Debra Smith Designs for People, Not Prestige

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Prior to coming to the University of California, Davis, Debra Smith built housing on Native American reservations, churches, schools—anything new she could get her hands on.

“Variety is something I crave,” the current associate director of major capital projects at UC Davis explains. “Getting new clients and meeting new people are a big part of what I’ve loved about being an architect.”

But there were also downsides to the constant pursuit of something new. Smith hated having to sell herself and pitch to stakeholders to win their business. She always felt overly nervous during interviews and presentations.

At UC Davis, which Smith joined in 2013, the variety is endless. But she doesn’t have to worry about trying to appeal to someone else’s idea of what design should be.

“There are designers who want to make their mark, to make something great and memorable,” Smith says. “My approach to my work has always been about creating space that works great for people.”

Smith’s focus on functionality comes from a personal place. Three decades ago, Smith’s mother had a stroke, and Smith brought her mother into her own home. Smith and her husband were the primary caretakers for Smith’s mother until her death a few years ago.

Taking care of her mother profoundly affected Smith. It has helped her understand where people may be coming from, how this moment may not be the right moment to have a difficult conversation with a team member, and the emotional tax people face when taking on so much in their lives outside of work. It’s made her a better leader, a better daughter, and a better person.

“Taking care of my mother has informed how I lead my direct reports,” Smith says. “I want to meet them where they are on their journeys and to help move them forward.”

Just as Smith balances compassion with pragmatism in her personal life and with her team, she tackles sustainability challenges at UC Davis with thoughtful, people-centered solutions. Although she isn’t officially a part of the university’s sustainability team, she has become the go-to person for sustainable design and construction. Her passion for sustainability has led to real change, including a student internship program she currently supervises.

Smith started bringing in student sustainability interns who work 8 to 12 hours a week on different issues. At present, her team is examining new WELL building standards and how they align with current LEED rating systems. Her interns are doing the research for a presentation for the Society of College University Planners on how to integrate well-being and environmental considerations into future builds.

“You have to consider the cost to implement these changes, how much it will change and impact campus design guides, and other factors,” Smith says. “This year, our goal is to pilot a program and implement these changes into our next capital project.”

Check-the-box measures like carbon offsets were a critical first step for organizations, but Smith says efforts to decarbonize, electrify, and divest from fossil fuels must evolve. Smith’s students are also reviewing life-cycle data from past projects, identifying where buildings fell short of energy goals, and addressing challenges like unanticipated usage patterns (some models didn’t account for the actual number of hours a building would be in use), changing weather conditions, and equipment retro-commissioning for facilities teams.

This is how you make real change. You can’t build, hope for the best, and move on. You must document every step of the way, year after year. It’s not easy. But it’s that kind of commitment that gives us a chance at combating climate change and building a better, more sustainable future. Smith is already on it. The rest of us need to catch up.

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