greta crispen (b. 1994)                                               she/her/hers   




move with love, design as service

Greta is a designer and researcher of the built environment with specialities in architecture and landscape. A tree hugger/ocean lover, Greta’s research interest exposes the interplay of construction material extraction and environmental degradation.

The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to both greenhouse gas emissions and raw material consumption. This means that no matter how innovative a new building may be, it is still contributing to the overall climate instability affecting people across the globe. In investigating the building process, a new perspective arises by which sustainable and resilient design can be considered. A perspective focused on circular material life cycles, ecological replenishment, and the inclusion of all communities over exploitation of some for the benefit of few. These concepts question the status quo of sustainable design, proposing alternatives for R/Urban resilience bolstered by ecological-based solutions for human centric questions. Greta is a advocate for an intersectional approach to design, environmental advocacy, and urban planning, operating within the belief that traditional western city design has long placed marginalized groups outside of consideration, leaving them more burdened and vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. It is the bare minimum of the conscious built environmentalist to acknowledge historic inequities to offer inclusive, diverse solutions for the 22nd century. Designing healthier, more equitable communities that are in better alignment with the cycles of Earth requires an embrace of all people.

Greta is currently working on a deep dive into the material flows of the most common building materials. In the past she has conducted research on positive impacts of access to landscape can have on mental health and the potential for artificial reefs to protect coastal communities from storm surge.

She has worked in Boston, MA as a Project Designer for Mikyoung Kim Design. Greta was a Graduate Teaching Assistant at  Barnard College School of Architecture. She was a contributor to Goodwill Reconsidered, an Editor and contributor for POST publication, and Editor in Chief for Architrave publications. She holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation from Columbia University in New York City and a Bachelor’s of Design in Architecture from the University of Florida. Greta currently lives in New York, NY.