Maria obtained her architecture degree from MIT, receiving the Compton Prize for most outstanding student school-wide and the Grunsfeld traveling scholarship for excellence in architecture. At MIT, as one of the first female student body presidents at a major US university, Maria received worldwide attention -- focusing the spotlight on design by creating a prototype ‘model classroom,’ still used as an example today.
As a passionate advocate for architecture and its power to transform everyday life, Maria has continued to be involved in promoting architecture as an integral part of community. A dedicated proponent of design policy, Maria is personally involved in the political discourse on architecture, at the local, state, and international levels, serving as Treasurer for the AIA Central Valley Chapter and Chairman of the Board of the US/Baltic Foundation. She is also committed to ongoing innovation and research: her firm is active in the area of green technologies and living roofs, and Maria has been an invited speaker and writer on subjects ranging from electric vehicles to live/work typologies to LEDs.
In addition to her practice, Maria has taught architecture at MIT, Stanford, and UC Davis, helping to develop key design courses. She is also a painter and sculptor, and recently took part in a two-person show at the Oakland Museum. Born to Estonian parents and raised in Canada and Taiwan, Maria holds both US and Estonian/EU citizenship.
