VMDO Architects

Teresa joined VMDO after completing her Master of Architecture at Virginia Tech. Prior to that, she spent much of the last decade in Washington, DC, working in affordable housing with a focus on high performance construction. Specifically she has worked on some of the first single family homes and multifamily renovation projects in DC to be certified with the Passive House Institute of the US (PHIUS). In 2005, she graduated from Boston College and received her B.A.S. in Art/Architectural History. At Boston College she also became involved with the Appalachia Service program where she joined fellow students on alternative spring break trips volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in the Mid-Atlantic region. Her college experiences, both academically and through service, influenced her desire to continue working in affordable housing construction. After college she found herself working as a site superintendent for DC Habitat for Humanity where she got her start in construction and from there moved into project management.

After years of gaining invaluable knowledge and experience through troubleshooting high performance design details on-site, Teresa decided she was ready to return to school to finally pursue her dream of practicing architecture. At Virginia Tech, she gained a solid foundation of design principles and conceptual ideas, was able to travel to study architecture in Europe and Japan, while also pursuing her passion for high performance design through student led projects. In 2018, she led a team of students in the Department of Energy’s Race to Net Zero competition, designing a net zero elementary school. Teresa is excited to expand on this experience working in the K-12 studio.