustainability going in our industry?

I see a lot of forward movement in the industry from a sustainability aspect. This is a conversation that rightfully is getting bigger and bigger. Climate change is impacting our lives in many ways, and we have to address it holistically.

The conversation needs to be about more than just sustainability. It is about how our projects impact things like community resilience and inclusion. How does this project impact the people who are going to use it? How does the community feel about it? Perkins&Will has a multifaceted approach to projects called Living Design, which involves evaluating our work through the lens of seven design drivers to help us serve our clients and the whole of life—every living species and the habitats they depend on. These drivers, which include resilience/regeneration and health/well-being, give us a framework to clearly articulate our project goals, and they hold us accountable. A framework like this helps take the values we care about and express them in a clear way that makes it easier to ensure every project is seizing the opportunity to make the world a better, healthier place.

Perkins&Will has consistently been a voice at the forefront of this discussion, and I believe it will continue to do so. I feel very fortunate that I’m smack dab in the middle of it. I can’t change the world alone, but I can make a difference with each project in my own small way. You have to make an impact where you can, when you can and trust that it matters.

What has been the most fulfilling moment of your career so far, and how did it shape your professional journey?

When I think about my career, my sense of fulfillment is less about the projects I’ve worked on and more about the people I’ve interacted with. Every career move I’ve made has been through somebody I’ve impacted, or somebody who’s worked with me. When I moved from India to Singapore, I felt confident in the change because I had so much support from my boss and colleagues. When I moved from Singapore to the U.S., I was taking a job that had initially been brought to my attention by an intern I’d mentored. It’s so important to acknowledge, value, and speak up for the people who work with and for you, because we are all a conversation away from changing each other’s lives for the better.

Tell us about some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on.

I did a small project when I was in Singapore called Masan that was a tiny, tiny project. 5,000 square feet. In the grand scheme of things, 5,000 square feet is nothing, but it challenged me more than anything else I’ve ever been challenged on, because we had to include a water feature. And not a tiny little pond. It was maybe 1,000 square feet of that project, with a conference room floating on top. This took meticulous attention to detail, lots of innovative constructability solutions and massive amounts of collaboration. I had a great team to work with and we ended up with a great project.

Another that really impacted me is the Disney project in the Lucasfilm’s campus in Singapore. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, they moved into campus and into the weirdest-shaped building you could imagine, but doing a Disney project was so fun. We really did have the time of our lives. That’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had working on a project and seeing Yoda was the best!

Finally, I’d include a large, ground-up corporate headquarters in Ohio. It was one of my first projects here in the U.S. and a huge opportunity to create something unique. The project and the client pushed our team hard, to think outside the box, but working with colleagues who are just fantastic, I felt so supported. We were able to design a truly innovative space, and I value the experience so much.

What advice would you give women just entering the industry?

I’m such a people person: my advice is to seek out mentors. Seek out people who will lift you up, and in turn you have to be willing to lift others up. Mentorship has been the single most defining thing in my career.

I will also say, it’s important to be kind to yourself. This is a challenging industry to work in, and in the beginning, it’s going to take you a hot minute to learn and orient yourself. Be willing to learn, and keep your mind open, or you won’t get anywhere.

Finally, always remember that we are all thinking, feeling human beings. Embrace that. Know that alone you or I cannot change the world, but by our actions, we can create a chain of positive impacts that will let each of us individually and all of us collectively shine brightly the light that is within us.