Designers at Their Desk: Cynthia Dubberley

Cynthia Dubberley, seen here at her desk near the entrance of the firm, brings a honed set of skills both to her firm work and her teaching curriculum.

Designers at Their Desk is a monthly feature showcasing a conversation with one of our staff, their unique outlook on architecture and design, hobbies, interests, and their current projects.

Cynthia Dubberley, an architect at EskewDumezRipple, has new projects on her new desk, but she is no stranger to the firm. Having worked at EDR as far back as 2007, Cynthia has made her return to the office after working elsewhere for about 8 years. Make no mistake, Cynthia’s work and impact is indelible on the fabric of the firm’s history. Cynthia has made major contributions to some of our favorite projects, including the Ace Hotel, L. B. Landry High School, NOBIC, and the Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Cynthia has also been recognized by Building Design and Construction Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, and she serves on the Architectural Review Committee of the New Orleans Historic District Landmark Commission. But her latest accomplishment that’s wrested her interest is teaching to a new generation of architects at the Tulane School of Architecture.

“I love seeing what the students come up with, and it takes me back to why I went into architecture in the first place,” Cynthia says. Her students’ creative and energetic approaches to the fundamentals of architecture has been the most rewarding aspect of her teaching experience.

But the job is not without its challenges. Cynthia finds it can be arduous to balance working in a firm and teaching. “Having to go back and forth between the two both physically and mentally … you have to switch how you think, and it’s all within the same day,” says Cynthia, who also thinks the variety and change of pace can be refreshing. “But that’s also why I enjoy it – because you get to use different skill sets and different parts of your brain.”

When it comes to teaching effectively and invoking enthusiasm from her students, Cynthia says that the best tools are existing precedents. “Whenever I can bring a lesson to a real-world example of actual built architecture, I think that resonates with the students,” explains Cynthia. “Whether it’s teaching them about code and showing them some sort of challenge we overcame, or, in terms of design, being able to show them an actual building that had a similar program or a similar site to what they’re working on, and being able to walk them through that, I think they really enjoy it.”

“I love seeing what the students come up with, and it takes me back to why I went into architecture in the first place.”

Cynthia’s curriculum is just as much a reflection on her own career as it is a building block for her students. The most exciting days for her are when she can lead the students through the more abstract landmarks of the design process. “And you can see that moment,” she says, “when it clicks, and they truly understand design thinking.”

The lessons don’t end at crafting buildings, however. Cynthia says that one of the more important topics she enjoys teaching is debriefing students about the professional world of architecture. “I like to prepare them for the working world, making sure they have developed good habits, and just giving them life lessons along the way – things I didn’t learn in architecture school, but would have liked to have known at the time.”

Cynthia’s own professional footprint within EskewDumezRipple is unforgettable. And while she has worked on many projects during her past tenure at the firm, Cynthia says the one she was most excited to see completed is the Ace Hotel. Having devoted many hours to the design of the hotel, Cynthia says, “It’s fun seeing people use that project as a precedent.”

Located in downtown New Orleans, the Ace Hotel is one of Cynthia’s favorite projects she’s contributed to while working with EskewDumezRipple.

Even within internal operations, Cynthia is happy to see the rewards of her hard work. “There are internal initiatives that I was part of setting up years ago,” she says, “like SharePoint integration and the project management guides, and to see that those are still being used today is like, ‘Oh, hey, that actually did work!’"

Needless to say, EskewDumezRipple is fortunate to have Cynthia back on the team, and grateful to support her as she continues to do what she does best – molding minds as well as buildings.