Gabriella Bermea, AIA

Gabriella Bermea, AIA

Bermea is currently an associate at VLK Architects’ Austin office, where she turns to design excellence and scholarship to uplift under-represented communities through compelling and equitable school projects in a state that ranks 35th in the country for public education. Her projects include Gus Almquist Middle School, which will serve more than 1,200 students when it opens this fall in Hutto, Texas. In addition to supporting more than $1 billion of work in the education sector, Bermea made history at her firm when she became an associate at the age of 27, the youngest in VLK’s 38-year history.

Bermea’s engagement with AIA began immediately following her graduation from the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 2018. Last year, she was elected to the board of AIA Austin after previously chairing the chapter’s Latinos in Architecture Committee. In that role, she oversaw the committee’s Perspectivas exhibit, which highlighted 30 of the city’s Latino architects and designers at the Austin City Library. She also gathered members for lecture-style conversations through the committees’ Cafecito Hour, a program she launched in 2020.

Last year, Bermea chaired the Texas Society of Architects’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee, where her leadership achieved national reach through the content she generated and shared and the presentations she gave. Under her guidance, the committee established collaborative visibility and outreach goals that focus on vital topics of accessibility, implicit bias, and diverse pathways to licensure. This year she will become the chapter’s vice president of practice and recognition.

In an effort to bring new voices to the profession, Bermea has held numerous leadership roles for the ACE Mentorship Program, supporting its K-12 programs and mentoring the next generation of changemakers. She has mentored more than 600 high school students in the Austin region and helped secure more than $180,000 in scholarship funds.

On the national level, Bermea is the communications director on the Young Architects Forum (YAF) Advisory Committee, where she leads a focus group that explores ways to elevate young voices in the profession. Building on her contributions to Texas Architect Magazine, she is the editor-in-chief of YAF’s CONNECTION magazine. Working with more than 50 writers from around the world, she and her team cover important topics and provide actionable takeaways in each issue.

Bermea’s contributions to the profession and her ability to bring varied voices to the table have profoundly impacted the profession. With her infectious energy and enthusiasm, she is a leading voice guiding architecture to a more equity-centered mindset.