SPOTLIGHT ON: RIDAB GLAL

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Spotlight On is our tradition of interviewing team members to celebrate them and get to know them better. Our October Spotlight On feature is Ridab Glal. Ri joined the Liollio team in 2022 and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, where she earned her Master of Architecture degree. Ri has a passion for architectural design and rendering, organic design, and sustainability. A valuable asset to the studio, Ri confidently settled into her role as Project Designer and is applying her experience and knowledge to several projects in markets including Higher Education, K-12 Education, Community, Federal, and Health & Wellness. We sat down for a Q+A session with our newest Spotlight On feature:

Where did you grow up?
We moved around a lot when I was younger. I bounced back and forth between the States & Europe. If I had to identify one place, it would be North Charleston.

Are you married?
Yes newly wedded!

Do you have children?
Nope!

What do you like to do for fun?
I mostly like to spend time with my family. If I’m not hanging with family I’m most likely at the beach!

Do you have pets? If so, tell us a bit about them.
Noo but I really want a kitty.

Favorite place(s) to go locally?
The beach!!

Favorite restaurant?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite restaurant, but I often find myself at Kid Cashew or Spicy Palette.

Favorite food?
If the dish tastes good it automatically becomes my new favorite.

Least favorite food?
Unpopular opinion but I HATE eggs!

Favorite book?
Not sure! I haven’t come across a book that has caught my attention for a long minute.

Do you play any instruments?
Not currently but I used to play the

What song is at the top of your most played list?
Tout va Bien by Ever Mihigo

Favorite musical artist or genre?
Heavy Metal & R&B

Favorite visual artist?
Not sure if she counts as a visual artist, but Iris van Herpen

Favorite television show?
Grey’s Anatomy! But my show of the month right now is Why women Kill.

Favorite movie or genre?
Thrillers or Mystery! Sometimes horror

Last movie you watched?
They Cloned Tyrone

Favorite place you have traveled to and why?
Thailand! We went for our honeymoon; it was a breath of fresh air.

Favorite style of architecture?
I like architecture that reflects traditions and values of a specific culture. Not sure if it has a name - maybe cultural architecture?

What building have you visited that most impressed or inspired you?
Wat chaithararam temple in Thailand. All of it is hand made! So impressive.

Are you messy or organized?
I like to stay as organized as I can.

What’s your pet peeve?
Nothing yet!

If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be?
Zaha Hadid

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?
Hasn’t happened yet but the first Woman president!

If your house was burning down, what is the one nonliving thing you would save?
Most likely my phone! It has literally all the information I need to replace my other belongings.

What’s your astrological sign?
Cancer

What is your personal philosophy?
Mistakes are forgotten, life goes on.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?
Shelter & water - the essentials!

What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s gotten me far.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear nothing… except chimpanzees…they are terrifying.

What inspires you most?
My parents! They’ve gone through a lot trying to make sure my siblings and I have a safer life than they did in Sudan.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Completing Architecture school, it was a rocky ride.

What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio?
I love how relaxed the working environment is and how the firm prioritizes growth!

What does true leadership mean to you?
I think a true leader should have a passion for teaching. If I’m not learning anything what am I gaining?

If you could perform another job for just one day, what or who would it be?
Jeff Bezos

What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?
Other than the responsibilities you suddenly have, adulting isn’t so bad.

How do you define success?
Being very knowledgeable and resourceful.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I used to speak fluent Dutch up until I was about 5 years old because I was born/lived in the Netherlands. I no longer speak Dutch - just Arabic and English.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Just do it.

SPOTLIGHT ON: MASON MALSEGNA

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Spotlight On is our tradition of interviewing team members to celebrate them and get to know them better. Our June Spotlight On feature is Mason Malsegna. Mason joined the Liollio team in 2021 as a Project Designer. He is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture. Mason is a valuable addition to the studio, and his involvement on many project types and sizes helps distill creativity and confidence. Mason’s previous research in sustainable and resilient design methodologies helps us produce equitable and thoughtful work. We sat down for a Q+A session with our June Spotlight On feature:

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a town outside of Rochester, NY on the Erie Canal called Fairport.

