PRINCIPAL
Ginna Claire Nguyen
Ginna is a Principal at BDG, overseeing some of the studio's largest and most complex projects across multifamily and affordable housing, civic spaces, workplace, and hospitality. Her work is defined by a consistent through-line: architecture as a force for human impact.
She brings an unusually broad foundation to the practice. Before joining BDG, Ginna designed two award-winning pavilions that exhibited internationally in Japan and New York, developed a collaborative practice exploring innovative living typologies from urban master plans to rural single-family homes, and served as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Pasadena City College. Her academic formation spans an Art degree from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the boards of two Southern California nonprofits, a commitment that reflects the same values she brings to the studio every day.
That breadth shows up in how Ginna leads. She approaches every project, whether a large-scale housing development or a civic institution, with the same question: how can this campus or building best serve the people who use it, as well as the community around it?
Her contributions have been recognized by Boutique Magazine's Up-and-Coming Designer Award, and Building Design and Construction's 40 Under 40. Ginna has also been a Community Impact Advocate finalist designation from the LA Business Journal's Women of Influence Awards.
“As architects, the products of our work carry tangible, lasting impacts on the built environment. What we draw on paper become the places in which our daily lives occur. Because of this, social justice and equity are not optional; rather, they are inherent in what we do.”
Ginna Claire Nguyen, sat down with Madame Architect, when BDG was formerly known as Relativity Architects, to discuss empathy, density, and acts of service.
Ginna answers: Five Things You Need to Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect. An Interview with Jason Hartman.