Maddison Wells
I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana, in the US. I stayed in New Orleans for my bachelor’s degrees in architecture and in real estate development and now I study the Master in Business for Architecture & Design, here in Madrid. I chose to come to IE University thanks to their commitment to innovation in both design and business. I thought it would be the perfect fit for pursuing my ambition to one day become an entrepreneur. I’m currently an Architectural Designer at Trapolin-Peer Architects.
"My favorite thing about the program so far is learning from my colleagues about their experiences and their travels—the international perspective that IE University provides."
Making a social impact through architecture
Maddison came to IE University expecting to make lifelong connections and advance her career goals. She dreams to one day own her own practice, designing for equality and making a lasting impact on the communities that she works in.
So far, she has enjoyed learning from her colleagues about their architectural experiences around the world and benefiting from IE University’s international environment. Although Maddison tends to live in the moment, she is looking forward to working in the Venture Lab and exploring collaboration opportunities with her peers in the future. She hopes to find new solutions to existing problems, such as climate change, and make a social impact.
Maddison believes architecture should be socially driven and that people should remain at the forefront of the field. She recognizes that many architects approach buildings as an object, rather than a system that is influenced by the people that use it—and she wants to change that.
“Traditional practice doesn’t do enough. So, I think we should be getting everyone, whether they’re an architectural designer, landscape designer or an interior designer, to understand that everything is socially driven and does have a social impact, whether they know it or not.”
In the future, Maddison sees herself impacting the field by driving social change—going beyond the building and really thinking about people. She also hopes to design sustainable buildings that encourage resilient communities, as she thinks that sustainability goes beyond building performance.
Maddison is working towards this passion in her side projects. She has many community engagement projects where she interacts directly with her neighborhood with interactive art installations and discussions. She also meets with other local architects to exchange ideas regarding innovative solutions to existing problems, as part of her journey to changing the world of architecture.