Are you married? Do you have children? No

What do you like to do for fun? I love working out, mountain biking, exploring outside, and hiking. I’m also a big foodie and love cooking and trying wines.

Do you have pets? If so, tell us a bit about them. I have a cat that I adopted when I moved to Charleston from Pounce Cat Café. She’s a street cat with an edge (not really, but that’s the life I pretend she lived when she was picked up by the Target on Rivers Avenue). She keeps me up, knocks things over, and is a pain in my rear, but I’m happy to have her.

Favorite place(s) to go locally? Sullivan’s Island is my favorite spot in Charleston. Often I’ll go there to watch the sunrise, or sunset as well as to enjoy the nice warm weather this city has to offer.

Favorite restaurant? My favorite spot, thus far, is Great Wall Express (a Chinese place close to my house in Park Circle). They have cheap and delicious food that reminds me of a spot I used to go to when I was younger.

Favorite food? My favorite meal is a garbage plate, and it’s the most disgustingly unhealthy thing, but it’s delicious and local to Rochester, NY. It consists of mac salad and homefries as the base, topped with 1 to 4 cheeseburger patties, and smothered in a meat hot sauce, fresh onion, and mustard.

Least favorite food? Doesn’t exist.

Do you play any instruments? No

What song is at the top of your most played list? It’s always changing as I’m trying to find new music, but right now it’s Mount Everest by Labrinth.

Favorite musical artist or genre? I love a mix of pop, indie, funk, and rap. My taste is a bit eclectic. My favorite artist at the moment is Dominic Fike.

Favorite visual artist? Donald Judd is my favorite. I love his sculptural work as his attention to fabrication detail is immense.

Favorite television show? My favorite show is Euphoria, but a close second with White Lotus.

Favorite book or author? The Great Gatsby

Last book you read? War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Favorite podcast or blog? The Leftovers Podcast

Favorite movie or genre? I’m a sucker for a good thriller movie. My favorite is Kill Bill Vol. I

Last movie you watched? Knives Out: Glass Onion – it was ok.

Favorite place you have traveled to and why? Thailand – every corner you turned there was something new to see, new food to try, and things to do.

Favorite style of architecture? I like a good mid-century modern home being from the North.

What building have you visited that most impressed or inspired you? Louis Kahn’s Baptist Church in Rochester.

What would the book or movie about your life be called? A Haphazard Odyssey

Who would play you in a movie about your life? It would definitely be me.

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why? I would be a human, cause you know, top of the food chain and all.

Are you messy or organized? An organized mess. But I’m neat.

What’s your pet peeve? When my schedule or plans change suddenly.

Guilty pleasure? Sipping on wine in the bath listening to music or with a good book.

Tell us a random fact. In German, it’s called “meerrettich” (sea radish) because it grows by the sea. Many believe the English mispronounced the German word “meer” and began calling it “mareradish.” Eventually it became known as horseradish. The word “horse” is believed to denote large size and coarseness. – Straight from Google.

Favorite quote? I don’t have one.

If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be? Robin Williams – seemed like an interesting figure.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? Berlin Wall coming down – sounds like it was a good time.

If your house was burning down, what is the one nonliving thing you would save? My mountain bike.

What three traits characterize you? Determined – Friendly - Considerate

What’s your astrological sign? Libra – whatever you take that as.

What is your personal philosophy? Live and let live.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? Good wine

What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far? Moving to a new state (South Carolina) on my own.

What is your greatest fear? As time goes on, my fear of small spaces grows larger. (See what I did there?)

What inspires you most? Random acts of kindness people do.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? Graduating near-top of my class from Syracuse University.

What is your favorite thing about working at Liollio? The firm culture - everyone is family.

What does true leadership mean to you? Someone who knows how to orchestrate, but also let people figure things out on their own.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be? National Park Ranger

What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13? Do as much as you can with your youth.

How do you define success? By my own personal satisfaction of what I do.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you. I was training to become an Olympic Lifter while in high school, and I still train now, just not professionally.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Let things happen, you can’t control every outcome.