Ritva Vilppola

Using technical skills from Sustainable Engineering Systems and Project Management majors Ritva could easily pivot to urban design and community development.

I was always fascinated by building structures and cities since I was a kid. These interests solidified in high school, where I was particularly drawn to mathematics, physics, visual arts, and geography. At the time, I was deciding between whether to pursue architecture school or engineering school. A pivotal point was when I started connecting my experiences from volunteering at a local primary school with learning sustainable development in geography class and the consequences of poor housing quality. This further influenced my decision towards designing homes that would be healthier for our people and our ecological environment. When I came across the Building Science program, it sounded like the best of both architecture and engineering worlds.

It was common to study both Sustainable Engineering Systems and Project Management specialisations under Building Science, which made choosing courses a lot easier. I enjoyed that my degree included core courses that were shared with the Architectural Design, Interior Architecture, and Landscape Architecture students. This encouraged cross-collaboration with people from different areas where you would be working within the industry. I also had some fantastic tutors who were really dedicated to sharing their knowledge and helping us through our assignments.

My first professional roles were at the New Zealand Green Building Council as a NABERSNZ (National Australian Built Environment Rating System New Zealand) intern and Green Star technical coordinator. These positions led to my next role as a sustainability design consultant at the global engineering firm, WSP. A combination of working at Te Papa Tongarewa and the local marine store during my studies built a lot of useful working experience in customer service. This translated easily into working with a range of property development, contractor, and architectural clients. Additionally, completing my Victoria Plus (now Wellington Plus) Award and gaining experience through community service allowed me to build interpersonal and leadership skills that I found incredibly useful when I took on not-for-profit committee and board roles.

My previous roles used a lot of the technical skills I had gained in Building Science. Although I’ve since shifted my career towards urban studies, architecture school taught me a lot about organisation and communication, which I still apply in my different roles. Being organised is key to managing time and completing any task effectively, regardless of working in large multi-disciplinary teams or on your own projects. I also still use a lot of the visual communication skills I learned to this day and have come to appreciate the importance of a well-laid out page or document in everything I do!

I currently work at my local community centre as a project officer. As the name suggests, I manage a range of projects in organisational quality assurance, housing advocacy, disaster resiliency, and placemaking. This has allowed me to combine my knowledge in housing, sustainability, urban design, community development, and governance from all my academic, industry, and volunteer experiences. I also hold committee positions in industry, humanitarian, and non-governmental organisations, and still volunteer in my community. So, I carry a few roles under my hat, all of which go hand in hand with my paid role, too.