Maria Salenger, AIA
Senior associate, Jones Studio; Co-founder, partner, Colab Studio
Years in the industry: 21
In 2011, architect Maria Salenger and her husband, a fellow architect, were featured in the Wall Street Journal for their unconventional abode hidden in the middle of a 1950s Phoenix neighborhood. Salenger works for Jones Studio, which recently completed the Mariposa Land Port of Entry and the Mesa Community College Performing Arts Center, and is the co-founder of Colab Studio with her husband. The award-winning architect serves the design studios and their clients in visioning sessions, research and project development.
What is the hardest professional or personal challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
Two weeks with my toddler in the hospital; along with receiving support from family and friends, we planned small pleasures like a picnic in the courtyard to remind us of the outdoors.
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishment?
Co-chairing the American Institute of Architects National Women’s Leadership Summit in Phoenix. My colleagues and I welcomed extraordinary thinkers and creators from across North America to our city.
What is your most memorable deal or project and why?
Designing the Arizona 911 Memorial at the state capital with my two partners. We were personally thanked by victims’ family members for honoring their loved ones in this way.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Looking for new perspectives from which to solve problems.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up and how did that aspiration affect your career?
Dentist, chef, graphic designer, architect, artist – in that order. I looked for a path with richness and diverse opportunities.
What is one little-known fact about you?
I like building codes!
